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60. Were those the orders given to you by Colonel Sommerville ?—Yes. 61. That those officers were to be battalion commanders ?—Yes. 62. That was never countermanded?—No; I understood they were battalions before they came into camp. The order in reference to Captain Howie was altered. Captain Izard was acting towards the end. Lieutenant Blair turned up late, at the time the work was pretty well over. 63. Do you think the officers knew who was who ?—Yes. 64. You think they all know who was the brigade staff?—' Certainly ; they all came to me if they wanted anything. Captain Izard was originally appointed adjutant for the second battalion, and I scratched his name out and appointed Captain McDermott. I went to each battalion commander to get him to appoint an adjutant and sergeant-major. 65. There was no order-book kept?— No. 66. Major Haiokins.] Previous to joining the Third Contingent, had you had any experience ? —None whatever. 67. In what capacity did you join the contingent? —I joined as a trooper, was appointed sergeant, and got my commission in Africa. 68. How long did you remain in Africa?— Six months. 69. Have you had any previous experience in Volunteer camps ?—None at all. 70. This was practically the first time you acted as brigade-major ?—Yes. 71. You say you kept a note-book, and when it was necessary to make a change you just scratched out the names of the officers? —Yes. 72. When you scratched off the names in your book, did you communicate the orders so that the whole of the officers in camp might know of the change ?—No, I do not think that was done. 73. Do you not think that was risky ? How would the officers of the several companies know who was who, unless those orders were issued?— When we first went into camp, Colonel Sommerville told each of the battalion commanders that he was to be responsible. At first Captain Izard was appointed battalion commander, and then Captain Howie. When the alteration was made Captain Izard took over the battalion and told me that Captain McDermott would be his adjutant. I do not see how it would affect the other battalions so long as the commander knew. 74. When there was a complaint about the shortage of camp utensils generally, I think you said you went to the Defence Department yourself ?—Yes. 75. And there was a quartermaster in the camp?—l cannot say whether there was or not. I was sent there, anyhow. 76. Who was the quartermaster?— Lieutenant Thurston, but he did not come down quite at first. But, whether he was there or not, I was ordered by Colonel Sommerville to go and find out about those things, and I went. 77. You were not sure that a quartermaster had been appointed ? —Not at that particular date, but I know the things were there and available as soon as Mr. McParland chose to send for them. 78. How did you get Captain Tatum's report as officer of the day, and why did he send that to you ?—I think at the time he must have been appointed before the details were complete. I think he was only orderly officer for his battalion. 79. How did it come to you ?—I do not think it came to me, but to Colonel Sommerville. 80. You say that none of the reports by officers of the day came to your office except that one ?-—Yes. The battalion orderly officers were very vague about that. 81. The battalion officers have initialled that order as seen ; do you remember being up there ? —Yes. 82. I notice one of the orders here is that an officer from each company was to be detailed daily to attend the cookhouse and see that the men got their rations as laid down in the scale as per tender: do you know if that was done ?—That order was not carried out. It was spoken about more than once. I told the quartermaster what the order was, and I reminded him that if each company did not furnish a subaltern to attend the issue of rations he was to report to me, but he did not attend to it as he should have done. I have myself seen men scrambling for food when an officer should have been there to attend to his company. 83. Colonel Davies.] A battalion commander told us yesterday that he understood Captain McDermott was camp adjutant: how do you account for that ?—I should say he was mistaken. 84. How did everything get so mixed?— They seemed to have very curious ideas about a lot of things. I cannot account for it at all. 85. Is there anything more that you would like to tell us about the camp ?—I think not; but I should like it to be recorded that I consider it was a most unsuitable place for a camp, to start with, and I think it was a mistake to allow the catering contract to go to one man. I consider it was impossible for one man, with the staff he had at his disposal, to cater for some four thousand men, distributed all over Wellington. 86. You say the meat was pretty well raw and not cooked through ?—Yes. 87. Do you not think the matter could have been remedied by additional cooks being told off by the companies, or additional sheds being erected for the cooking ?—I do not think that would have met the case under the contract. 88. Supposing the contractor was not carrying out his contract properly, would it not have been better to have told off so-many men to get the necessary utensils and shelter for the cookhouses ?—What I should have done was this : when the contractor failed to carry out his contract with regard to the rations I should have simply warned him, and then sent down for whatever was short, and charged him for it. 89. What would you have done with it when you had got it—l mean with regard to cooking it ? —I should have told off a number of men to do the cooking.