58

H.—l9a

instance? —No. My quartermaster, Sergeant Evans, was there nearly all the time, and did most of the work under the lieutenant-quartermaster. 65. What did you think about the price for catering, 2s. Id. ?—Of course, the caterer was put to great expense, and so on, but there is no doubt that the amount of money for the actual provisions is in excess of what should have been paid. I am speaking from what I know it cost in the case of my own men for six days. We had splendid food for Is. 6d. per day. I should say, if he had got Is. 6d. to Is. 9d. per day he would have been amply paid. 66. Would you prefer to do it in another way, by cooking for your own men ?—Yes. If each company were to bring its own cook and assistant cook, according to the number of men, and they were to come down to Wellington a day or two before and make arrangements, we should be far better off, because these men would be responsible to the company commanders. There should, first of all, be a brigade quartermaster appointed ; then let each battalion appoint a quartermaster under him, and the quartermaster-sergeant of each company should be under them. They should then provide their own cooks and assistants. 67. That is practically the system that is carried out in the army. It is done like that with regularity?—l am quite satisfied it would be done satisfactorily in that way. Mr. McParland charged the officers 3s. 6d., but 2s. 6d. would have paid him handsomely for what he gave us. I asked him for lamps, but could not get them. 68. You know nothing about the procession ?—I only heard of it. I knew nothing of my own knowledge. 69. Were you up in the camp the next day when Colonel Penton addressed the men? —Yes. 70. Can you tell us what he said, shortly ?—Colonel Sommerville issued an order for a close parade at a quarter to 10, and said the Commandant was coming up to see us about the scandal that had been made. The Commandant came up about 10 o'clock, and the officers were called to the front, and Colonel Penton told us of the disgraceful proceedings which had taken place, of which we must all be cognisant, and which, if the officers had had the men under proper control, would not have occurred. The whole regiment had been disgraced, and it was all the more painful on account of Royalty being here. He then instructed the officers to return to the ranks, and try and find out who had committed the breach. We all went to the front, and afterwards told him that we could get no satisfaction. He then rode along, and got about the centre of the column and addressed us. He said he was very sorry for what had occurred, that we had borne our troubles up to a certain time like men, but at the last we had disgraced ourselves by having the procession in the town. Then he said, "I am sorry to say there are some four infernal curs and cowards here who will not step out and. take the blame on themselves." Just as he said " curs " he saw a reporter on the ground, and asked Colonel Sommerville to have him removed, which was done. The colonel said to us again what he had said. I am afraid that a great deal more has been made out of that affair than the case demanded. Ido not think the Commandant wished us to infer that the whole of the men were curs and cowards. He simply meant the four were for not coming forward and taking the blame on themselves, instead of getting the whole of the mounted c6rps into disgrace, and I thought so myself. That is all the Commandant intended, I feel sure ; those are the words he used. 71. Major Haiokms.] At what hour of the day did you arrive in the camp ? —Half-past 11. 72. Did the quartermaster meet you? —There was no quartermaster appointed then. The only parties that met us were Sergeant-Major Tuck and Crespin, and both were on foot at the railwaystation to lead mounted men into camp, a distance of three miles. We had to wait some time to allow them to catch up to us. 73. The Chairman.] 'What did they belong to ?—They belonged to the staff. 74. Major Hawkins.] Do you not think it would have been much better to have had a brigade quartermaster and his staff carrying out their duties than to have had nineteen officers appointed, one from each company ? —Far better. 75. There would have been less worry to the cooks and annoyance to everybody?—lt would have been far better to have had one man. I may say that there were some excuse for the cooks owing to the water being cut off. We had only three troughs for the horses, and for four or five hours a day we could not get water. I applied to the caterer to have two 400-gallon tanks sent up, and he said he would do so, but the tanks never came. 76. Did you see the wagons going into camp with fodder for the horses?— Yes. 77. Was the fodder always taken up to the brigade quartermaster's tent and there deposited? No ; it got bogged on the road, and was rolled down the hill. Every night they came in with oats or straw, and we had to start work in the dark, and it was always wet and raining. 78. Where was the fodder carried to? —Mostly into the forage-tents when they could get down, but when they were stuck on the road they put a tarpaulin over it. 79. Did they ever carry it away to the horse-lines ? —No ; it was simply all mud there. 80. The fodder was not rushed ?—No, there was no rushing at all. 81. Was there any proper system of issuing horse-feed ?—On my side there was. I had two large cases for chaff and oats, and as the men came their bowls were filled up. My quartermaster was always in attendance there to see it done. 82. The Chairman.] You say there were three water-troughs for the horses? —Yes. 83. Was that sufficient ?—No ; and there was no provision made for the men to wash. 84. Were there no tin dishes ?—No. There were three or four basins for eight hundred men to wash in. I went to Colonel Sommerville time after time to try and get more from the Government store, but we never got them. 85. Did you tell off from your battalion an officer of the day every time?— Yes. 86. Did they furnish reports to you?—No, for the simple reason that we could get no paper. We had no orderly-room, and there was no guard report issued.