H.—l9a

69

the quantity of fodder for each horse. It was afterwards decided that we should give each company so many bags of chaff and oats, and charge it to the company. I made the order fifty bags of oats, one hundred of chaff, and so on. That is the way they drew their fodder. They drew it as they wanted it. Sometimes they took two bags, and at others only one. 101. They paid for the quantity they got, not for the number of horses? —Yes ; they paid for the quantity they got. 102. About the men's rations: they were paid for at so much per man? —I believe so. 103. How many men were in camp? —That I could not tell you. 104. Would it have made any difference in what was paid by the Government if, instead of their being 774 horses, there had been 729 or 730 —would the Government have been "had " to the extent of forty or fifty horses ?—No ; I do not think so. 105. The men took what they liked and paid for it in bulk, and not at per horse ? —Yes. 106. Do you know that the principal duty of a brigade or camp quartermaster is to see that everything is in order about the camp, that the lines are in order, and everything kept clean and tidy?— No. 107. You were not instructed about that ?—No. 108. You do not know that you were the one man who ought to have dropped down on those who had put the string up on the trees with the tins hanging on it ?—No ; I had not been in the position before. 109. How many quartermaster-sergeants had you? —Four; one from each battalion. Then there was a quartermaster-sergeant from each company who used to work with the quartermasters of the battalions. Private William Smith, examined. (No. 34.) 110. The Chairman.] What corps do you belong to ? —The Manawatu Mounted Rifles. 111. How long have you been in the corps ? —Two years next month. 112. Were you in camp with your corps at Newtown Park in June last ? —Yes. 113. What day did you go in ?—On Saturday night. 114. Was there anything for you to eat when you got there ? —Yes; bread and butter, and tea and coffee. 115. What were rations like during the encampment; what about the meat ?—The meat was very bad. 116. What was the matter with it?—lt was cooked badly, and dished up badly. 117. Do you mean that it was not sufficiently cooked?— Yes. 118. Did that occur on more than one occasion ?—Pretty well all through. 119. What about the quantity?— Sometimes there was enough, and sometimes there was very little. 120. What about the butter ?—That was very good. 121. And the bread?— Very good. 122. What about the vegetables ?—I did not see any. 123. Were there no potatoes ?—Not in the tent I was in. 124. Did you drink any of the coffee or tea?—We had to. 125. And you did not care for it ?—No. 126. Had you sufficient tent accommodation ? How many men were there in a tent ?—Eight men in my tent. 127. Had you plenty of straw?— There would have been plenty if it had been dry, but it was very damp. 128. Was there any mud in your tent?— Yes, plenty of it. 129. And water?— Yes. The water could not get away. 130. Had you enough fodder for your horses ? —Yes ; plenty. 131. Did you or any of the men in your tent make any complaints to anybody ?—No. 132. Not when the officers came round during meal-times ?—No. I never noticed an officer in my tent during meal-times. 133. Did any non-commissioned officer come to visit the tents belonging to your company ?— Yes, the sergeant-major. 134. Did you ever complain to him ?—I do not know whether it would be a proper complaint. We used to grumble a bit. 135. Did you have many meals out of camp ?—A good many. 136. Do you know whether many of your men did the same ?—The majority of them, I believe. 137. Do you know if many men slept out of camp ?—That I cannot say. 138. Did you ? —I did on two nights. 139. Why did you take your meals out of camp ? —We did not care for the tucker that was there. 140. Yet you say you never complained to anybody? —No; I never said anything about it. 141. You never complained to your own officers ? —'No. 142. Where did you wash ?—At the troughs. 143. Did you not know that the horses were watered there ?—We used to take a basin. 144. Was there plenty of water ? — There was in one trough, but the other was dry very often. 145. When were your horses moved off the flat ?—On Wednesday afternocn. 146. Do you know what time ?—Shortly after dinner—between 1 and 2 o'clock. 147. Were you there ? —Yes. 148. Where did you take your horse to ?—The horses were sent to Petone. 149. Are you sure of the time? Do you guess it? —The officer told us on the Tuesday night that we would most likely go in the morning; so that we were waiting with our horses.