1.-1 A.

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[LIEUT. MACDONALD.

90. They say here also that no public were permitted at the hearing of the case. Were the public prohibited from being present?— The public were not prohibited if they had liked to come over. 91. The Press was represented? —Yes; I could not go round the town with a bell. 92. Are there many people living on Ripa Island? —No, it is a closed fort all round. 93. Were there any summonses served upon these young fellows? —No. 94. Then they heard nothing of the case until Mr. Bailey reached the island? —Yes, they heard about the case from me. 95. When? —When I said I would charge them before a Magistrate. 96. Mr. Bailey arrived at Ripa Island on a certain day : when did the men know about his coming—how long before the Court was held did they know about it? —About three days or bo. 97. They heard three days before that on a certain date the Magistrate would be over to hear the case ? —Yes. 98. Then some days would intervene between their being told and the Magistrate's coming/ —Yes. 99. You tell us that you told them about three days before that the Magistrate was coming on a certain day?- —As soon as I found out myself I told them; they were informed at once. 100. In regard to these regulations that were posted up, you found them torn down? — Defaced and torn down. 101. When you learned that did you make any inquiry? —Yes, the sergeant-major did. 102. In regard to bad language, we were led to suppose that the language was so bad that we should not hear it: what strikes me about this is that men do not use bad language unless they get some provocation ?—Not to my knowledge. 103. You can assert that as a fact?—l can take an oath on it. 104. In regard to the hunger strike, you toll us that before the men were put on short rations there was a good deal of waste?— Yes. 105. After the hunger strike they were put on lull rations again?— Yes, they were given as much as they could eat. 106. Do you know whether there was any waste then? —-Yes, the mess-caterer said the food was wasted. 107?—After?—Yes. 108. Regarding the solitary confinement, did the doctor recommend it?—l deny that there was ever anything like solitary confinement on the island. I understand solitary confinement to be confinement in a cell with bread and water; but these men were accommodated with rooms — two in a room, except one man who was the odd man, atid lie was put in the Ivast objectionable place —in Colonel Cooper's room —and two men on the other side in Dr. Upham's room. 109. Hon. Mr. Rigg.] I understood you to speak of the language as insulting?— Yes. 110. Was the language really insulting, or was it bad in the sense that it was obscene?— No, I would not say " obscene," but I have heard a good many oaths, and I have heard insulting language that was neither obscene nor oaths. I would call it slang. 111. These prisoners were shut up, they were confined in barracks —by whose orders?—By my orders. 112. Acting under the decision by the Magistrate? —No. 113. And why did you confine them? —At certain hours they are supposed to turn out and drill or work. As they would not drill or work I simply confined them for those hours that they should have drilled or worked; but the hours they would have been allowed out for exercise they had the same. 114. You do not consider it a punishment to confine these men in barracks? —They confined themselves; if they had gone out to work they would have got out. 115. Because they would not work or drill you confined them to the barracks?— Could I keep thirteen or fourteen men idling about the barracks all day long? 116. You do not consider that to be punishment? —No. 117. Then you put them on half-rations?—No, I did not put them on half-rations. 118. I understand that you consulted the medical officer and then you decided to give them something more than his allowance? —About three-quarters. 119. Less than the full rations? —I did not give them full rations. 120. You do not consider that punishment, then? —No, not when they had the power to remove it themselves. 121. Did they deliberately waste the food? —I could not say, because I was not always there; but I have been informed that there has been a considerable amount of waste. 122. Has the complaint been made to you that the men deliberately wasted food?— Yes, there was one case about which I had a report of three-quarters of a pound of butter thrown out. 123. Who was responsible for seeing that the food was not wasted?— The food is taken from the kitchen by themselves and carried into their barrack-room, and then they were locked up for their dinner. There is no sentry over them in the barrack-room. 124. There is nobody to see whether they waste or not?— Good food is placed before them, and they are left to themselves entirely. 125. I understood you to say that the hunger strike was because of the quantity of food supplied, that these prisoners were dissatisfied and deliberately went on hunger strike?— Yes. 126. Was it not a protest against military detention? — Well, they did not inform me why they were hunger-striking, but I took it as that. . 127. Did not they give any reason at all?—No, they gave no reason.