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exception was , taken to the \'lording of his remarks, and on the motion of
M. Allport, seconded by J. Davies , the proprietor of the Mercury, the
paper was referred to the Council of the Society, previous to its adoption
and publication. Afterwards , Hall was surprised to see an unauthorized
and incorrect notice of the matter in the Mercu!L_, tho _ ugh newspaper
reporters were not permitted to attend and report the proceedings at the
monthly meetings ; moreover , the same paragraph \.,.as copied into the
Sydney Morning Herald; Hall \.,.as subsequently courteously requested by
the Council to modify his remarks without suppressing the statistical
facts . This he did, and the amended report was adopted and forwarded
on May 9 as usual to the Mercury, \.,.hich , however , did not publish it until
May 29 and then in a mutilated form by omitting a section of Hall's remarks
on meas les .
The Mercury 's deliberate intention to mis lead the Public by
withholding some of the facts was specially significant in the.t it occurred
at a time when a Commission of Enquiry into the Orphan School was just
beginning. Set up by the Government on May 22, 1867 , to report upon the
condition of the institution, and to as certain what changes , if any, could
be introduced to reduce the expenditure and to increase its practical
value as a Training School, the Commission sat for thirty-one days , hearing
the evidence of thirty people. The Commissioners were J. W. Gleadow from
whom the enquiry took its name, J.M. Wilson, G. Salier, H. Hunter and
H. Cook . Although Hall's request to the Colonial Secretary, Dry , on
April 16, that he be appointed as one of the Commissioners was refused , lS
he \.,.as invited as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Benevolent
_ SQciety to give evidence. Interestingly enough, Allen of e Mercury
also requested and was granted permission to be exained.
When it was issued, the Commission's report \.,.as a vindication
of Hall's carefully compiled, detailed evidence \.,.hich included not only
verbal remarks , but also copies of the correspondence between himself and
Coverdale concerning the milk ration in 1865, various mortality tables of
the Orphan Asylum, extracts from Dr Ed\.,.ard Smith 's Practical Dietary for
Fami lies and Schools (Hal l's m.,.n copy is now in the Cro\.,.ther Collection,
Hobart) plus remarks on the three dietary scales suggested by Coverdale,
the Head Schoolmaster, G. Roberts , and himself respectively. Apart from
his concentration on diet, Hall called for an increase, rather than a
15 CSD 4/102/1208 .