GIFT OF £100.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 253, 26 October 1933, Page 8

GIFT OF £100.

BRAVERY REWARDED.

CONSTABLE IN HOSPITAL.

MOTORISTS' APPRECIATION.

Courage displayed by Constable Edward E. Stewart on the night of September 19, when he attempted to arrest a motor car; thief in Grey Lynn, received public recognition this afternoon,, when he was presented with a cheque for £100 from New Zealand motorists. Constable Stewart was seriously injured when he was crushed against a stationary car, and he is still a patient at the Auckland .Hospital, wliere the presentation was made by the Mayor, Mr. G. W. Hutchison.

The attendance at the presentation, which was made in the small room in which Constable Stewart is slowly recovering, was necessarily limited. Those present -were the Mayor, Messrs. F. G. Farrell and A. A. Dignan, representatives of the Automobile Association, Mr. W. Wallace, chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, Mr. J. S. Brigham, town clerk, Dr. J. W. Craven, medical superintendent of the hospital, and Inspector J. W. Hollis, representing the police. "I am here this afternoon as Mayor of the city, at the request of all the automobile associations of the Dominion to present to you something tangible to mark the motorists' appreciation of your attempt to apprehend what motorists call a car thief but which the law is pleased to term a converter of cars," said Mr. Hutchison. The cheque, he said, had been subscribed by the members of eight automobile association's, and also by the Pioneer Sporte Club, and the Ashburton, South Canterbury, Southland and Nelson motor cycle clubs. Not only did motorists but the general public also appreciated the constable's valiant attempt to catch the offender. The incident had given arise to a great deal of discussion, and although the Hon. J. Cobbe, Minister of Justice, had indicated that the Government was not likely to increase the penalty for that kind of offence, he had suggested that more severe punishment might be inflicted by bringing other charges arising out of the conversion against the offender. "I congratulate you once more on behalf'of the automobile associations and the general public," concluded Mr. Hutchison. Inspector Hollis, on behalf of the Police Department, thanked the automobile associations for the enthusiastic manner in which "they had taken the matter up. Constable Stewart, lie said, had simply done his duty. It was very pleasing for the men of the department to know, that the motorists thought so much of the constable's effort that they had made him a handsome presentation. Inspector Hollis said that he hoped Constable Stewart would not be permanently crippled. Whatever happened, he would be retained in the service ass long as his health allowed. "Only Did My Duty." "I only did what any other constable would do under the circumstances,"'said Constable Stewart. " Any- other : constable would' do the same thing to-' morrow. In; such a case it is only a matter of doing your duty." Constable' Ste~\yart added that he was only sorry that his attempt to catch the thief had not been successful, as it was seldom that the police got the opportunity of catcjiing such an offender red- : handed. The handsome cheque, he felt sure, would compensate him for the injuries he had received. He asked that his appreciation should be conveyed to , all those interests which had subscribed to the presentation.