WELLINGTON NEWS

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 December 1925, Page 6

WELLINGTON NEWS

NEW POLICE COMMISSIONER.

(Special to “Star ”)

WELLINGTON, December 1. William Bernard Mcllveney is the first New Zealand-born Commissioner of Police. During a period' of 32 years he has risen from a junior constable to the highest position the force has to offer. He is '-a native of Greymouth, the son of Mr Bernard Mcllveney, gold miner in that district. He started life as a school teacher in 1884. Four years later he joined the Post and Telegraph Department, but in 1887 left the service to go to Australia, where he was in commercial life for three years. In 1890 he returned to this Dominion, with his family, going back to the goldfields. The following year he was elected to a seat on the Kumara Borough Council, which he relinquished when he joined the Defence Department in the following year. In 1893, he transferred to the Police Force, his first station being Dunedin. Two days later he was transferred to Invercargill, and four years later placed in the Detective Office, Invercargill. In 1899 he was transferred to Wellington on promotion. In this city he was detailed for special duty of investigation in important cases, notably the Chinese murder case, at Reefton, in 1900, and the famous. Dr Leggatt case at Nelson. In the following year he was transferred back to Invercargill, and for six years was continually travelling about'the Dominion on special service. On February 1, 1907, he was.promoted as Chief Detective' and transferred to the staff under Commissioner Dinnie, where his services were retained for special service.. In 1908, Mr (Mcllveney was required to prepare evidence in the notorious Westport murder case. The following year he was derailed Ito investigate what was r known as the -Ohjnemuri Licensing / Committee bribery allegations. Tn 1910 he was engaged in special departmental examination at the Auckland Post Office, for which he was specially rewarded by the Post and Telegraph Department. From 1910 to 1912 he was again on the Commissioner’s (Waldegrave) staff, during which period he went to Raratonga in connection with the trial of Noonga for the murder of his wife. In 1913 Mr Mcllveney was detailed to reorganise the Criminal Registration Branch of the Police Department, and in 1915 was promoted sub-inspector and stationed at Auckland, ,where in the same year he was engaged in the Keal murder case at Onewhero. Two years . later he was promoted to New Plymouth, but almost immediately was called upon to investigate ihe “go ’Slow” strikes at the coal mines in the / Auckland and Hamilton districts. Mr Mcllveney’s next promotion was his • transfer to Wellington, where he was detached from the police and attached to the staff of Captain (now Admiral) Hall-Thompson for the purpose of administration of the war regulations. This position he held until 1919, when he was promoted inspector and given charge of the Wellington district. ' In. 1922 he handled., inquiries which led to the conviction • and execution of Cooper for what is known as the Newlands baby murders case. Two years ago he paid a visit to United' States, with a view to obtaining an insight into the organisation orAhe police forces in America. Returning oh January 1 last year, he was promoted Superintendent at Wellington, a position which he held up to the time of his present appointment. STATE FORESTRY. The Commissioner of State Forests (Sfr Ri. Heaton Rhodes) returnedto Wellington to-day after a visit to the K South Island. He stated that there was a good deal of land in the' Sounds district suitable for re-afforestation. Much of this land had been cleared of bush, but unfortunately it was going back into second growth, tawhene and fem being much in evidence. Neadly all the slopes were towards the sea, and this would make it easy for , transportation of timber, which would make marketing cheaper than was the case in the North Island. The bulk of the land was privately owned, and before anything could be done it would be necessary to make suitable arrangements with the owners. An advantage of afforestation in the Sounds was that the staff could be given floating accommodation and would not need to have houses built for them. Almost any class of pine tree was suitable for planting in the vicinity of the Sounds. Already fine healthy pines were seen around the homesteads. It would be necessary to purchase a piece of land for. a nursery, and there was already a smal sum of money on the Estimates for the purpose of afforestation in this part of the Dominion, which the Department intended to proceed with almost immediately.