THE FARMERS UNION.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 29 July 1909, Page 1

THE FARMERS UNION.

fiyiDExqE :^jffl|T|p|cH." , 1 [UHXTib Paiss^^boiiiio^;.- • ;': CHRIStGttCfiCHi> IWaijje* Sergeant- -Edwara.^^ayf.tol ,v- Ban- . giora,, said that- v.M was; enrolled in . 1877, and promoted 'Jo sergeant :.ih' lß34. - He considered thafcitho, pay was not sufficient to enable ..' sergeants to keep up the standard =6| living that they , were supposed to Keep up. The posit-.on o'. sergeant-in-chargoLoj » country sta- . tiou v 4 vas not much;ibetter-,tban. that- of , : a man v on, beat, as: the former had to ■do ■ longer- hours.. and was. liable to -becalled out at all times -of the - nights - He did not think', that the same class of mfen physically-.or; intellectually '««».■ coming into the 7frce now. He - could not say that, the moral standard was-l'-.\ref. He , complained .in .regard to " promotion that officers ■* junior to h'm had been put over/Tiis. head:. ■-. Patrick -James .Fitzgerald, constable at Lyttelton, said' that''ho ; joined the fotcaon the 9tU «i.-embe : r,.l8 Q 3. He thought that -.the granting of the franchise wasdirectly against, the .. interests # . of the I'.-..i?c as a hotly of hien. Political in-^ fliitnce was'used, did used largely. it stopped there it'would not- bi quite ■ so had, but ther^:; : . were* other. In- ., flcciccs'- which were "more pernicious... He wnrild fca.vi'l6 refer lo MasonTy and > its'. : influence. Ev:ry honest Mason,-, wonld admit- that there-were a number ;; ■ of men admitted, to tho outskirts of Masonry .TJjwhq'gAveitßS; exploiting, .it for - all ' they 1 were "worth. There was more dissatisfaction . in thVpolic'- force now^'; than -eyer.'sincehe^ joined. He. complain-"; ' ed thM-Joroinetioiis {were made iii fomo caste ; ''wi'fliouf "regard. 'to seniority Or. . - fitness." He condc:nn<<d;sp:ci.al cxairina-fs ' tiou instituia-i- Ky-'Gpjhmissioner Oin-k nie.V Out 0f,' 26 promotions mad t o re-. cently, :<j'nly ;>: ax'i'£si &ght had -parsed -. the 'jesaininatKMU,.^ he . ixaminalion was.. £po^^a^W s as^fieing^ - instituted to .block, certain: men^" He . (witness)^ was : lookeidjnpon. as ', a' ''dangerons man," and was iv.'marked : -nan Vin; his district. Ha objected to a" circular issued by the police setting out that amplications for situations outsHe thoipolije service were^_ not to bt'.made without the sanction of the Commissioner ; :: : It was ' generally said that the reason, of the-f-irrularwaa that a constable- came into .competition with tho present:' Coniniissioner' s son for r.n outisde. situation.- - „ The '. Commission ' will : sit again tomorrow. -. - ■ '; '„:-'