MORE POLICE REQUIRED.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6441, 4 October 1882, Page 4

MORE POLICE REQUIRED.

TO THE EDITOR. Sik, —In season and out of season we are continually reminded that the larrikin element is too powerful in this Island to be properly looked after by tho limited number of police at our disposal. Now it strikes me that there should be no necessity for such a complaint, provided Messsrs Dick and Oliver, as Otago members in the Ministry, realised a due sense of their responsibilites to this part of the Colony. On referring to the Estimates I find that, in addition to the regular police force for the Colony, there exists a reserve force, consisting of 106 officers and 699 men, maintained for the current year at a cost of £95,777 for salaries alone. This reserve force, up to within the last six or seven months, was employed for the most part in making roads in Taranaki; and having, as I suppose, perfected .the roads in that favoured province, they were removed to Auckland, and are now engaged in making roads there. Now I am not going to argue that so largo a reserve force is not necessary, although there are several of my friends residing in the North Island who laugh at us in the South for being so gullible as to tolerate such an expenditure, nominally for defence purposes, but in reality for making good roads for our Northern friends. Be this as it may, however, if it is necessary to retain such a force for any emergency, there is. no reason why some of them should not be spread over the Colony and do police duties, and should an emergency arise they could, with the facilities now in existence for travelling by land and water, be mustered at any given point within three or four days. If this catch the eyes of Messrs Dick and Oliver, I would counsel them earnestly to consider their position as Ministers, and also their duty to this part of the Colony.—l am, &c,

Provinciamst.

October 3rd.