THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES THUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1898.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11199, 23 August 1898, Page 2

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES THUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1898.

In our previous article on Mr Ttjnbuidge's report on the police force of the colony we indicated that there remained several salient features of it to be discussed. In resuming consideration of tlie report we have to say that in dealing frith the questions which have brought the force into public prominence of late the new commissioner gives evidence of the possession of tact and practical common sense that augur the best results from his administration. Mr Tunbkidge considers that the force is insufficiently manned, and recommends an increase of 50 men. It has been frequently placed to the credit of this j colony that it obtained police protection J with a smaller proportion of police anJl at a smaller cost per head of the population than any other of the Australasian colonies. l'he proportion of police to the population is one to 1435, and the annual cost per inhabitant is 2s Bd. Tho number of police now enrolled is 536, the population on which the calculation is made 768,910, and the net expendi- [ ture per annum £102,858. The proposed ! addition of 50 constables will make the proportion of police to the population one iri 1311, and the cost per inhabitant I about 2s 9^d per annum. Even this is \ still much lower than in any of these colonies, the next being South Australia, where the proportion is one to 1100, and the cost per inhabitant 4s l£d, while in Western Australia the proportion is one to 335, and the cost per inhabitant j 13s s ; j-d. It must not be hastily assumed, however, that a small number of police and a high condition of order are necessarily synonymous. It may be that a greater oi less amount of disorder escapes detection because of the paucity of police, and it is well known that in ; remote districts offences go unpunished j that in a town would be visited with j rigour. The proposed addition of 50 j constables to the force naturally raises the question of recruiting. The commissioner does not approve of the re-cently-adopted system of drafting men from the permanent artillery. Before the Royal Commission several officers of

experience expressed the opinion that the most efficient policemen were those who were taken from country pursuits. But these were officers who were probably prejudiced in favour of the old style, when the police were not called upon to perform the multifarious civil duties that now devolve upon them. The idea of recruiting the police from the artillery was a good one, but it has not had :i fair trial, because the fountain of supply was tainted by the appointment of undesirable persons through political influence. So much has this been so that the force " has been recently recruited from outside sources. Mr Tunbridge recommends that young men of good character, between 20 and 30 years of age, and having passed an educational and medical examination, be drafted to a depot at Wellington, and there taught their duty by n. competent sergeant, serving a probation of three months. If at the end of that time they are found to lack the intelligence and aptitude to make good constables he recommends that they be sent " about their business." This would certainly be an improvement on the present somewhat haphazard method of appointment, but we are still of opinion that the quasimilitary character imparted to the police by their experience in the artillery would be a valuable feature should occasion arise to hastily man the coast fortifications., The new commissioner has at length evolved an intelligible scheme of pensions and gratuities for. retiring police. He recommends that a pension fund "be made up as follows:—(1) 4 per cent, per annum to be deducted from each [ man's pay; (2) all lines and penalties imposed under the Acts relating to the sale of intoxicating liquors, the gaming j laws, and Police Offences Act; (3) all fines inflicted on, and stoppages from the [ pay of, constables;, (4) the amount standing to the credit of the police reward fund; (5) all salaries and emoluments, or a portion thereof, received by : constables in connection with the offices they hold outside that of constable; (6) all Government departments for which ! the police at present perform work gratuitously to contribute an annual sum to the pension fund commensiirate with the work performed by the police; and (7) the Government to pay to the pension fund, on the retirement of any constable, the sum now paid in the way of I compassionate allowance. The scale of , pensions and gratuities recommended is fas follows:—A constable of not less than five nor more than fifteen years' service, if retired because of ill-health, one month's pay for each year of service, the amount not to exceed 12 months' pay. A constable of above fifteen years' service, to receive a pension at the rate, of one-fiftieth of his pay for each year's secvice, the pension not to exceed threefifths of the pay he was receiving at his retirement. Any constable who has completed twenty-five years' service is to be permitted to retire at 55 years of age on the pension due to him, even though he should not be returned medically what. The scheme has the advantage of being largely self-supporting, but it \should be pointed out that if country constables were compelled to pay into the pension fund all the money they earned outside police pay they would ; contribute very much more than con- , stables stationed in towns. Some country policemen hold as many as 15 \or more positions, most of them carrying salary. Here are a few of them: — Clerk of court, collector of -■dog tax, ■bailiff (with mileage on summonses servferjl by them), inspector of sla.ughterhous'es, receiver of gold revenue, gaoler, inspee- : tor of weights aiid measure;, inspector of factories, inspector under the Infant Life Protection -Act, ranger under the game laws, agent for the Labour department, etc., etc. The town constable has none of these, and would contribute only 4 per cent, of his pay, while the coiistable in charge of a district would'contribute a very considerable sum besides, 'i'lie commissioner, however, says that nearly all the, men who gave evidence i before the commission were :iii • favour of the scheme., and of course they are the persons with whom the verdict rests. We presume that the commissioner h satisfied from an actuarial point of view that the fund would be adequate to the calls upon it, but without the'necessary data we do not offer, any criticism. It seems that drunkenness is increasing, and this is a noteworthy fact in view of the increasing stringency in the licensing jaws. The increase last year was 199 cases, and for the previous year 369. Taking into consideration the lart;o reduction in the number of hotels, the earlier closing in most cases, and the reluctance with which temporary licenses have been granted'for races, sports, and: other public gatherings, it is disappointing to find that opportunity and excess are not always coincident. It is Mr TunBfeiDGE's opinion that, f'if liquor was allowed to be sold under license in the districts where sly-grog selling is most prevalent, the traffic could be"more easily regulated by the police," but departmental reticence compels him to say that the question of license or no license " 's one more of policy than of police pro-; cedure." Like his predecessor, the ! commissioner deplores Sunday and afterhour trading, and quotes an illustrative case to show the difficulty which the j police experience in obtaining convis- : tions. We can only reiterate that the ! police are practically helpless unless j power be given to punish all persons found in hotels after hours without reasonable excuse. The prevalence of gambling, particularly street hotting,' is also deplored, but no remedy is suggested beyond giving the police power to cleanse the streets of professional betting men. The nuisance is bad enough in Dunedin, but in other towns in the colony it is much worse, and has grown to the proportions of a scandal. , There are still left some interesting j featxires in the report, but probably they will become familiar enough. when the inevitable discussion on the police force takes place in Parliament. We have no hesitation in saying that Mr Tunbriege has furnished the necessary material for i an exhaustive discussion, and contributed i valuable suggestions for reform, and we j hope that he will be permitted to exercise his own discretion, unhampered by the political interference that in the past came very near wrecking the force. The Defence Committee, appointed to inquire into the defences of the colony, movable and fixed, will arrive in Dunedin on Thursday night next. The committee consists of Colonel Penton (commandant), Major Madocks (staff officer), Sir Arthur Douglas (Under - secretary for. Defence), Colonel Webb (Dunedin), Colonel Newall (Wellington), Colonel Gordon (Christohurch), and Colonel Banks (Auckland). The committee in pursuing thcii' investigations, which will possibly terminate at Dunedin, have already visited the principal centres of i the colony. The Telegraph department inform us' that ' Melbourne advises that the Hongkong- . Manila cable has been restored. I

New Zealand lime, consigned from kiln! direct to farmerß, to be used for manurinf farm land will in future be carried free by the Railway department for distances not ex ceeding 100 miles, subject to the following provisions:—(a) That application for the concession is made by the proprietor of the lime kiln and approved by the department 14 days prior to the date on which it is desired tc send the first consignment; (b) that the price charged to the farmers for the lime does not exceed the price charged for agricultural lime prior to May Ist; (c) that a certificate is given declaring that the iime is consigned to a bona fide farmer, and is for use in manuring farm land cultivated by him. The fund instituted by the Tablet for the relief of the distress in the South of Ireland mot with a most generous response. When the list closed on Wednesday last over £700 had come to hand, and since then further sums have been received which will probably bring the total up to £800. All this money came in during a few weeks, while the fund established by the Tablet led to the formation of funds in Auckland and Wellington, to which contributions have also been freely given. A detailed return of the causes of death throughout the colony during June show that cancer claimed 17 victims, or two more than the next most fatal disease—bronchitis. There were three deaths from influenza (all in Ohristchurch) and only two from typhoid. Mr J. H. Harrison, who for many years has taken a prominent part in mining affairs at the Thames and Coromandel, is likely to oppose the re-election of Mr Jas. M'Gowan as member for the Thames. Mr H. J. Greenslade, editor of the Thames Star, has already announced himself as. a, candidate for the^ seat. ■ *'* ' Lieutenant John M'lndo'e is gazetted as quartermaster of the Ist Battalion. Otago Rifle Volunteers, and Surgeon-major Coughtrey as medical officer. Captain and Adjutant W. D. Milne is reinstated on the list of adjutants on the unattached active list, with his former date of commission. Mr Alfred Mills is gazetted as stock and rabbit inspector and registrar of brands for the Tuapeka district. ■ The Post states that news has been received that Major Elliot, who was private socretary to the Earl of Glasgow when the latter was Governor of New Zealand, was amongst those who were journeying to Klondyke. Butland, the well-known footballer, waa also going .up to the goldfields at. the same time. Lieutenant Hourst, the. French explorer, is completing arrangements, for a balloon voyage across. Africa. He will be accom-r-anied; by M. Leo Dex,of the Army Balloon department/ and by Captain Dibos, of the Engineers. The Gulf of Gabes (Tunis) has been chosen as the starting point, and they hope to come to ground somewhere in the Niger district. A special balloon has been constructed. It has a dimension of 13,000 cubic metres, and can, it ,is asserted, remain in the air from 40 to 60 days at a stretch. A steel guide rope, nearly 4000 ft long, will trail from the car, "and 3liould any natives or animals of any kind," the world is informed, " be so ill-advised as to interfere with it, they will be driven off by means of a powerful electric current from a battery connected with, tlie rojje." "A peculiar feature will be the ballast carried, which will consist of a quantity of leaden bottles containing water or cordials, the idea being that, should any misfortune happen to the balloon, and the explorers be forced to descend in some o\it-of-the-way spot, they will- be able to retrace their steps by means of these bottles thrown along the route, and the contents of which, will serve as a valuable, refreshment." The Miranda correspondent of the Auckland Herald writes: —This district ia being made very lively just now, the occasion being the death of the oldest chief of the Ngatipoua tribe, Pokai, at the age of about 80. He is the last of its old chiefs, arid, having left no male heirs,- and his only living daughter having no children, the family may be said to have become'extihet.. He has been very pro* mineht amorigsfus fbr': 6fno'last '.40-: years, as a great land seller, and only a few days before he died—and much agairtet the wishes of his friends—lie signed a .dead disposing of between ,2000 and 3000 acres in.this neighbourhood. He was very fond ;of money, and when hard up—which he frequently was—would sell land or horses for whatever he could get, and then spend it lavishly amongst his people. He has always been ioyal to the pakeha, although at times not over scrupulous in his transactions with them. He did not believe in the integrity of any white man's transactions with his race, and therefore took full advantage of his opportunities. , As a mark of respect the shops in Green Island closed yesterday afternoon, when the remains of the late Frank Lee Smith, second son of the Hon. A. Lee Smith) were conveyed from his parents' residence to the Green Island Cemetery. The funeral was attended by a large number of leading citizens and country residents, and also by most of Messrs Donaghy and Co.'s employees and all the second' year's students in the Mining School of the Otago University, with representatives of the Students' Association. The burial service was read by the Rev. D. O. Hampton. The story of a life broken at the age of 21 was told the Wellington Benevolent Trustees last week by a young woman who asked for relief for herself and her two children. Her husband had been employed in a local foundry. Six weeks ago he left home, telling her that he was going to join a boat. When the vessel returned to port the other day the woman went down to meet her husband, but was told that no person of the name given was on board, but that a man answering his description had sailed in her under another name, and had shipped at Auckland for the old country. The wife was left to the care of a beneficent public with two young children on her hands, one aged a year and eight months and the other eight months. When asked if she could explain the reason for the ; desertion, the woman, said she believed there ! was another woman in the case. H6 had ad- I mitted to her, she said, that he was already j married when he took her to wife, and his i mother had told her the same thing. She I believed that the reason he cleared out was j because the other woman had threatened exposure. The trustees insisted on the woman giving them her assistance in trying to trace her husband, though she was very loth to do it. "He was the first man I l^ept company with," she said pathetically, "and he will be the last." Ultimately she agreed to placo the case in the hands of the police. I H.M.S. Porpoise recently returned to Syd- j ney from Suva, after a cruise among the : islands, with news that Falcon Island, midway between Tongatabu 'and the Haapai group, and immediately "onposite the No- j muka group of islets, ijpme 27 miles to west- j ward, has disappeared. Falcon Island was! of volcanic origin, half a mile or more in ■' diameter, and had an altitude of 40ft above ' the sea level. It was uninhabited, and its I disappearance is doubtless due to the lata volcanic disturbances in the Pacific. Tho! Penguin was surveying in the Tongan groups 1 I when tho Porpoise left, and it is probable j that her commander will .visit, the spot, sur-1 vey the surrounding waters, and make notes j on this interesting occurrence. i Sir James Hector, at a meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society, recommended the salt-water crayfish to members ac a beautiful subject for study. It may not be generally known that this animal has seven seusos, while we have but five. By means of this advantage it can tell when food is thrown into the water 100 yards away, and it can, move not only forward, but backward at great speed, and yet go about without any danger, thanks to senses which we have not. That the crayfish throws off its shell at certain times, and then perfectly soft, withdraws among the rocks and, covered only with a creamy substance, remains until some lime formation becomes quite hard and a new shell is formed, is pretty well known, but whether this hew formation comes from the animal itself or from the surrounding water observers cannot yot decide. The, crayfish does all its growing in from three hours to three days. It really breathes by moving its legs'and working its gills, of wliioh it gets a new1 set every time it moults. By a, wonderful provision of Nature it is enabled to clean and brash its teeth as it eats. " That's the sort of thing wo want," said a member. |

Some remarkable revelations were made in ' the Insolvency Court, Adelaide, during the examination of John Curtis, turf commission agent. The insolvent said he began business as a bottle gatherer, and amassed large profits, afterwards turning his' attention to the turf, from which he (rained a handsome income, although unable to read or write. Some idea of his transactions was given in the state- i ment that .in two years he paid away by . cheque over £6300, of which £4900 was drawn in the space of 12 months. In addition, he made £150 from the gates at Onkaparinga during two successive years. But he reached the Bankruptcy Court in the end. In our report of the public meeting at the North-east Valley, by n. clerical error, it was stated tha* *lio mayor made a *"*•* remarks. As a matter of fact, the mayor of North-east Valley was not present at the meeting, and.the word : "mayor" was inadvertently written for "ohairinan." Nominations for the election of a councillor ' for each ward of the city close at noon on Monday next. , Mr H. S. Valentino will hold sales to-morrow | of household furniture and effects. < Mr J. C. Arbuckle will sell at Lawrence on Wednesday, 31st inst., the Provincial Hotel it Evans's Flat, with freehold land. Nominations for the election of councillors for the various .wards of the Maori Hill. Borough close on Ttiesday, 30th. inst. Berne notifies that the Anglo-American; Company announce that all the restrictions' for all places in the West Indies by all routes have been removed. A poll of the ratepayers of St. Kilda will be taken on Tuesday, 30th inst., to sanction a loan of £5000 for a water supply for the borougi. There will be only one polling booth—the council chamber. Consignees are notified that part cargo for this port, ex Rakaia, has arrived. Mr D. M. Spedding will sell to-morrow, at his rooms, the tobacconist's stock of the late F. Mulrooney. Messrs James Samson and Co.-will sell to-day, ! on the premises, corner of St. Andrew and Leith streets, household furniture, etc. . I Nominations of candidates for election a3 councillors to the West Harbour Borough Council close at noon for the respective wards us follow: —Ravensbourne and. Rothesay 'Wards, Monday, 29th inst.; St. Leonards Ward, Tuesday, 31st inst.; Sawyers' Bay Ward, Wednesday, 31st inst. -~'■ John 1-lisi.op, oldeat established Watchmaker and Jeweller, 74 Princes street. G-ood assortment AVatches, Clocks, and Jewellery. Spectacles suit all sights.—Advt. Massage and Electhicity.—Mr arid Mrs ID. Edwin Booth, Massage Institute, SUiart street, .Dunedin.—Under the patronage of the medical gentlemen of Dunedin. G. and T. Young, watchmakers and jewellers, 88 Princes street, notify ..that they have finished stocktaking,' and have opened their new goods ex steamers lonic, Euahine, and Aotea. Inspection invited. . Prices strictly moderate.—Advt. Bargains! Bargains! Bargains! Bargains! j During Sale. Men's Waterproof and Fashion- j able Overcoats at Clothing Factory, Octngon.— ' Advt. For Punctu-u, Time!—Petek Dick most reliable Watchmaker and Jeweller, opposite Coffee.Palace, Moray place, Dunedin. Charges strictly moderate.—Advt.