THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1024, 15 July 1871, Page 10

THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

Mr M'GLASRAN moved, "That an Addreas be pre-sent^d to His Honour the Superintendent, requesting that the sum of LS-il 5s Le placed ou the Supplementary Estimates, vith tho view of meeting the expenses of the Police Department aa originally placed on the Estimates." — In advocating th« adoption of the motion, Mr M'Gl: shan referred to the multifarious duties which the police had to discharge, to The exemplary manner in which those duties were disch«ri:ed. and to the danger — provided the Police Force should be disorganised — of it being constituted of persons who, in order to make up for tho recont reductions, would associate themselves with thieves and vagabonds. I)r WEBSTER gave reasons for opposing the motion, mentioning as one of those reasons tho contents of a paragraph which appeared iv the morning paper, to the effect that the city police had threatened to resign in a body, and that the country police would endorse their conduct if any reductions in their salaries were nude. Besides honourable members would bo in a manner stultifying themselves if they adopted tho motion. Members of the poiice force, like soldiers, wore not always called upon to perform manual labour, and therefore they were enabled to do duty for a longer period of time. Tho°e of the men too, who wero not married, had the advantage of fire and light, which were important items in the accounts of n daily labourer. Mr ARMSTRONG supported the motion. Mr REID admitted that the police force was an excellent one, and a credit to the province ; but the same remarks were equally applicable to the ©aol, Lunatic Asylum, Hospital, and other departments ; and if the House placed the police in the same position as they were before the reductions were made, it would be only fair that they should reinstate the oflicers of other departments who also had arduous duties to perform. He also desired to disabuse tho minds of some persons of an impression thai; fclie-

Government, in making reductions in the Police Department, had been guided by the recommendations of the Chief Commlsaioner. The action taken in this matter was entirely the action of the Government, and in accordance •with the expressed resolution of the Council. Tho heads of Departments had beenreques'ed to recommend in what way reductions could be made in their respective Departments, but none of them could show in what way further reductions could be effected. Mr BARTON said he had already strongly opposed an attempt to make reductions in the Police Department, and he now intended to support the motion. In reply to some remarks by Mr Reid, to the effect that by adopting the motion the House would evince weakness and vacillation, he (Mr Barton) said that if it was weakness and vacillation to endeavour to do what was right after they had done wrong, then should he be the weakest and most vacillating of members, for if he did wrong, he should lock upon it as his pride and distinction that he afterwards endeavoured to do what was right. Regarding the statements made by Dr \ Webster that the contents of the paragraph which appeared in the morning paper would prevent him, if he had no other reason, from voting for the motion, he (Mr Barton) said that if the police did declare their intention of resigning provided their pay was reduced, they had only intimated that they would exercise a privileae which they undoubtedly possessed, and in doin-.r so they did not commit a breach of discipline. He procesled against aucli a statement. From enquiries which he had made he believed th-*t the officers as well as the men, would, if their salaries were not reinstated, lose all heart. He then referred to the head of the gaol department, who, he said, had made for himself a name for such efliciency, that if he left here and wunt to any other British possession, he could command almost any position. Bnt what did thai officer find after his long period of service in thia province and elsewhere ? He found that so far from his salary being increased, it was considerably reduced. He (Mr Barton) then referred to other officers of the service who, he said, had not been reduced in proportion to the head of the police, and other departments, al3o to the many various, important, arduous, and even disagreeable duties which the police had to perform. Policemen must be trained before they could properly discharge their duties. Such men as now constituted the force could not be obtained for mere labourer's wages. If they resigned, their services would no doubt be properly appreciated elsewhere. At home, he said, the heads of Police Departments were paid most handsome salaries in return for the very arduous mental and bodily toil which they had to perform. He therefore was opposed to the reduction which had been made in the salary of the head of the department, as well as to the reductions which had been made in the remuneration of the police themselves. Mr DUNCAN wished to move an amendment having reference to the whole of the reductions in the departmental expenditure, but The CHAIRMAN decided that he could not receive the proposed amendment, aa it was much more extensive in its application than the question before the Committee. The Hon. Mr HOLMES said he thought | the present motion should be postponed until the proposed amendment of Mr Duncan — which he believed would come before them as a separate resolution next day — was taken into consideration, when the whole subject could be decided. With that view, he would move that progress Bhould be reported, in order to postpone the present motion. The motion to report progress was put and lost on the voices. Mr TURNBULL supported the motion of the honourable member (Mr M'Glashan), aa he objected to the pay of the police being reduced. He disagreed with the mode adopted by the Government of reducing the salaries. He would redu,;e the number of men, andthua effect agre.it saving. He intended to give the motion his cordial support, because he believed the interests of the province demanded that they should maintain the pay of the police force at its original amount. Mr GILLIES said he would vote for the motion, as he believed the remission proposed was merely an act of justice to the Police, looking at the reduccions that had already been made by the head of the Department. Mr MERVYN said if he consulted his own feelings, he would vote for the motion of the honourable member (Mr M'Glashan). But in the face of the tact hat the House h*d unanimously resolved, •tfiat a reduction in the Departmental expenditure should take place, he would have to vote against the resolution. Mr HUTOHESUN opposed the motion. On a division, there appeared — Ayes,

11 ; Noes, 19. The motion was therefore lost. The following is the division list :— Ayes. — Messrs Barr, Barton, Baaatian, Brown J, 0., Duncan (teller), Gillies, M'Arthur, M'G-lashan (teller), iteynolds, JRobertson, Tnrnbull. Noes. — Messrs Allan, Bathgate, Blacklock, Bradahaw, Browne G. F. C, Cantrell, Clark, Cutten, Daniel, Henderson, Holmes (teller), Hutcheson, Lumsden, Mervyn, Mollisun, Reid, Seaton, Shepherd (teller), Webster. The following members paired : — Mr Armstrong for, and Mr Green against the motion.