A DETECTIVE'S TRIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 15

A DETECTIVE'S TRIP.

THE CONDITION OF IRELAND.

Chief -doi active J. A. M'Grath, of the Wellington Police Force, returned from the Old CbuiHry on Wednesday, after a trip to England, undertaken for the purpose of bringing back To th& colony a prisoner charged with robbery. Having some 6pare "time on his hands, Chief -detective M'Grath (vrho has not been Home for 30 years) took advantage of the opportunity to visit Ireland. In conversation with a representative of the New Zealand Times hi said he found that the people of Ireland were, generally, more hopeful. The farmers seemed to have got down to bedleck when the Land Act of the late Go■vernment wa.3 passed. That relieved and encouraged them greatly. Under it any of them buying holdings are entitled to the improvements they make. It is tho general belief that the benefits of the act ■will not only be maintained by the new 'Gcvernrae-nt, but added to. larmeis m Ireland are now paying less for the purchase of their holdings than they formerly jpaid in rent.. No ,more evictions likely now, eh? "In time the working of the Lands Act •will do away with all that. I think the irish peooie seem more sanguine as to obtaining home rule now. The great mass of the people undoubtedly lives in hope of •it. and desires it. Ireland is over-policed, but they are gradually allowing the force *o reduce itself— letting the men retire rather than discharge them — and are not taking on any recruits. The force is enormous at preeent ; too expensive to keep up ' altogether. Nor is it necessary, the country being law-abiding. * In fact, there as very little crime in Ireland." ' How about the London Police Force?

"Its organisation seems as near perfection as you could possibly get it. The regulation of tbe traffic by the London police is th« admiration of the world — wonderful. But I think our own system of crime detection is quite as good aa that of -Scotland Yard. By the way, I visited Scotland Yard, and looked through the museum there. It is very interesting-. It contains a.ll the up-to-date burglars' tools and relics t>{ crimes. This museum in open to the public twice a wsek."-

What was the feeling at Home towards the colonies?

"Peqple can't do enough 'for a New Zealandcr. New Zealand and Mt Seddon are always coupled, especially in England, and in Ireland top. I visited our ex-Com-missioner of Police (Mr Tunbridge). He has a beautiful place at Hythe, Kent, where he is living in retirement. I spent a day v/ith him there. Kent — especially Hythe — is the only place I saw in England I -would care to live in. Then I saw Mr E. G. Jellicce, formerly of Wellington. He took bis recent political defeat all right, though he would have got in had he been Home earlier. That was the general opinion, too." "On the whole," said Mr M'Grath, "it was a very nice trip, but I am glad to get back to New Zealand. Jn fact, when I leave here again there will have to be a railway to the Old Country! New Zealand is the best place I have seen yet, and I never want to leave it again."