POLICE COMMISSION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13991, 28 August 1909, Page 6

POLICE COMMISSION.

SITTING AT AUCKLAND. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, August 27. At the Police Commission this morning the Hon. J. McGowan, ex-Minister of Justice, came forward voluntarily to give evidence. He said he was nine years Minister of Justice and political liead of the Police Department. He had no grounds of complaint' in regard -o Mr Dunne's administration of the Department. The only complaint iie had was a general desire for more pay, .i ii in ic-g..iu to promotion. Hhueiii office he was quite satisfied with the control of tile force. He had frequently been approached in regard to the promotion of police by of Parliament. If a man was worthy of promotion lie was'recommended by a member of Parliament. There coukl be no objection to a recommendation being made, but if men were not wormy of promotion no recommendation of any member would avail. These applications unquestionably were at times promoted by the police themselves.. He could suggest a. remedy -but would not like to apply it, take away the franchise from the police. Mr Bishop: But the question of democracy is at the root of it. I do not think you can apply the remedy in New Zealand. The Hon. J. McGowan said he believed the Commissioner should have a free hand to a certain pointy He should have the power of suspending a man. He would not say the Cominis.-. sioner should have the power of dismissing a man. He (Mr McGowan) appointed police constables on the Commissioner's recommendation. Mr Wright was promoted from Chief Clerk to Sub-Inspector on Mr Dinnie's recommendation. He could not remember the special circumstances. Only one application for leave for Mr Oinnie's son came before him. It was not an application for six months' leave which would certainly have been refused.

Mr Bishop: Mr McGowan is a disntrrested person. ll' be says 1 hut onv one application came before him that should suffice.

Mr MeGowan gave the following reason why, in his opinion, there is ;i diificiilty in sernriny and enrolling new men in the force. "With the formation oF so many unions and making of so niiiny abitration awards, the rate ot wages has gone up much higher than it was. The result is that men prefer to go in for manual labour. The principle of increasing wages by arbitration awards was in his opinion an unsound one: if the price of labour is put sfbovc its economic value, something must happen. While the country is prosperous it is all right, but with a time, of depression there will be a very diff-

erent state of affairs and. wc must suffer. He thought this has some bearing on the present scarcity of candidates for the' police force.