The Armed Constabulary and Defence Departments.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2149, 23 November 1875, Page 2

The Armed Constabulary and Defence Departments.

(fEOM iACORBESPOKDENT.)

Auckland, Monday,

I doubt if one were, to search the wliole colonial records from the foundation of the colony up to the present time whether any such ° models'" of extravagant and unnecessary expenditure could be found as one reads in connection with the Native, Armed Constabulary, and Defence Offices. As to having its numerous heads, it is beyond doubt par excellence . without a rival. To save, I presume, further public exposure the Defence and Native Minister has arranged that a portion of the immense burdens . connected with the Constabulary shall be somewhat reduced, by employing some of the men in the construction of. roads and other public works in portions of. the East Coast and Waikafc! Before commenting upon these branches of the public service, let me show your readers the present cost of the Defence and Constabulary as summarised from the last estimates, and partly detailed in No 27 of parliamentary blue books. I have taken the aggregate totals for greater convenience so as not to weary your readgrs and the general public :— !

This is rather a tidy sum for the general taxpayers to pro vide t for what many thinking people look upon as nothing short of an ornamental appendage to bur New Zealand heavy extravagance, and an amount which I feel certain must be largely cut down if we are not prepared to hurry ourselves into financial difficulties. It is questionable whether even this grand total fairly represents our annual charges under these heads, as the general and provincial cost of tlie Arms Act, and the numerous military secretaries, Government correspondents of newspapers, and other officials . which are employed and paid by the Defence Department, are included ia the aggregate. In looking over the number, of officers employed in the Constabulary, the reader is atonoe impressed.with the "satisfactory" ] proportion it bears to the whole strength. Can it therefore be wondered that both Sir George Grey and Mr Macandrew should have stated in the House during the recent meeting at Wellington that a saving of at least £150,000 could be easily struck out from our general

charges and-expenses. Even th# Premier j, Dr Pollen, one of my private Ohinemuri correspondents -informs me, -was' 80 annoyed on his recent visit there, that he " shifted " six of the men and felt d.is-.-satisfied that so many jshould bo kept there on pay having little br-nothing to do; It was, as: the Star readeM| u are, aware, d uring the first '. meeting: of" tfi£j late Parliament that the'obnoxiou*-. Civil Service Act, discontinuing the granting. Of pensions was abolished,, andeiperienc* :g6es !t6 prove that unless such, burdens are got. rid of in the,commenceii.eiii^of a hew House it is almost impossible to get" IW : -eveWiuily -eii^relf lipon afterwards. Candidates therefore should give no uncertain-sound on these weighty ,sjjbiect? t _or what is more clearly jjoojflijflg in the "distance—addiUonal taxation------;will to a certainty follow*- Where there 'are such splendid opportunities for reduction of the cost of these departments ijt.is hot necessary to specially dwell utsnf items, but I cannot passover the subject without showing some of the absurdities of those known as the directing, officers. The attached to the Arms' Act portion of';; tii^Cgnstabulary Department -„ are xnßßmted - over various parts and except they possess a good knowledge •of native customs and manners are Of very little use in the defection of crimfes Committed for breaches of the Act, and indeed the absence of any thing like cases of the sort having occurred for a very long time ought to go in -favor of ftheir reduction, if not of their" total dissolution, but Yuen I thing cannot be expected at present when, someof theGovernment organs mfortriu^ that the peace' of the' country— what nonsense—has: tb be considered,'«hd tHatthe .reports of the chief and his subordinates often indicate a tenor savouring °f B<?tting ; up private information of.»» most important 'political character, .l^. few months ago some absurd rules- of finding a little work for some of the men had to be adopted, when annual stock taking under the provisions 1 of thVQLp had to be gone through with the importer^ shippers,; and sellers; of warlike,:store mi. and the arrangements relating to the same so admirably conducted that > a detectivewas sent up from Taurangji to do the ;work. Just let any impartial person ask what was the necessity for this, and I feel certain he would have some difficulty in giving a satiafa^tpryanswer; could not the Officer jn alijtFgfKbf the department have done the Wdrlf/or if not consistent with his dignity, why not get the constable employed at the Arms office here to perform it before 10 in the morning, or after 3 o'clock in the afternoon, as that course would,-1 am sure; prove as acceptable to those interested and to the public as to putting the country to the cost of paying steamer,, hotel, return expenses, and allowances ipf over a fortnight to an outside official One of the Auckland officers, I notice,- in. his annual report recommends the employment of another Sub-Inspector for the city, but the grounds for doing iO do net appear tobe very, convincing, especially when it was proved beyond doubt that at the time of the late Superintendent's death one Inspector could eaiilyperform both his ordinary police and Arms Act duties^ and with the wonderful decrease of crime connected with the latter department the -same rule now applies. The looked for Abolition of Provinces, however, has brought with it a change, just in entire unison with the now admitted theory of the civil servants and their friends ; to get rid of the petty governments, the estimates would then be wholly approved of; there would be no .difficulty in getting additienal help upon representation; the public wOuld have to "stump up" whilst the busy bodies would be repaid with comtemptuous looks and bold defiance.

£ s. d. 132 Officers A.C. Force .. .... 20,121 12 0 GOO Constables „ 60,958 .8 0 Contingent Defence and liabilities .. 20,000 0 0 Chargeable on Defence and Other Purposes Loan .. .. .. 38,500 0 0 Sundries .. .. .. .. .. 4,850: 0 0 . Total .. .. .. £150,430 0 0

r cost.