THE POLICE FORCE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6284, 15 September 1898, Page 4

THE POLICE FORCE.

REPORT OF THE COMMISSION. DEBATE IN THE HOUSE. ! I From Onit Correspond knt.l ! WELLINGTON, Sept, lft. Perhaps the most noteworthy fact ia connection with this afternoon's debate -on the report of the Pdice Commission «3is the manner in which now Ministers aad then members of the Left Wing argued that the findings of the Commissioners supported their respective attitudes with regard to the condition of the Force. It was to a certain extent laughable to listen to Mr Taylor, for instance, insisting tiaat .all his charges had been fully proven, and then to hear the Premier asserting that practically the only case proven was the •charge preferred against Constable Christie of having transgressed the railway regulations by conveying the body of his child' in a railway carriage instead of in a van. From the tone of the debate one almost 'imagined that the report was of such si satisfactory nature that all sides could get, either from it or frcm the •evidence full 'Confirmation of their particular riews. On closer analysis, however, it became apparent that Ministers relied chiefly en the report for vindication of their administration, whilst the Left Wing placed their faith in the evidence for justification of their contentions. The Minister of Defence, in speaking to the motion referring the recommendations of the report to. the Public Accounts Committee, dealt at considerable length, and in detail, with the .various -charges of maladministratkn and the disorganised condition of the Force. By copious extracts frwn the report and the evidence, he proceeded to show that Mir Taylor's charges had completely broken down, and that confidence in the Force, which had been shaken by the sensational charge's brought against it, had been completely restored. It was only to be expected that Mr Taylor, who. spoke next, would. have something of a scathing nature to say with regard to the Minister's remarks, and "the most feeble speech I have ever s heard" was his opinion of it. To counterbalance the Minister's quotations of the remarks of Mi Tunbridge respecting political interference, he quoted those of Colonel Hume on" the same subject, and deduced from them the conclusion that political interference with the Department was rampant. This, he pointed out,, was supported by the evidence of Mr Northcroft and Mr Kettle, whilst the evidence .of ex-Inspectors Fox and Mallard, and all the senior officers in the Force, had, without exception, declared that political interference had practicallj undermined the morality of the Fcrce. He cited! the case of Constable Mayne, whe was appointed acting-detective against thf advice of Inspector Pardy, who had expressed the opinion that as the appointmeni would be an injustice to the service he cculc not recommend it. Passing on to othei phases of the question, Mr Taylor said thai evidence had practically been destroyed bj the action of Ministers in October last after the Commission had- been appointed and before it started its investigations, bj the promotion of seventy-two men in the Force. He dealt at some length with th< Emerson case, but brought. out ho new facts. In concluding, he said that Minis ters, during the past eight years, were in s position to effect reforms in the adminis tration of the Force, but had failed to tak< advantage of their opportunities, and Jr ■ obnsfeqiKnce of their 'neglect not a singl< defect had been remedied during thai period. It Wad ft record, he said, whicl should make any Administration ashanieg of itself. Mr Tunbridge would not havi been appointed had not the Ministry dreaded an inquiry into the Police Depart ment. He had been appointed to try 'am conceal the condition of the Department and to prevent the light of a public inquiry reaching the secret ways of the Department, Speaking of the refusal of Ministers, foi reasons of State, to give evidence befon the Commission, he said that they wen determined that the investigaion suould b< incomplete. The only conclusion to be de duced from this was that the Departmeni had been shamefully and grossly neglected ' " Speaking with the brake on " was th< phrase used by the Premier to describe tht ■difference between Mr Taylor's speech or the present occasion as compared with thai hi which he had made his charges. Hard facts, continued the Premier, had compelled Mr Taylor to go back on almost every charge he had made, and out of twelve charges practically only one had been proven. The charge which had been nro.ven, which he detailed at some length dealing specially with the violence done to the parents' feelings by the matter being made the subject of a public inquiry, was one of the grave charges on which the Commision, which had cost £4000, had been set up. "If, the honourable gentleman," he said, referring to Mr Taylor, " did what was right to himself and this country he ought to approach on his knees and come to the table and apologise to you (turning to Mr Speaker) and to this colony," a remark, which was greeted with loud "Hear, hears." Respecting the contention that Mr Tunbridge had been appointed to appease tho demands of Mr Taylor and others for an inquiry into the state of the Department, he pointed out that Colonel Hume had charge of two. large departments, the Prisons and the Police, hut found it impossible to do justice to both, and Ministers had decided to obtain the services of a competent man from EnglanJdi. This was long before Mr Taylor's advent into the House. The demand for the Commission he had no doubt was intended as an attack on Ministers, and had , been decided on by Mr Taylor and those who worked with him, whose party had been defeated at the last elections, and) who, desirous of placing the blame for this on someone, had, instead of attributing it to their own shortcomings and extremes, attributed it to the police and to lax administration of the liquor laws. Referring to the attack made on a certain sect in connection with the Force, he argued that they should keep clear of sectarian difference. Not a tittle of evidence had been produced to prove that there had been political corruption in the administration of the Department either by the present or past Administrations. Had Mr Tunbridge's appointment not proved satisfactory, he pointed out, Mr Taylor, instead of claiming credit, would adversely criticise the Government appointment. He made a strong defence of Inspector Emerson, to whose bravery and long and faithful service to the colony he drew mem bers' attention. Respecting the charges of immorality in the Force, he said that when proved cases came before the present Administration no mercy was shown. In concluding, Mr Seddon referred to the effect of the report of the Commission in restoring the confidence of the people of the colony in the Force, and he pointed out that the attempt by sensational statements to create a feeling that the Civil Service was corrupt would, if not nipped in the bud, result in a demand for a commission, but there was absolutely no necessity for such an inquiry. Mr Pirani followed, in a speech in which he paid a great deal of attention to details and to denying the Premier's statement that no proof of political interference had been submitted to the Commission. As to question of sects, he said that the proportion of Roman Catholics in the Force was 41.6 per cent, whilst the proportion in the general population was only 14 per cent. Mr Lawry's speech, was taken up chiefly in rejplying to a charge made by Mr Taylor yesterday respecting the recent appointment to the force #in Wellington of an alleged notorious " spieler." Mr Lawry quoted from testimonials respecting tshe person in question, and explained that instead of being a " spieler " his connections were most respectable. He had been ordered off a racecourse for laying totalisator odds, but certainly had nofi been a notorious "spieler." In the course of a wholesale condemnation of the prohibitionist tactics, he said that he someLimes felt ashamed that he had ever associated with Wesleyan Methodists. During his romarks he made no less than three scriptural references. Mr George Hutchison was the next speaker, but Ids remarks call for no special notice, as they chiefly referred in detail to individual 2ases dealt Avith in the evidence of the Commission. After the dinner adjournment, Mr Kelly referred at length to a particular case, and Jeclared that it was the duty of the Minister to relieve himself of office. IfljPconcluding, he moved an amendment practically declar-

ing that intmediate iptovision should be made to give effect to the report of the Commission. Mr Scobie Mackenzie characterised the amendment as a recital of the recommendations of the report. He blamed the Government for granting the Commission, stating that no other Government in any British community had ever allowed an inquiry into a whole department. . Having followed the improper and unconstitutional course of ap.pointing a Commission, it was the duty of Ministers to appear before it for examination, but they had weakly avoided the consequences, and meanly sneaked out of tlie duty devolving on them. He ridiculed the fear of impeachment given as a reason in the report, declaring that as impeachment was now superseded by a no-confidence motion, it practically meant that Ministers were afraid of losing office if they gave evidence. The refusal of Ministers to give evidence" made the report incomplete, and comparatively wortldess. He described the report as cautious, prudent and colourless. He asserted that the Commissioners had shielded the Government. They . had been ovarshadowed by the power and will of the Premier, and had lost courage. Members had been unable to find a kernel in a bulky volume of evidence, but Mr Taylor's "Shadow of Tammany " did it for them. It was an admirable and interesting book, which, if rich, he would place in the hands of every colonist. In the course of Mr Mackenzie's speech lie quoted from Mr Taylor's book. Mr Guinness rose to. a point of order, asking if a member should quote from a paper without laying it on the table of the House. Mr Taylor declared that he would be glad to have it there, and Mr Mackenzie said that it was not likely that he would lose such an opportunity. : The Speaker, however, refused to allow the book to be placed on the table. ' , . The speech of the Hon.W. Hall- Jones calls for little comment. He. contended that the Government was doing its 'duty iii granting the inquiry demanded by the people of the colony. Mr Montgomery assumed a judicial attitude. He thought that the habit of exaggeration -.vlncli prevailed in tins colony . haa never been more prominently evidenced than in this matter. He did not believe that the Force was honeycombed with corruption, 01 that the Minister was a diabolical schemer, ! determined to introduce the Tammany sys tern. The Police Force, however, was 11 great need of reform, and the Minister wa. much to blame for making no attempt U. rectify the evils which he found existing. He proceeded to castigate the Minister who he said, was unfitted for the position, aiu it \\ as unfair of liis colleagues to thrust it o, him. The result was that Mr Thompson wa. a mere sleeping partner in the Ministry. & Hall-Jones also received a severe criticise from the member for Ellesmere, who declare^ that the Minister of Public Works was 1. favour of the amendment, but would certainly vote against it. • " Mr Duthie followed with the usual Opposition declarations as to evidence oj political corruption. He referred to a large local society of women, relations of Civil servants, as entirely under the control of the Government, and also made a charge against the Telegraph Department, stating that the people of the colony were afraid to use the telegraph, for fear of a disclosure. A passage-at-arms occurred betoreeh Mi Morrison and Mr Taylor. Mr Morrison stated that Mr Taylor had interviewed In spector P"ardy before the Commission sat, and promised not to call for Mr Pardy's defaulters' sheet, if the inspector fell in with Lis Views. ■■'-/,: •.. ■ .-.,- Mr Taylor t It is utterly false! A pure invention of your own. „;Mr Taylor was called upon by the Speaker to -withdraw the words, and stated that the charge was utterly without foundation. r _. ;' Mr Morrison repeated the statement, de claring that the conversation took place behind the "Otago Daily Times" Office, anc giving the time of the occurrence, whereupon Mr Taylor denied having ever spoken to Mi Pardy at that place in the daytime. After supper the debate nagged. somewhat Mr Massey expressed the opinion that the Commissioners, in censuring Inspectoi Broham, had been too severe. He hoped that that officer would be asked to withdraw his resignation, and that his services would be at the command of the colony for years to come. . Shortly after midnight, Mr Guinness moved the adjournment of the debate, which was agreed to, and the House rose.