H.—2.

XVIII

mission, I beg to affirm that there is grave discontent existing among the members of the Police Force in this colony; also that the wrongful use of political power by Ministers of the Crown and others has disorganized and demoralised the Force, and generally acted in a prejudicial manner upon the public interests. I propose to elicit facts in support of these allegations before you. —I am, yours faithfully, T. E. Taylor." Finding.—'The matters herein referred to are all dealt with in our general report. Charge No. 2.—That Inspector Emerson, in charge of the Hawke's Bay Police District, is of drunken habits and addicted to gambling. Amended Charge. —That on or about the following dates Inspector Emerson was in a state oil drunkenness : Sind May, 1897, at Gisborne; 6th July, 1897, at Gisborne; 7th January, 1898, at Napier. That since he has been in charge of the Hawke's Bay District he has been of intemperate habits and addicted to gambling, and that his conduct in these respects has been destructive of discipline and injurious to the public interests. Finding.— .The charge in reference to the 2nd May, 1897, we declined to investigate, considering' that it had \een dealt with by Mr. H. E. Kenny, S.M., upon his inquiry re Inspector Emerson. Our inquiry in respect of the other charges was confined to the time during which Inspector Emerson had been stationed at Napier. A great number of witnesses w.ere subpoenaed at the instance of Mr. Taylor, M.H.R., and attended and gave evidence in support of such charges at the sittings of the Commissioners at Napier. Many of such witnesses were from Gisborne and other distant places. It was sought to be established that at the Gisborne races on the 6th day of July, 1897, Inspector Emerson was intoxicated. The majority of the witnesses called proved that Inspector Emerson was not intoxicated, but that he was suffering from a bad cold and cough, and was very unwell ; so much so that some of his friends induced him to leave the racecourse and return to his hotel at Gisborne early in the afternoon. Although some of the witnesses swore that on this occasion he was. "in liquor," we are satisfied that the weight of the evidence is in his favour, and that he must be acquitted on the charge of intoxication on the 6th day of July, 1897. His falling in the luncheon-booth on that day we are satisfied arose from the seat giving way, and not from intoxication on the part of Inspector Emerson, It was further alleged that Inspector Emerson was intoxicated at Napier on the 7th day of January, 1898. This was sought to be established by evidence of four persons who, whilst sitting on a seat on the Napier Esplanade, had their attention called to the appearance of figures on the face of the moon by Inspector Emerson, and by reason of his putting his hand on the shoulder of one of them, a female, to call her attention to what he thought he saw. We are satisfied from the evidence of the witnesses called for the defence that Inspector Emerson thought it was his daughter whom he touched on the shoulder, and who had shortly before gone to the Napier Breakwater to see some friends off by steamer. We are further satisfied by the evidence of certain members of Inspector Emerson's family, and of other independent witnesses who were in conversation with him close to the time of the occurrence complained of, both before and after, that on that evening and at that time he was perfectly sober. We feel bound, however, to report that it has been proved before us that at least on three separate occasions Inspector Emerson has been in the state described by the witnesses as "in liquor/ and at other times also has been so in the presence of some of the members of the Force serving under him. Such a state of things must, of course, be subversive of discipline, and is altogether improper and undesirable. The occasions to, which we refer when Inspector Emerson was so "in liquor " were as follows : (a) On board the steamer on passage between Napier and Gisborne, about five years ago, shortly after Inspector Emerson went to Napier ; {b) at Gisborne at night when proceeding from one hotel to another, at which he was staying—namely, the Gisborne Hotel ; (c) At Napier, at about dusk, when going to his home in company with two friends (about October, 1896). A female witness, who at the time referred to lived next door to Inspector Emerson in Napier, swore that upon two separate occasions she saw him taken home in a cabin a state of intoxication, but as this evidence is wholly uncorroborated, and as it is absolutely denied by Inspector Emerson, we cannot consider the allegation proved. Notwithstanding the above facts, which are, in our opinion, fully established by the evidence before us, a very large number of highly respectable persons were called before us and swore, as to the temperate habits of Inspector Emerson, These were persons holding