7

H.—l6

9. Any officer granted a life-allowance who may at the time of his retirement wish to commute same may be permitted to do so, and shall receive in lieu thereof a sum equal to the total amount that has been deducted from his pay while in the service. 10. The total amount deducted from the pay of any officer who may die in the service not from injuries received in the execution of his duty shall be paid to that officer's next-of-kin. 11. Any officer with not less than ten years' service nor more than twenty-five years' service who may voluntarily resign from the service shall be repaid an amount equal to three-fourths of the amount deducted from his pay. 12. Any officer who is dismissed from the service, or whose services are otherwise dispensed with for misconduct, may be repaid an amount equal to one-half of the amount deducted from his pay. 13. Should any officer who has been retired on a life-allowance die before he has drawn in the way of such allowance a sum equal to the amount deducted from his pay while serving, the difference shall be paid to his next-of-kin. 14. All gratuities or life-allowances to be based on the amount of pay received by the officer at the time of his retirement, unless such officer has within five years prior to his retirement served in any rank beneath that held by him at the time of his retirement, in which case the gratuity or life-allowance shall be based on the average amount of pay received during the last seven years of his service. 15. All life-allowances to be forfeited should the recipient be convicted on indictment. 16. The fund to be administered by a Board consisting of the Minister at the head of the department, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Commissioner of Police, whose decision's shall be final. Inspectok's Bepokt. Extracts from the annual reports from the Inspectors in charge of districts are annexed. They contain nothing calling for special mention. Distbicts. As recommended in my last report, the headquarters of the Wanganui and West Coast district were changed on the Ist January last from New Plymouth to Wanganui, and the Palmerston North sub-district was on same date transferred from the Wellington district to the Wanganui district These changes are working well. Stations. New stations have been erected during the year at Manaia, Opunake, and Te Kuiti, and new gaoler's quarters at Clyde. New stations are now in course of erection at Auckland, Cambridge, and Mokau; new quarters for constable at Thames; and new cells, mess-room, and cook's kitchen at Lambton Quay, Wellington. A new station is about to be commenced at Arrowtown, and new cells, &c, at Christchurch. Extensive repairs, additions, &c, have been carried out at many stations throughout the colony. Unipobm. In my last report I recommended that uniform should be supplied to the men free of cost. This recommendation was not adopted, I believe, on the ground of expense. If that was so I now recommend that a portion be supplied—namely, shakos or helmets (the latter for preference), overcoats, and waterproofs. The above articles can be supplied in stock sizes through the Defence Stores, and do not need making up and fitting by a tailor. The Victorian police are, I understand, supplied with above articles by the Government. The approximate annual cost to the Government by adopting above recommendation would be £950. Cost op Police, etc. A return is hereto annexed showing the proportion of police to population, and cost of police per inhabitant, in each of the Australasian Colonies (except Tasmania, which owing to decentralisation, cannot be obtained), from which it will be seen that New Zealand is still much beneath either of the other colonies. Strength, Distbibution, and Casualties. Eeturns are also annexed showing the strength and distribution of the Force on the 31st March last, and the casualties that occurred in the Force during the year ended the 31st March last. ■ I have, &c, J. B. TUNBBIDGE, Commissioner.

EXTEACTS PEOM ANNUAL EEPOBTS OF OFFICEES IN CHAEGE OP DISTEICTS.

Inspector J. Cullbn, Auckland, Waikato.and Bay op Islands. New stations have been opened during the year at Poro-o-tarao and Te Kuiti, both in the King-country. Soon after these stations were opened the constables in charge of them succeeded in obtaining convictions for sly-grog selling against several noted King-country sly-grog sellers, and this has had the effect of checking sly-grog selling in that part of the King-country for the present at any rate. A matter which seriously affected the peace of the northern part of the district, and endangered life and property there, was the Native disturbance in the Hokianga district in May last, when a large number of Natives assembled under arms for the purpose of resisting the collection of the