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EEPOBT.

To His Excellency the Right Honourable William Lee, Baron Plunket, Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over His Majesty's Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies. May it please Your Excellency,— We, the Commissioners appointed by Your Excellency's Letter's Patent of the Ist July, 1905, to inquire,— < 1 ) As to the circumstances of the enrolment in the Police Force of Thomas Moses, and as to the failure of the Police Department to ascertain that prior to such enrolment he had been convicted of an offence; (2 ) As to the causes which led to the offences committed by certain members of the Police Force in Dunedin remaining undetected, and whether any laxity ot administration contributed to such non-detection; (3 ) Generally as to the system of control and supervision exercised by Inspectors, hubinspectors, and sergeants of the Police Force, and whether proper control and supervision has been exercised in Dunedin, have to report as follows: — 1. Thomas Moses was born in Cornwall, England, on the 20th August, 1877. On the 20th December, 1890, he was arrested by Detective Livingstone at Timaru on a charge of breaking and entering. On this charge he was convicted and sentenced to three months probatl °He was afterwards, on the 12th March, 1895, arrested by Detective (how Inspector) O'Brien at Oamaru on a charge of shopbreaking. He was convicted on this charge, and ordered to come ut) for sentence when called upon. . . After the second conviction he remained in South Canterbury, doing contracting and genera work, until he joined the Sixtli Contingent New Zealand Mounted Rifles in which he > served from the 7th January, 1901, to the 19th May, 1902. On the 30th July, 1902, lie joined the New Zealand Permanent Artillery, and did duty in Wellington until his transfer to the Police. On the Bth January, 1903, he applied for enrolment in the Police I'orce. His application was made on the usual form. This form requires the signature of some person recommending the applicant. Mr. Francis McParland recommended him. His knowledge of Moses was limited, as he had not known him before lie became an artilleryman, six months previously. Mr. McParland became acquainted with him through residing near the barracks. Sir William Jukes Steward, M.H.R. for the district in which the parents of the applicant resided supplied the application-form, and wrote the Commissioner as follows: — ■ < SlE _ "Ashburton, 26th February, 1903. ' "A young man named Thomas Moses, who hails from St. Andrew's, in my constituency, applied some six weeks ago to join the Police Force. Hβ passed his examination, and has received notice that his name has been entered on the candidates' list. "He served in South Africa in the 6th N.Z.M.R., and was discharged with an excellent record He is also well spoken-of by the clergyman at St. Andrew's—Rev L. C. Brady. " I hope therefore, that you will be able to take him on at an early date. r " Yours, &c, "Mr. Commissioner Tunbridge." '!.W. J. Steward. Neither Sir William Jukes Steward nor Mr. McParland had any knowledge whatever of the convictions recorded against Moses. The Minister replied to this letter as follows: — „ „ _ " 27th February, 1903. " In reply to your letter dated the 26th instant, addressed to the Commissioner of Police, recommending Thomas" Moses for an early appointment in the Police Force, I have the honour to inform you that there are not likely to be any appointments to the Training Depot for some months to come, but when the next selection is being made Mr. Moses's claim will be considered ' <Iha^AS &C McGowA N , " Minister of Justice. "The Hon. Sir W. J. Steward, Ashburton, Canterbury." Inquiries were made through the police in the usual way, the memorandum, minutes, and report being as follows: —