H.—l6b.

Return showing the Proportion of Police to Population, and Cost of Police per Inhabitant, and Rates of Pay of Constables, in each of the undermentioned Places.

* With material for uniform free, house allowance or quarters, a pension, and twelve days' annual leave. f With quarters, fuel, light, and water, and seventeen days' annual leave. j With house allowance or quarters, special allowance in expensive districts, pension, allowance for uniform, and twenty-eight days' annual leave. § With quarters, light, allowance for uniform, long-service pay, fourteen days' annual leave, and excursion rates on railways. || With house allowance or quarters, pension, three weeks' annual leave, excursion rates on railways, special allowance in expensive districts. if With lodging-allowance, an form-allowance, and a benefit fund to which the State contributes. ** Willi uniforms free, and a compensation-allowance fund to which the State contributes. Lamps. Complaint has been made throughout the Dominion of the nature and quality of the lamps supplied to the police, and required to be taken by them on night duty. The evidence condemnatory of these is so unanimous amongst all the commissioned officers, and sergeants, and men throughout the Force that it is astounding that nothing has been done by the Commissioner to deal with the matter in a businesslike way. I found, to my surprise, in Auckland that the men, with the knowledge of their officers, had been for some time past purchasing at their own cost up-to-date electric lamps, and having them recharged when necessary, also at their own cost, rather than use the objectionable regulation lamp. I recommend the matter for consideration. Batons and Handcuffs. My attention has been drawn to the batons and handcuffs as at present used, and which are stated to be obsolete. I see no fault to find with the batons. They are very seldom used, and then only for defensive purposes, and more for pushing than striking. The one shown to me, and suggested as a substitute, would be by no means suitable. The general run of handcuffs are certainly of an obsolete pattern, but .1 understand that others are supplied on requisition. Mr. Arnold, MP., and the Commissioner of Police. A great deal of unpleasantness was caused at my Dunedin sitting by the very hostile attitude taken up by the Commissioner of Police towards Mr. Arnold, M.P., in connection with certain remarks made by him in Parliament on police matters generally. lam not in the least concerned with anything that Mr. Arnold may have said there, and he is certainly not answerable to me nor to the Commissioner for what he may think proper to say in his place in Parliament. The Commissioner made some very foolish and ill-advised remarks, which, coming from a man in his position, call for some comment. In the first place, he accused Mr. Arnold of making deliberately false statements. Then he stated that certain files might be " faked," practically inviting the suggestion, without the smallest reason, that a particular file actually had been " faked." Then he made the extraordinary assertion that he had not given his son the full leave he was entitled to, with an object in view. When asked by Mr. Arnold what that object was, he replied as follows : "It was for such as yourself. It

II

Number Place. of Police. Population. Proportion of Police to Population. Cost of Police ]>er Rates of Pay of Constablee. Inhabitant. New Zealand .. 771 Victoria .. .. 1,571 New South Wales . . 2,465 South Australia .. 413 Queensland .. I 970 Western Australia . . 504 Tasmania .. . 233 1,008,373 1,271,174 1,591,673 407,179 552,345 267,111 185,500 1 to 1,308 1 „ 809 1 „ 645 1 „ 985 1 „ 569 1 ., 529 1 „ 796 s. d. 3 4J 4 5| 5 9| 4 14 7 4| 9 0 4 H 7/6 to 9/6 per day.* 6/6 „ 10/ „ f V „ 8/6 „ i V » 8/6 „ § £108 „ £134 per year.jj 7/6 „ 8/6 per day.lf 6/ „ 7/ ' „ **