Notes

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIII, Issue 18, 4 May 1916, Page 31

Notes

Held Over

Owing to pressure on our space we have been obliged to hold over a considerable quantity of matter.

Police Force Recruiting

This is not the time for raising racial or religious animosities, or for setting the various sections of the community by the ears, and the Rev. Howard Elliott, of Auckland, who appears to be devoting a good deal of ill-regulated activity in this direction, is acting anything but a patriotic part. He has recently attempted to raise the old bogey of the alleged preponderance of Irish appointments to the police force of the Dominion, but has been effectually and, indeed, unanswerably refuted by a local correspondent, who contributes the following interesting facts and figures in a letter to the Auckland Star :— Sir,— Howard »Elliott, in the Star of Saturday, April s, gives figures purporting to show that our police force has been, since the present war commenced, in August, 1914, recruited from “English, and especially Irish” sources. The following figures, which I challenge the Rev. Howard Elliott to disprove, will at once show the mare’s nest discovered by the rev. gentleman. Since the war broke out, 137 constables have been appointed. Their nationalities and religions are as under: Roman

’ Nationality. Protestant. Catholic. Scotland ... IP ... .11 ... 0 Ireland ... 23 ... 12 ... 11England .... 26 ... 25 ... 1 Colonials ... 77 ... 50 ... 27

Total ... 137 ... 98 ... 39

Of this total of 137 a unit figure would suffice to show the number who landed from abroad in New Zealand since the war broke out— of whom were Protes-

taut and one Roman Catholic. . Recently a supplementary batch of thirteen were appointed, mad© up as follows: —Scotsman, 1 ; Irishmen, 2; Colonials, 10. —I am, etc, ~ Pro P atria.’