THE ROUGE COMMISSION

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2606, 14 September 1909, Page 5

THE ROUGE COMMISSION

WELLINGTON SITTINGS.

[Per Press Association.! WELLINGTON, September 13. The Police Commission opened its Wellington sittings to-day. Mr Alex. Gray, solicitor, appued tor leave to represent the Lambton Quay police. He said that while the Commission was sitting at L)unedin the Lambton Quay police held a meeting. They were not acuated by antagonism to the police, and wished to withdraw to suggestion of any want of commence in the Commission. Ihe men, upon reflection, considered their action, was unwise, and if any excuse could, he offered the men said it was the more or less short reports telegraphed from Dunedin. They were under the mistaken impression that some individuals in Dunedin were being offered the opoprtunity for the ventilation of personal grievance. . . c Mr Bishop: That is the opinion, of the Wellington police. Mr Gray: They entirely withdraw any suggestion of disloyalty or want of confidence in the Commission. Mr Bishop expressed pleasure at finding' the police here had acknowledged the error of their ways. Reading the resolution they had passed there was no doubt as ‘to what actuated the people who were responsible for it. The Commissioner characterised the resolution as absolutely improper, and he should be sorry to think a body _of forty men belonging to /the .polio© force should meet- together and speak about matters which they knew nothing about. As the result of the hazard meeting the men had carried a resolution tantamount to want of confidence in the person appointed to hold the Commission, and expression of confidence in their own head: Personally he had treated the matter with absolute contempt. He had hoped that the meeting "was not the outcome of the views of the Wellington police as a body. To him it appeared to have been engineered by one or two individuals. He certainly took exception, to being personally held responsible for a great deal of what had been described as irrelevant. His desire had been to obtain evidence which would place the police force on the soundest possible footing, and enable it to be spoken of with credit everywhere. J. J. Meikle then came forward and asked leave to give evidence concerning a constable who, he alleged, had committed perjury at his (Meikle’s) trial. The Commissioner ruled that ho could not hear the evidence. Const. J. R. Thompson attended as delegate for the Lambton Quay police, and asked for Is a day extra, rising by 6d everv three years to a maximum of 10s, for constables; that 18 days leave be granted annually; that house allowance for married men be increased • and that the accommodation of Lambton Quay station be improved. Witness said the conduct of the Wellington police was excellent. Liquor was not taken into the barracks. He knew nothing about two sergeants having to go to the barracks to make peace nor did he know of a larrikin element in the force. -He had heard nothing about a handy or a special man, and did not believe that such a person Referring to the crowded state of the bedrooms at Lambton Quay, Air Bishop said he thought the state of affairs absolutely indecent. Const. J. J. Gallagher endorsed Const. Thompson’s evidence. Const. Doyle, representing Mount Cook, urged that the pay should be 8s a day for constables and a free pass on the railways when on holiday. He also ventilated grievances regarding emolument. _ At the Police Commission this afternoon, Constable Michael Green complained that tEe Police Commissioner’s chief clerk frequently acted as Commissioner. Air. Dinnie was Commissioner only in name. Air. Dinnie had allowed his powers to be wrested from him by his chief clerk. The "witness had known men to come to Wellington to see Wright about promotion instead of seeing the Commissioner. Horse-play had taken nlace at the Wellington police station, but the statement of Mr. Arnold, AI.P., about the conduct of the station was incorrect. Air. Arnold had been misinformed. The witness denied having anything to do with letters to the newspapers about Mr. Dinnie.