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179. The Chairman.'] Was the transfer carried out before you got the approval?— Yes. 180. Then you reported you had made the transfer ? —Yes. 181. And that worked well?— Yes. The men had the right to appeal. 181 a. Colonel- Hume.] I suppose in your experience you have had some complaints from constables, from time to time, about the dates of your appointments, have you not ? —Oh, yes. ' 182. Can you tell the Commissioners how the appointments were dated as regards joining the Armed Constabulary Force and joining the police ?—I think some of the Armed Constabulary men got their service in the police. I am not sure they all got their service from the constabulary in the police. 183. Well, you state that these Permanent Artillery men did not always make good constables, I suppose you have found civilians do not always make good constables too, have you not ? —Yes. That is the reason I say they ought to be trained, and then you find out whether they are suitable or not. They should, in my opinion, be taken on on probation. 184. You had a good many Permanent Artillery men doing duty as Constables when they were Permanent Artillery men ?—Yes. 185. Were you consulted as to their fitness and characters before they were taken on—whether they were likely to make good constables, and how they had done their duty ? You had a good many at the Exhibition, I believe?— Yes, they did their work very well at the Exhibition. They were mixed with the general Force at the Exhibition, and they got on very well indeed ; but they were picked men, I think. 186. What I wanted to get at was this: were you consulted before they were appointed to the Police Force as to whether they were likely to make good constables, or whether they had done their duty ? —I was. I recollect I was consulted on two or three occasions as to how they had done their duty, and as to whether they would make good constables. 187. The Chairman.'] Were they taken on permanently ?—Some of them were. Some of them I recollect very well whose names were sent to me to know what I thought about them. 188. Colonel Hume.] Was any man taken on that you can remember you said you could not recommend?—l could not say, but Ido not think so. Of course, some of them were taken on at other places, of whom I know nothing. Ido not know who was taken on at the depot. 189. Was anybody appointed in Wellington that you did not recommend ?—No. I do not think so. 190. You stated when you took over the Wellington Police Force it was a thoroughly good and efficient Force. Have you any reason to think it is not so now ? —There is a very good and efficient Police Force here at present—a good, steady, respectable lot of young men. 191. Do you consider it has been so all the time you have been here?— Now and again we got " black sheep." 192. But I am speaking of the Force?— Yes, generally. 193. Now, you say single men have a good many advantages over the married men?— Yes. 194. Can you tell us what the messing comes to per day ?—No, I do not know. 195. They do not each have a separate room ?—No. 196. The married men live all over the town ? —Yes. 197. What happens when the firebell rings at night as regards these men ?—Well, as a rule, they run to the fire. 198. And they are all supposed to go, whether off duty or on duty ?—That is the rule. 199. And very often it is a false alarm?— Often a false alarm. 200. How long have you considered that the Police Force in Wellington was not up to the required strength ?—Well, the population has been increasing very fast for some years. There has been a slight increase in the number of men, but, as far as I can judge, a further increase is required. lam told, from a rough calculation, the population of Wellington during the last eighteen months has increased by 7,000. The shipping is increasing—in fact, everything is increasing around here. 201. Taking the last five years, has there been much undetected crime in Wellington, do you think?—No, Ido not think more "than the average. There has been undetected crime, of course, but we have generally kept crime in check. The more serious crimes within the district during that time have been detected. 202. The Chairman.] Numerically, what is the difference in the strength of your Force now and when you came to Wellington?— Well, I could not exactly say. I may say there have been some promotions made recently which have had a very good effect. 203. Colonel Hume.] Do you approve of that supernumerary beat system for training recruits.' —Yes, in the absence of a better. 204. Mr. Poynton.] Then, you do not think it is sufficient?—Oh, no, not at all. The men ought to be properly trained in a depot. 205. Colonel Hume.] I understood you to say that one of your objections to the Permanent Artillery being appointed constables was because they formed a good many acquaintances and associated with people. But is it not a fact, or is it a fact,, that men who have been serving in the Permanent Artillery in Wellington were not posted here ?—I believe latterly they have not been. Of course, that made a difference. 206. As regards the publican business, I understand your recommendation is that you want to throw the onus on the publican to prove what the people who are in his house are there for, as in the English system ?—-That is the opinion I have formed from experience. 207. Mr. Poynton.] Not throw the onus on the publican; you mean throw it on the persons who are there?— Yes. 208. The Chairman.] You referred to recent promotions. Can you tell us the system by which promotion is made. Is there any system —a recommendation, for instance, from the lower officers

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