H.—2,

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803. Now, some of these transfers cost from £30 to £50.—Yes. 804. Well, now, if the whole Force was transferred once in five years would mean that upwards of 100 would have to be transferred each year ? —That is so; but a great many of the men are bachelors. 805. The Chairman.'] What is the lowest cost ?—The cost ranges from £3 to £40. 806. Mr. Tunbridge.] At that rate, then, it would be a charge on the department of something from £1,000 to £2,000 a year, I mean if you strike an average of £15 per man ? —Yes; but I think if we got longer notice of the movements of the Government steamer she might be utilised very much and save money in making these transfers. 807. Mr. Poynton.] Have you ever used her for that purpose? —I have when I could; but as a rule we do not get twenty-four hours' notice of where she is going to. 808. Mr. Tunbridge.] Then, in transferring you would treat all men alike, and would remove them all once in five years ?—I am not prepared to say that. That is a big order. I would put it in this way: I think it should be understood in the Force by the men that they are liable to be transferred every five years ; and not only the men, but then I think the local Justices of the Peace and influential people would understand that it was in the course of carrying out the efficiency of the service that the transfers were made, and there would be less of this petitioning and less of this pressure brought to bear. 809. The Chairman.] Do you think £1,500 would be well spent in removing constables every five years ?—I am not prepared to say that £1,500 would not be well spent in removing them. 810. Mr. Tunbridge.] You gave one instance where a man had been at a place twenty years, but there are plenty of other instances where men have been at their stations eight, ten, and twelve years ?—Yes. 811. Have you found in many instances their long stay at these stations has acted prejudicially to the service ?—Not in these particular cases, or else they would have been removed. My experience has been that you cannot lay down a hard-and-fast rule. 812. The principal reasons for transfer, I believe, are that men get too familiar with the people, and get generally lax in the way of carrying out their duties ? —Yes ; that remark applies more especially to country stations. 813. At many of these country stations, I believe, the men are not visited more than once, or at the most twice a year by the Inspector'?—l think the majority are, but some certainly are not. For instance, I doubt if Pembroke is visited once a year. 814. And it is in a great measure owing to this want of supervision that the men do become lax in the conduct of their duties ?—Yes, I should say so. 815. The Chairman.] Do you think that such visits once or twice a year would do any practical good?—I think so; and I might explain, it is not only the fact of the Inspector going there and seeing the men, but the Inspector interviews the community and finds out in that way how the duties are carried out, and so is in a position to say whether the constable is or is not performing his duty properly. 816. Mr. Tunbridge.] You would, I take it, Colonel Hume, recommend greater supervision over the men if it was possible to apply it ? —Yes, I have tried to get that by grouping stations into sub-districts under the senior sergeant or constable in such sub-district. 817. And why were you not able to bring that about?— Because the senior officer did not always happen to be stationed in what ought to be the head station of the group. But in some cases it has been successfully done. 818. I should like to ask you about the different offices held by constables. Do you consider that the fact of a constable holding numerous offices other than that of a police constable, and in respect of these offices making reports to the various officials connected with these different departments, outside the Commissioner of Police altogether, is conducive to discipline or otherwise ? —I cannot say I found it interfere with the discipline; while I think the holding of these offices brings them into closer touch with the people, and establishes a system of confidence and reliance on each other, with the exception of collecting the dog-tax, for which they used to be paid by the collar. When I pointed out to the Government that I considered it was objectionable they stopped it. 819. The Chairman.] Do you think the practice is beneficial, except in the last instance ?— Yes. 820. Mr. Tunbridge.] Now, Police Eegulations, paragraph 11, page 4, says what? "Every member of the Force will be required to devote his whole time and energies to the service, and will be held responsible for obedience to all lawful orders and conformity to all regulations." That means the Police Service?— Yes, I might say that in some country stations I think the constable would die of ennui in about a month if he had not some of these outside things to do. At the same time you must have him there. 821. Are these some of the offices which constables hold in addition to their positions as police officers, viz. : Clerks of Magistrates' Courts, bailiffs, Clerks of Wardens' Courts, Inspectors of Factories, agents of Public Trustee, Inspectors of Weights and Measures, Inspectors of Abattoirs and Slaughterhouses, Postmasters, Eegistrars of Electors, Labour Agents, Eeceivers of Goldfields Eevenue, Probation Officers, Census Enumerators, and, in addition to that, they compile information for the agricultural statistics? —Yes. v 822. In connection with each of these offices do the police-officers send in reports, without passing in any way through the Commissioner or any police-officer, to the various heads of these departments ? —Yes. 823. You have been connected with the public service in England and in the colony for many years : do you know of any similar state of affairs? —No. 824. Although you see by this Police Act that the Commissioner is the responsible head of the Police Force, and that these men should be under his control: as a matter of fact are they under