WHO WAS THE INFORMANT ?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1241, 25 September 1911, Page 3

WHO WAS THE INFORMANT ?

SIR R, STOUT AND THE COOK ISLANDS. EX-INSrECTOR OP POLICE IX REPLY. FACTS V. IX.ACCrfIACIES. (To- tho Editor.) Sir,—Though I do not consider my treatment by tho Cook Hands Administration by any moans the most important mutter nmoii;,' the glaring wi-anus needinj remedy, there are so' many matters upon which my ease touches in the Chief Justice's report that I think it is of interest enough to tho public to expose them. ■ Id regard to ray own trouble, tho Chici Justice remarks "it will bs noticed that ho was not taken on as an ordinary civil servant of the Cook Islands Administration." Tho Gazette notice of my appointment he docs not quote. Therefore I give it now. (Attached.) It will be noticed that this was given under the hand oi J. Eman Smith, and this Gazette I logically consider supersedes tho letter of appointment from WaMegrave, and ratifies it under tho Cook Islands Administration, rind if the position was to be classed as temporary in tho usual meaning of the word, thon -was tho time to say so. Or is tho Cook Islands Administration Gazette not worth the paper it is printed on, and but another bit of local jugglery ? Tho Chief Justice's, report does not quote- tho Order-in-Council defining the powers of tho Resident Commissioner. This is a peculiar omifsion. Then it goes on "that the Commissioner thought that be (Reynolds) was hostile to him." (Note.—Only "thought.") The Chief Justice saw fit to nso this as evidence, and apparently accept it as such, but in my statements to him I did not use what I thought as argument what Iras ovident in fact. He was the recipient in writing prior to his leaving of ono of my thoughts, well supported by fact, and tho proof was at hand for him to ascertain, but he was quite indignaut and took no action. Later ho refers to the companions I kept. Up to the time of the Wigmore opisodo I was' on amicable tonus with practically everyone on tho island,' , and Hosking and Dawson are among the reputable men of Avarua, except in Government eyes perhaps, and also old South Africans, therefore what moro probable than that I should ossociato with them ? But if wo arc to judge a man by his associates, I must retort what about (lie Resident Commissioner? Of the residents of the island only nine males can bereckone<l among his associates, and of thoso who frequented, or had ever received hospitality at tho Residency, four are now, or were, living in direct contravention of Section 7 of the Offences Ordinance, No. 1, 1907; another has more than ono conviction against him, for drunkenness; and assault; lvhilo of the remaining four, two aro employees at the store where the Commissioner deals, and as for the final two the less said about at present tho bettor. Of this collection only four mix at all with the society of tho island. What, then, are ive to think of the Commissioner, judged from Sir R. Stout's standpoint? Sir Robert would not have quoted tho uunamod settler so freely on this point had he known Ihe facts or the hornet's nest hs hns brought abbut the ears of tho Commisrioner. The Chief Justice did not, put in my statement to him.which was typewritten and classified and of which he retained a copy. Instead he says "Mr. Reynolds made a long statement to mo of the way in which ho performed his dutiej." This is not fair play. It was not a long statement of the way in which I performed my duties, but of the way in which tho Resident Commissioner refused me his support and threw obstacles in the wny of my being able to perform them. This I will later prove. As t'o my dictating to tho Resident CoinmisMoner this is Rlaringly misconstrued. The Chief Justice admits that iUr. Smith had no knowledge of the law nfc all; if lie had, it would have b«n unnccps.varr for Ihe Registrar to prime him with the charge-slu'et before every sitting (which would otherwise be gross impertinence). It was with tho clear understanding that I should lirln tlie. Resident Commissioner in Court work that I was sc/nt down to Rarotongn. As , I have already pointed out no one acted as Crown Prosecutor or for the Crown; but the Registrar, the interpreter, and myself hiul to sit on either hand and awe-fully listen to this Solomon come lo judgment, and rarely allowed to interfere while he cross-examined and weighed off the offenders. The.Chief Justice pays he had no lime to make inquiry' into sentences upon prisoners "who had not appealed against a magistrate's or judge's decision." To whom were they to appeal? To tho Commissioner against tho decision of the magistrate (himself), or lo the Judge himself)? Absolutely Gilbertian. As to them appealing to Kew Zealand, what does a Native, who Sir Robert '.Stout admits has only known what a white man is for ES years, know of appeals, and did .Sir Robert' Stout expect them to appeal to him against the Commissioner? Just anothsr far-fetched ((nibble. Kc-ither is it correct to say that I was in the habitof writing to the Commissioner-Judge as to how ho should deal with cases, because I did on two or throe occasions at tho most remonstrate with him by letter. Dow Sir l!obc-rt Stout consider a man who h.is br-en drunk twice in a year a hahirunl drunkard? The, Chief Justice refrains from quoting any of my letters to the Commissioner and passes off as'quite paltry (I might say minor) such matters as use of cells, prisoners' clothes, want' of a gSnl, stray pigs (the can«> of many troubles), ned the sale- of hop-beer containing !).3, or so, of proof spirit at the GovernmentI owned hotel on an island where all liquor is supposed to come from bond and a law is in existence against tho manufacture or sale of alcoholic liquor. He leaves those who read the report to,believe that I was a most officious, dicta'tcrial, domineering sort of person who well deserved kicking out. Quoting Sir Robert Stout again: "Xor had 1 the tirno, 'were it my duty"—feeble excuse. This means that the report had more c-vickneo been brought forward would have been still more scamped. Arc we- hi bo tho victims of Sir Hobert Stout's i-.i-li-i'tune of working against time? It i , , to be hoped he has not dealt with defendants who have appeared before him on these line;-. We read: "I may add that I did not think it necessary to submit Mr. Reynolds'. , ; statement to the Resident Commissioner for any reply." "Why not? Not surely because "the King can do no wrong." Nothing is faid about unanswered correspondence or regarding tho lack of support under which 1 was forced to work, but he pays "Mr. Reynolds no doubt with nothing but a desire to havn crime put down and peace maintained," as ('hough this were anything but the natural attitude for me to take up as Inspec!or of I'olice. j Tudor clnssilicnlion "F. Prison Administration" we read regarding tho employment of prisoners by Government ppi , - vanls, Mr. Dlaine and tho Resident Commissioner as follows:—"The people who made them ((he charges) know that at the time when theso Natives were working at Ilr. lilaine's and nt the Residency, Captain Smith was not in Rarotonga, ho was on a visit to the Northern Islands." Either this is another of tho startling inaccuracies ;o common in this report or Sir Robert .Stout is the victim of falso evidence. My diary shows, and (he Resitlrnt Commissioner hns the original of it, that "Saturday, August 13, 1010. prisoners cleaning up Xjratina croimds noticed one or two working in hmife Teokolai Ami again on Wednesday, Anuust 1", Teokntai doing house-work" at Jvgatipa. "Hahmlny. August 27, spoke to Mr. Iwisf: ro Tookolni working in kitchen at Nuntipn. Ko pnid it was at Cantain Smith's wish." And between tho dates 17 and 27 flip man was continuously H-orkini? there. What will people say to the veracity of this report when Ihey lip.ir that r.ipl'ain Smith left for the Northern Islands on tho John Williams on Saturday, August 27. in the afternoon, Iwo weeks after I first noticed the bov there? So far as Mr. Waino is concerned this was not' by any means the first time be had employed a prisoner, and on this particular occasion he had had the boy tho previous day aUo, or recently, or I am much mistaken, and it was on Spptemhpr 2 that tho Native *er--peant ri"i)oi'tt'd lo me and I wi'ote to him at oiicc. It i≤ all nonsense

to say that Native labour could not bo obtained to cut wood, etc. Of cour.-e it would have to be paid lor. Jrft it be understood that the Native police repeatedly asked me fur permission to use prisoners privately, and J. had to retire. The, public have u right to rcont Mich practices, and Captain Smith was one of tlio iir.4 to resent I heir cn-rping. t ran faithfully say that I never had the private, use of n single prisoner, and my pay was the poorest of the lot of European ollicials. How arc we in read this evasive paragraph: "Domestic help could not be <>l>taiiiwl, and the primmer was employed at the l!i'>idency for a _ fortnight ( n>. a domestic help in .Mr. Twiss s house . J U the Residency Mr. Twi-s's house? Vμ to within a recent date he lived nnwnere else. Other house boys employed nt the liendencv at the same time were being paid by "the Commissioner. It wiis never contended that any harm was done to the prisoner;;. It was (he example and principle involved. Jeokotai had his meals at midday at the cost of Government. The Residency has had also the constant services of a prisoner from tho north ever since, and prior to, uiv arrival, but I was not officially cognisant of his existence. His meals were also at Government expense. Again, Sir Robert Stout says: "I do not think tho circumstances of Harotonga warrant the expenses of a gaol system." By what other means can those who break and afterwards defy the law be dealt with, and what would be tho ultimate result on tho place? I contend that both Europeans and Maoris are entitled to protection of their property, which they cannot have when thrice-convicted, cuuning thieves are permitted to be at large at night, The report goes on: "The mode of dealing with those who have offended against the laws has been a sort of reformatory treatment," and that "there are only one or two prisoners"— which goes to prove that Sir Robert Stout did not make by any means a thorough search into matters pertaining to such things. I will give you a few extracts from my monthly reports to prove different: — April: Thirty-five prisoners worked on an average 9.6* days each. ■ May: Twenty-nine prisoners worked on an average fl!l7 days each. June: Twenty-two prisoners worked on an average 11.0 days each. July: Twelve prisoners worked on an average 21.8 days each. August: Sixteen prisoners worked on an average. 1C days each. September: .Fifteen prisoners worked on an average 16.2 days each. October: Twelve prisoners worked on an average 19.5 days each. • November: Twelve prisoners wonked on an average 13.G days each. • Do these figures go to prove what the Chief Justice says—"one or two prisoners"? Keferring to the prison system, ho says: "Whether this system is good or bad it is <i system that has been in force for many years." In what way does this affect the issue? What was done in remote, insignificant Otago in the past is no precedent for present methods. To quote the report again: "Dr. Chcsson, a former medical oiHccr, vras allowed to have tho assistance of a prisoner for a short period. . . . Dr. Chesson required some man to look after his horse, etc.! (How useful is that "etc.") and could not get one. . . . I fail to see what harm was done. . . . The prisoßer was fed by the doctor." Dr. Chesson had the use of a prisoner so long as he resided on llio island, with the exception of a few days, at intervals, when 1 was short-handed. Dr. Chesson had no horse; and when ho drove he hired a buggy from a Chinaman. Tho prisoner may have, had tit-bits at the doctor's, but his midday niral was paid for by the Government. Arc these further slips of the. pen, or was the Chief Justice misled by those in authority at Karotonga? These inaccuracies of. the report must give way before facts, and to those who know tho true state of things it is a matter of interesting conjecture—Who was the Chief Justice's informant?—l am, etc., W. REVELL REYNOLDS. Wellington, September 17.