THE POLICEMAN'S LOT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1725, 16 April 1913, Page 8

THE POLICEMAN'S LOT.

HIS GRIEVANCES.

THE MINISTER INTERVIEWED. NEW LOCAL MOVE. i The allegations that discontent. exists imcing tlio mourners of the Police ". (Forco lave oreated sorao. interest in the matter n Wellington. ; Inc|uirics .made among the Wellington jonstablas by a Dominion reporter intli:ate, ajaong. other things, that the men jonsider;:that they are entitled to some .uiproveirieiits in the conditions under v I]ich they work; and that they do not ret contemplate falling into lino with ;ho association formed in Auckland. 1 ; Some of . tho meii, liko men in othertranches';'of- tho Civil .Service, object to; ixaminattons, whilo others raise no objection, but say that, a raasonablo test is, y thing that no efficient mati would bo ifraid of.- Somo .declare that constables Ire underpaid; and. there is -bomplaint hat they work considerably more than light hour.? per day. Constables, .who' lave to wait about the Court to give evileuce,. are, it is said,, required to. loso hat.Jimo, in addition to their eight hours n duty. They also, have to make out reports of arrests and other happenings In imo which they claim should..bo their :wn; and they do not know, until lato on Saturday'afternoon if they will .be on or •ft duty On Sunday./ Further, their an- 1 iual holidays may .be broken into at tho /■ill of those .in l '.authority. • .. . ■ Tt has been stated in print that the' tuckland men intended to invite tho Yollington -constables to follow their ead. So far the Wellington men have ,ot received any invitation. May Join Civil Service Association. - It has already been stated. that the forlation of .an association, such as Auckiuid's, is a breach of the regulations. Ine of the regulations! states that contables may lay .their grievances, 'before, ho Commissioner, but'combining will Tie everely dealt with as being subversive, of iscipline. , 'Tho Wellington'men, so far as can be rtthered, do not propose forming a .new iisnciation such as their 'Auckland brehreu have, done; 'but, it is- understood' M excellent authority that an attempt ■ ill be lhado to' gqt tho members of'the orce to join; tho. Civil Service "Associa- 1 ion. _' ■, ;' v • .' This, it is argued, will not-bo "coinbin'-' ng." but merely throwing in their, lot fitli other Civil Servants. ' , *

5 THE MINISTER'S .VIEWS. AN AUCKLAND ALLEGATION DENIED. '■'According to a Press Association mesige from Auckland, ivhich was published esterday, an officer of the Auckland 'plice. Association : stated i that members f. tho force' iu Auckland were not given h opportunity of airing their grievances •hen the-"Minister 'visited that city. Vhen this statement Was mentioned.-. to Ir. Herdman, he characterised it. as. bsolutely untrue.- "When I - mckland," he continued, "I .intimated > the men openly when I inspected them, fiat if they had any grievances I would c prepared to hear them in ray capac- 1 iy as Minister for Justiccv;;l-i\;ettt-into 10 inspector's room , and was'interviewed hero by ; iv number of detectjyeg. jind, somo jrgeanb.' When ,1 left the police staion I understood "that 116 other "memer of (lie force had any complaint, I'iovance, ,or any, other matter to bring nder .my'notice."' ."As to what is going on at"tho present ,mo," added il l'.. Herdman, " [ Teally now nothing about'it.',-l; am ;i(bt :aware E any ground of .complaint.; When I isited the Lambton Quay Police Station told tho mon that they could bring Irward.any grievanco. or bring under, my. otice any objection 'that they., had to ie now regulations. Not one member of 6 ,forco in Wellington brought- any jmplnint under my notice. In Dunedin fid in Christchurch a number of .men .ibmitted requests to me, but no serins. grievances were mentioned. There 'as no mention of complaints about exininations or of. the discontent now aI-!F-?d x to .exist in the detective branch.'/, iOn tho subject, of complaints .'in geni'al, the Minister remarked ..that ... the leu had. their constitutional: means of sending redress ov grievances where any xisted. In h:s vi.sit to Lambton,Quay .olice Station he had told tho men that ;e would much prefer that, rather than o behind, his bsscfc, they should step out ike men, and let him know." what their rievances were. ; As soon as. his work in the Court of Apeal.was over,, tho Minister remarked fin-' Jly, lie. would meet the members of tho ctective force, and hear their grieviiccs. This applied to tho detectives in Wellington. He could not go round the buntry. again so soon after his recent rip, but detectives or policemen in other, (arts of the Dominion who had grievances could write. COMMISSIONER CALLS A' PARADE. ; Commissioner Cullen, when -ho was iitorviewed,' said, that, he had no official :nowledge_of any grievances in the police prce. No representations liad been iade to him on the subject. In view, :owever, of what had appeared in a bcal paper ho had called a ; parade' of 11 city and suburban members of the •jrce, for Uo-morrow at 2.30 p.m. The .arade wonld have, been called to-day, he Commissioner remarked, but for tho set that the. functions in connection ; ith the visit of the battleship New Zeaiiul madojit impossible that all tho men hould assemble at a parade to-day. The ■ion would be invited to freely state 'rievances'if they had any. If it could je-shown i that there wero cases whiro eniedios should be applied, there was .no enson to .'doubt that they be., ap■licd. There was no desire' on the part f the Department to (to fcijiis'tice 'to 'uy man. : : • >

jTln Mokau Moliakatino Mock, of 23,000 ires, wiil be sold by auc'tion on WedfesJfiy, May 7. I'or plans and' all inforiatidn, application should -be mado to [«ssrs." Murray, liel-jrls, an<l Co., Ltd., Wellington. The- "Cluny" estate of 510 acres, 'situred 10 miles from Turukina and llai'ton, > announced for sale by Messrs.' Abraham' pd Willigms, Ltd., Wellington. . This Hate was 'owned and occupied by Mr. J. ['(.Ircgor, for over 00 years.