ACTION AND INACTION OF THE POLICE FORCE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1915, 25 November 1913, Page 9

ACTION AND INACTION OF THE POLICE FORCE.

Sir,—There is food for a, lot of reflection if (sue seriously considers tho activities of the Police Force in two jßritisJi lib- V (

eriy 111 repressing strike dworderß, iinii interference with that liberty in. repressing tho sale <>f .intoxicants whci: tho community's Heaven of fanatics " had prevailed on the Mayor to give their fad a trial. Do the publio forget tho first few days of tho strike, when 1600 jneii practically took charge <4 tho wharf and other public and private utilities -wliite the pfllico looked supinely ou '( Then was the call to dofeud tho essential foundations of -our social and commercial structure, Mob law and anarchy wcto i.u practical-oil-' oration, while a section of the commim-" ity, largely polyglots, led by a number of foreign agitators, defied tho laws of order - which represented tho accumulated wisdom in government of generations of public polity. A -sharp lesson to riotous law-breakers at tho beginning of the disturbances might have saved the Dominion hundreds -of thousands of .]xumds. It w;as dangerous, . risky business, bttt necessary if the essential rules of order that strike to tho very heart- of law-abiding communities wero to bo -preserved. The hold course that might iiot only liuve saved -enormous loss to property, but rescued tlio dup® of foreign philosophers from years of suffering which Drill be the reward of their innocent- allegiance to the cause of folly, was lacking. And why? The men in Police Force of Now Zealand ore physically and courageously as good a« any in tho -world, but note their activity in another direction, and one promptly realises the reason, for their indifference over essentials. It was generally thought tho reason for dosing the hotels in the-'city of Wellington was to givo the liccaisp.es mora discretion in serving customers, not to give practical expression to (he fad of any section of the pnoplei Sobcrr-mindod people approved such a ooiir&e, But it very soon became apparent that the Prohibitionist section of tho communitv, which failed by Bto<i at tho bal-lot-box to ca-rify aii alleged li'ul prevailed on.the Mayor to uso tho autocratic powers vested in him by the Justices'of tlio Peace Act to givo their fad a trial. - Then Inspector Ell.ito.il and iiis morrv men began work in real earnest. It was work that, ■ by years of «xperiene», in enforcing,the legislation of faddists they were thoroughly qualified to perform. Hotels ill the town were visited and searched by the police in order that the gruesome offence of purchasing a glass of beer -when the Mayor said waj niusn't riiould not defile our national character. Barricades could bo broken, lawful members of the cojimiuuity in* timid-ated,from following their callings, lives threatened, anarchy prevail, .tlio property of the people bo taken charge of at the instance of a section, same of the most cowardly acts in tlio whole history of tho Dominion bo perpetrated —tho police looked passively oil, perhaps not unmindful of future action when things had calmed down and dan* ger was past, ft was not the essential purpose of their training to promwiy repress offences of this nature,' hut tho outrageous crime of indulging a rational appetite that <3oos not find favour with a section, of our population —tho heinous offence of drinking boor— their activities wero itian-el.kms'l Tlio rules of order that are essential to the welfare of all sect-ions of the community could depend for their enforcement ou public-spirited sons of tho piojicers and other citizens, ■ while those retained by the Dominion for this dangerous work enforced the fads of a fanatical section of the people who lack the moral courtage to be actively associated with the punitive provisions of their own doctrines. It has been abundantly shown in the present—or should it be- written late?—strike thai our laws -depend in a critical trial on sufficient moral courage, -self-interest, arid sense of .national duty to provide the power to enforce them. The numbers at tho ballot-box count in a national crisis only in so far as they are able to wield ft baton iii suppart of their opinions. This is shown by tho men of the backblocks -defending tho avonucs of commerce that aro essential to their well-being. Why don't- tho Prohibitionists swear in as special constables Mid show tho sanio moral courage in the enforcement of their doctrines:' Tho Police Force has beon degenerated in its moralo by years of duty e:i.!'ol«iug tlio fads arid foihl-es of fanatics, until it found in tho time of national danger this is the. only work at thoroughly understands. If tho sumptuary laws of New Zealand -hadto depend for their enforcement on those who aro responsible for their ap-peal-alien on the Statute Book there would ho precious few of tlici-n in operation. And why should they not.? Is it ■ fair to all the. comniu-iiity that ft section of the people should be specially subsidised in enforcing their particular ideas, whilo tho essential rules of order aro Ijoing maintained bj' those- watli sufficient moral courage to uphold tho rights that aro for their own prcteotion and that of all the people? If tlicrc is an over-plus polico protection let the authorities dispense with the. services of all that aro Hot required and save the expense to the -Dominion, hut let fsds take the s-amo chances of enforcement as the necessary laws of order. They have 110 other claim if there is no in those charged with the administration of tlio law,— I am, etc., i( ' November 22, 3.&13. fO-ur correspondent apparently lias failed fo perceive that tho te.uipora-: y closing of tho hotels has nothing to do with the I'rohibitTOi'ii-sts or their ngna» tion. It is merelr a P»j )i?r preciuuion to redueo the risk of disorder amine out of a too free indulgence m drink 1-iv -men with too much idl-o time on their hands. As to the police, they are merely doing their duty.]