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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4466, 13 July 1875, Page 2

The Ndson Daily Times says:—Amongst other anomalies, that will be put an end to, should provincial institutions be extinguished in the coming session of Parliament, will be tbo existing police system. Anything much more hybrid or anything more ridiculous than the police system at present in New Zealand could hardly be imagined. There are provinces without end, and there are distinctions in every one. It might bo, and no doubt is, reasonable that various rates of pay, proportionate to the expense of maintenance, should bo given to each provincial force, and any variation in this respect is therefore easily and rationally accounted for. But at the same time it is manifestly ridiculous that police on one side of an imaginary line should ho governed by certain laws, and that police on the other should laugh such rules to scorn. New Zealand is not such a vast colony as to allow differences of the kind, and its community is not so diverse as to prevent the same rules applying to all citizens within its limits, as far as police protection goes. . . . In the face, however, of a coming session, wo would ask all members whether it is not in the highest degree absurd to have one police system existent in one province, another in another, and nearly a dozen, all at variance throughout the colony? The police throughout the whole of New Zealand are demoralised, to a certain extent through this cause, for they are dependent on the caprice of Provincial Councillors

and Provincial Executives, and between such, stools often fall to the ground. As faras our experience has gone none of these lights have been synonymes for Solomons ; on' the 'contrary, have shown capacity for absurdity and incapacity for good. Our present ruling powers are specially exemplar in this respect, and the slavish manner in which the leading figure is worshipped by his followers is something to be wondered at. The Nelson force, limited as it is, has always done its duty properly, but at the same tune their strength has not been by any means equal to the duty imposed on them. That is not all, their duties have been confined wholly to the province. They are simply provincial servants, and their ambition fox* promotion must be limited to the Nelson province. This is clearly unfair, a policeman, in our idea, is as certainly entitled to promotion as a soldier, and every avenue should be opened to deserving men whereby they could gain it from headquarters. As long as these little pettifogging Governments exist so will all public spirit be quenched, whether in police or in other public servants. The attempt of our Executive,' at present, seems to be to crush them as far as possible, it apparently being considered that the police are a useless body who render no good service to the State, That we differ widely in this idea we need hardly add, and we hope to see one properly organised force of colonial, and not provincial, standing in existence throughout New Zealand, when the pending changes are carried out. That great and radical changes ore required no one can doubt, and that a reformed colonial police force would be a benefit to every one must be apparent.

We last night received the following telegram ; — “ Greymodth, Monday, 8 p.m.—A paragraph in the Tribune, referring to some remarks in the New Zealand Times, leads me to think that I have been indicated in some way by you as being the author of a certain letter in the Melbourne Telegraph, respecting Mr. "Vogel. Permit me to , say that I never wrote a line to a Melbourne paper in my life, and that X deprecate, in the strongest manner, the comments which some New Zealand papers and the correspondents of Melbourne journals have recently indulged in regarding the late Premier.” In reference to this matter, we may say that we cannot avoid a wrong interpretation being put upon an article of ours.