AKAROA JACKSON.

NZ Truth, Issue 105, 22 June 1907, Page 4

AKAROA JACKSON.

A BUMPTIOUS BOBBY.

The Plague of the Peninsula.

Me and Me Pal the Mayor.

There is a bumptious bobby' all Akaroa who wants taking down a peg. There are two policemen stationed there, but the individual to whom we refer is Jackson, who is m charge of the place. He isn't a sergeant yet, and never will be ; but he acts as though he were in* spector, and shows the townspeople that he will stand none of their bally nonsense. As a result they, look upon the bobby with unfeigned con* tempt ; he is disliked all over the Peninsular, and the public want him shifted. This uniformed • umshaw , is uncouth and ignorant,' but' that doesn't seem to be a disqualification m the police force, 'or at least it wasn't when Jackson, joined it fourteen years ago. He has a habit of sticking his nose into business that doesn't concern him m the least, . and interfering with everybody. : A, few weeks ago two representatives from leading brewing firms visited • Akaroa. and during their visit they- were, informed by Constable Jackson that the hotels were all well conducted, there being no ■ complaints against any of them. Subsequently, however, Mr. George Allen, who is lie- . ensee of the Criterion, . fell m. He had a few nips, it, appears, on thp morning of Empire day, and being m a gay and festive mood, entered for the obstacle .race- at the sports. There was no great crime m that. Like the majority of other competitors he fell,, but because he was a hotelkeeper and ' held a publican's license, Constable Jackson. backed un by a prominent prohibitionist, , : His Worship the Mayor, raked lip charges against Allen at the Licens- , r ing Committee's meeting,, rt .being al-' l.'eged.that he had broken the Licensing Act m various ways since he had resided at Akaroa. The charges were of a trivial— very trivial—character, and were unsupported 1 by reliable evidence. If Allan hadn't visited the sports ground and entered for the race mentioned, nothing would have been heard of -the several charges that were made, against him m reference to his conduct m general as a licensed publican. Tn fact, Constable Jackson informed the representative of a leading wholesale wine and spirit merchant and others that if everyone, conducted his hotel as well as Allen did there would be no cause for complaint ;••' ' and yet, . m" the face of this, he sentin a report to the Licensing Com" mittee that would DAMAGE ANY MAN'S FAIR ■■■. ; REPUTATION, V and ruin him for ever. Why this right-about-face? What kind of a codger is this Jackson anyway ? The i license has been hung up for three i months as a result, but Allen' will ' be all right. When residents of the ' ■$ outside bays visit Akaroa. and are!) seen '■ to visit 'an ;,hotel more ; than X twice, jigging Jackson \will actually \\ shadow them, following- them up un- 1 til they leave tiie town, very much to the an/ioyahce and disgyabr orrGmr~| persons concerned. This unnecessary 1 interference has a bad result, m bus:- j ness' generally for the 4 reason ■ that people don ' % t want to be under the surveillance .joi^a,. lilaoHrinp; bobby all day,' and very much prefer tb'rfiaSe' the - trip to ; Christchurch, and K^t' .'.. what they require there; Any nuinv ber of old residents are doing: that now, to the detriment of business m, Akaroa. This man Jackson is. continually m company with His Washup the Mayor,' George, Armstrong* ; and they appear to be inseparable^ ; Tbr- are continually hobnobbing together, and their extremely warn) friendship is a matter of general ' comment. Whenever there -is , anything on anywhere the pair may be .■ , • seen driving but at the Mayor' s ; ; ex- ,' r pense, but whether the peeler charges the ride up against the Government : isn't known. Armstrong is a red? ' , hot prohibitionist, jbuti the bqbb^y . isn't, but he doesn't spend, much m booze .all the same. Thepe. is-- ;one man m Akaroa who asked him, to have a nip of whiskey once, but he wont , do so' again m a hurrr. It was at his private house, and Jackson took a big glassful, nearly depleting the bot.tle. He carries his ■ groe cargo ■ . well, though, and do matter how much he has washed his inards with no orie- would' suspect that he had been toying with a , plass to any extent at all. Som« time ago Constable John Joseph. < Brown was stationed at Akaroa, but he was shipped, partly on some anonymous letters that were written to fhe Commissioner and others, and it ' is Helieved partly on -account ot . the bad renort sent m by this man Jackson; However, be that' as r it , may, there is likely to be trouble ' over the same letters vet, 'and th» woman who is v sunposed to have written them will fall m badly. But more of this at some future time. ".