CONCERNING COUNTRY COPPERS.

NZ Truth, Issue 110, 27 July 1907, Page 5

CONCERNING COUNTRY COPPERS.

HOW. RURAL ROBERTS REAP "RHINO." Some Charges and an Investigation. CONSTABLES HAMMOND AND McLEOD WHITEWASHED

The country bobby is a person who stands out by himself ; sometimes he is a good peeler and doesn't misuse his position, but good or bad, he is only human,' and many a-buses arise by reason of bis lengthy residence m a place. He has his likes and dislikes, and anyone who has bumped up against a country policeman might as well get out of the district —that is if he isn't an influential personage a*_d cau fight the peeler at his own game. As a rule, however, the country John keeps m with influential personages, and may even use tbe power vested m him by his position to further the private Quarrels of the influential personage. As a rule, a country station is a good billet, especially for a married man. There is house-rent free, a kitchen garden, and easy hours, and if bo isn't also bailiff he serves summonses on unfortunate litigants and collects a fair sum per annum m mileage.

John Graham comes from Nelson, Where girls ami hops abound , They call it "Sleepy Hollow"— > A libel most profound. An ex-tinsmith is Graham, But now his figure fills / The chair of the. Committee That's known as ''Local Bills."

Many a country constable has refused stripes' on bis arm and promotion to the city, because .be recognises a good thing. when be sees it. Generally, tbe country copper allows tb-o .summonses for a distant part of bis district to accumulate until there is a fair number, then be rides out and delivers them m one journey, but collects ' mileage fees on every one of them. - .This sort of thing is more profitable, than pawn-broking. The bobby who is also Clerk of tlve Court generally has a friendly regard for some particular lawyer and drags unwary litigants into his clutches for a consideration ; all of which points to the indubitable fact that country constables ought to be periodically shifted. The above remarks are made m a general sense, a-ml some of -them might be made to apply to Constable Hammond, of Featherston, who should be given a change of air by tbe Department. W. W. Green, a painter, of Martinborough, made specific charges against Hammond, which were afterwards investigated. Green painted a house at Tablelands for a heavy-weight Maori woman named Ninewa, who never ceases to regret

THAT SHE HAS NO CHILDREN, and Green had some difficulty m getting the cash. Wealthy King Riddiford leases some of ber property at an inadequate rental, and Ninewa does a perish between extravagances until tbe rent falls due. Whan- Green took out a summons, the police, according 1 to Green, were guilty of improper conduct. At any rate, here is Green's letter to Chief panjandrum Dinnie. who is tbe ornamental useless bead of the force m New Zealand :■— To Mr Dinnie. Commissioner of Police, Wellington. Dear 'Sir,— l wish to bring under your notice the conduct of Constable McLeod,.. who was relieving constable at Fea.therston m March last. and ! Constable Hammond, who is at present stationed at Featherston. In March I summoned one Mrs Ninewa Haremea (native), to recover the sum of £22 10s, for work done, and tbe case was to come on at Featherston m- the same month. I attended the Court and met McLeod, who told me that the defendant was going to defend the case and that I had better engage a lawyer. He told me tbat he and Hammond, were "jigging for Mr , a Masterton solicitor, and that I hah better engage him to conduct the case for me. The case was not defended, but I engaged on the strength of tbe representations of the police. After obtaining a . verdict I went to take out a judgment summons on March 11. and I met McLeod, who -would not give me the summons, but told me I would have to wait till Hammond came back, also tbat Hammond was supposed to be visiting relations, but HAD GONE TO THE WANGANUI RACES instead, and also to tbe Dannevirke races. At about 3 o'clock m thc afternoon of March 111 met Hammond, who gave me the summons, but pressed me very hard to get a lawyer, as he told me that Mr James, S.M., would take no notice of me. I paid him £1 for the summons and 5s for translation, and when I got to Masterton I found that the summons wafl wrong. He should have civen me one m Maori .-.-.n-d one m English, hut bo gave me both m English. I was working at Marton, but came down to

D McLEOD WHITEWASHED.

attend the bearing of the judgment summons case. I met Hammond, who' laughed at me, and told me the summonses had not been serv-

Ed, but that he had sent it to Constable Sheary, of Martinborough. "Constable Sh-eary told me that Ninewa had gome to CJ-reytown and that he had sent the summons back to Hammond m ample time to serve it. I went to Feathers-ton on May 4, saw Hammond, and asked him if he had served the judgment summons yet. He said "You don't ■want any summons served." I told him, that was what I paid for, and that if the summons was not served I wanted my money back He told me tbat I would not' get either. I told him t'h-at I would report him to the Commissioner of Police, and ■ho replied : "You can go to b hell, if you like, Commissioner and all." I went to Mr Gilpin, J. P. at Featherston, and complained of Hammond's conduct, and he advised •me to report the matter fully to the Commissioner: This is my complaint That I think it is highly improper that any police constable, sbo-ikl tout and canvas for any lawyer and, further, that when he received my money to . serve the summons be should have done so ; also tbat his language to me was most obscene and abusive. I trust, for the good working of the Police Department and for the public generally, that you will fully inquire into the matter, nsl am prepared to substantiate all I say. Yours respectfully, W. W. GREEN.

Green seems to have beon badly used. He certainly had no need to go to a . lawyer, as ho held m his hand an acknowledgm'sii't of the debt signed by C. B. Moris on, solicitor, who appears to be acting for both Ninewa and Riddiford. Also, the failure to serve thc summon:, was evidences of dcrilection of duty on the part of the peeler, who expects indigent tradesmen to await his pleasure. Dinnie granted the inquiry, and it. was held at Masterton under the supervision of Inspector Ellison. As might be anticipated, where the evidence of two policemern was taken against that of one civilian, GREEN DIDN'T GET ANY SATISFACTION. Subse.j.ucntly he received the following letter from Commissioner Dinnie, dated June 2S :— Sir,— With further reference to your 'letter ox -the 23 rd ult., complaining of the conduct of local police, I have nov/ tbe honor ,to inform you that as a result of iniffuiiry "I find no justification for interfering witb the action of the constables complained of- The whole matter has been threshed out m your presence, and I trust satisfactorily explained to you. I may just mention that your original complaint to mo differs considerably from your statement made during tbe incjiuiry, and that I can And no corroboration of your allega-

(The silve-L-tongued Native- Minister). Good-natured— except when he's- cross, Energetic— except now and then, Most eloquent— concerning tlie horse, Writes well— with his Secretary's pen. But a popular man is the Timi, And a power to this party be serves, When he lets loose his eloquence freely He can prove that straight lines are curves.

tions m respect to the language used towards you by Constable Hammond, nor as- regards the alleged touting complained of, which both constables 'deny.— W., Dinnie, Commissioner of Police. These Departmental inquiries are to a large extent a farce. -An inquiry is held by tbe polio© into tbe conduct of the police/ and any decision must necessarily be influenced by the fear that ii -misconduct is proven, public confidence m the police N will be shaken, and possibly a change m its constitution might be deemed advisable. To be effective, an inquiry should be oonducted under the supervision of AN INDEPENDENT TRIBUNAL. Green says that the "statement made during the inquiry" which differed considerably from, the "original complaint" was that McLeod said, '"'We are 'jigging' for ." Although Hammond's name is not m that statement, the inference is -there, and it doesn't differ considerably from the original complaint. It isn't likely that a respectable tradesman like Green would go to all this trouble and expense if there wasn't something m his case, and if the Commissioner cannot find sufficient evidence to publicly censure Hammond, there is certainly sufficient before him to convince him that Hammond's health would benefit -by a change of residence. He has been too long at Featherston, and if he were put on street duty m the city and bad to turn out daily at 4 a.m. for a space, he would go into the country again with a humble and contrite heart and' bereft of the blastiferous cheek and, im-pui-'snee that is annoying' the rural residents of tho gale-swept settlement at the foot of the Rimutakas.