UNDER WHICH FUND?

NZ Truth, Issue 140, 22 February 1908, Page 1

UNDER WHICH FUND?

fThe Problem of the Policeman.

This, paper jcannot m any sense Whatever • b]« legitimately accused of overindulging m unstinted praise bl the Police Force of New ' Zealand. Morepver, np pains have ever been nifcteniipted to hide the hearty and jiealthy cbriijempt it has, not only 6£ 'Commissioner Dinnie's administraHiori of the Police Force, but even of .Dinnie himself. This candid cprifes-i.-ion should he 1 considered creditablfe m oMcial circles. It is not going to be presumed 5 for a single second that New Zealand's boss bob by ■, this imported "Chief Inspector of■•'ScbtVa'idiTard,": this" leech on the. pjiblie j»urse, this partial and bigoted bouncer placed' by unfortuitous circum-' utances pVer mcii his equals; if "not anißeriors iitehta.ny and socially » •whatever that curious quality' is Worth, should entertain any feeling wf friendliness or even respect towards a journal that, no matter its llaults, has, week m and weeW out, .lent its columns to a. wholesale expoaure of . the utter rottenness of liis cverpaid administration. Perhaps if 1 this bumptious,, boss bobby wet e invested with such powers as were, ani even are, granted by an Irish /Crimes Act, Dinnie and more th^n one of fcis pimping crew would have taken line care and k experienced grim pleasure m suppressing- such a source ol annoyance as "Truth" ; its proprietor, editor, and even the staff would fcave been gaoled. on general principles, and altogether jbhere would have Ifceeii high old hell to play. Fortunately, even for * this imported police > pest, he is not invested with such extraordinary and.- autocratic powers. yHis wings are clipped. Any proposted prosecution must be taken m a {thoroughly constitutional manner and pc doubt not that if "Truth" sins, jlhe powers that b.e will exhaust ev•ry constitutional method to. have Vlhe -responsible ■ perspn punished, ffow, it is no longer a police secret feiat Commissibner Diiinie, actuated, Xpt pourse, by a true and nobleisense. wf 'duty, unmindful, also, that. . this, flpaper had weekly, severely; ; cri-ticised. ilis administration, quite 'i^ecentlyn proposed the prosecution of theinana-: (ger of this paper over the publication W certain advertisements, which Din»e held, and .rip- doubt hoped;-! it.% 'wove, was a bteaoh of certain 'clauses ; , fef getting legislation then : -on:;:the Statute Book. Having proposed :SUch- : Jt prosecution, entailing its conse--; tuerit costs and inconveniences, -it Biig&t prove interestihg t6 the vworld *t rlarge to learn 1 how Dinnie > 'drop?>ed. it quicker tbaii if he had handled: « red-hot copper. It must bedurther Baentioned,» if only to conyinceDinriie/ i»f the hopelessness of eveti ; succeed^ tog m d.oirig aijy , underhand, ■ Ldiiity) Work which might wreck <f lTruth," . *hat the Commissioner v?«Sf' aily prompted to get ' c 6he"-home^ J by dome subordinate pimp in— -hisv--De-; Hartment, who himself had been la§hr «d by "Truth." Dinnie ejicouiages jimps amd; pimping, and < -'Truths (proposed prosecution emanated, i -not, worn the . responsible officials; but ra- : iher did the. underling pimp, a sort ©t finger-print expert, w& Jielieyei *ctually go above his superiors, m pointing out . where a prosecution aiight be taken, . thus showing: thjat JMnnie was not prepared to be guid*d by his responsible officers, bufcJiy A pimp whom he encouraged.' «/Now^ marhf what happened. Everything ifras ready, or almost ready, • to lay *n information against "Truidi'V for. pubJishin^ alleged betting Kients, vsien it was pertinently, and, ; In the circumstances, very^- properly, ] «,n.d, perhaps, promptly, pointed.; put to this precious heaven-sent, peeler; that if proceedings were to. be.initiated against. Johi: Norton's "Truth"; Jt would, be expedient m the intertests of common? jAistiee that fully a dozen newspaper.' proprietors (prppri- . ©tors of so-called respectable and even religious journals, daily .and weekly) would have to be. similarly Arraigned. "Trwth" seemingly sinned; Jn good company. Black sheep, as,-it»-were, of .the pure merino flocte,: : Dtart nic was cute enough to perceive that' he could not. shear one' .andsleayjes the others to roam the hills. ys E.-^saw the pit he.Was diggiig f6»-.*him^elf.-He funked, the prosecutidn, conclusively showing that he is . ; ,ae- , tuated by motives- that are : at.v once i ; towardly amd kjjiayish. Ifj.this>isVnpt »n abuse of power; what- Mcthe name, . of all that.is'wonderful js(? :, : ;. ' , •■ • •-•-;■■'»■"■•.■..;..■•..;• ; ;; . It has never been pretendedtJor, one' iooment that Ex-Chief Inspecto&pin^ Hie is a popular ' person v with -the and file of '.iibfi forca^ .■■■Hl».. ; >'iso«* '' ' ■ V •;.'■■ ■.-.:■- ■'.;■;■.

'unfairness, his. general.. ignorance, , his •'encouragement- <?£ 'ginipii the rapid promotions of the M ;Sergeants" and a hundred' and one other little ■■' things, have all helped ; 'tdmalce ; : the boss botiby cordially dleteste^lhy the ayerage New 'Zealand pplicem'an; If there should he any; doubt* 'existing on this score, this paper, simple desires to point out that tfie :pdUce m Wellington have lately adopl;t?d ■an antagoniistic attitude to '•■ their ; Chief, which must appeal 1 to the Government as. being distinctly ' indicative of the great mistrust ' iri which Dinnie -is held. This is (pertinent;, to t^he. point ; that the' Cpmmissi'bifer's Vter^d- of office expires m June or July next,: It is a- vote of Want 1 of confidence m the Commissi6ner, whose appointment never was s a popular onp It is an implied protest against -his re-ap-pointment, it is a cry for the appoint- 1 merit of a more popular 'and certainly a local' officer a£ Chief. It, is \ moreover; a direct challenge against IJifti nic feathering his own nest, on, which matter "Trutli" will more fully dilate. According to the "Post" of: Wednesday last, "A meeting pf policemeti Was held m the Lambtonquay Police .Station last' I (Tuesda.y) evening lor the ■purpose.', of considering whether v^he force .should become members of the Civil Service Superannuation Fund. Inspector Ellison presided. The following resolutions were carried :— (1) That the Inspector be asked to request the Commissioner to give ffurtherr r time for the ballot, and, failing that, that, he direct that all the votes recorded teefore the 2nd proximo are informal, inasmuch as they are not recorded m compliance" with the Minister's directions. (2) That the police of. Wellington agree to subscribe towards obtaining independent legal advice m regard to the new Act as applied to the members of the Police Force. (3) That the following committee be appointed to attend to all matters , of d^ejtail m, :i obtaining the best information ■bearing '.upon the question at ' iss}ie,',^Lnd, jtakiiig ' any necessary actipn' an ' respect • tor the v; same ':— Chief Dfetectiv'e '. McGfra.th,- Detective Brbberg;. Sergeant , .D^tt,' -- ; Sergeant •; Mcr G-uire,- ConstableEs: ; ;'Stew;ir t; Bailey, >: and , ;oalla;gh€r .' ,;; £4J* That- we apply . : for' •' vinf orolatiptr? in' regard : • -I*6 the jn^o^.of^'aKiffg^th^ ba llots as' .s to ■ who cis-.|o J be.sc'Ri^nefer-qr 'returning -: Officer intqouhtlnir'T^K^d' 11160^ 411^ - as, 7 to j^hetKer.., J tpheyi '^re ' inf ormal; " ; ' -I-.--;.'..-. V--&-v".^> ':" :}^r-r .' ;■- •••- ■:-*■ - — r ■ • „.",, r' -" ' '■' """ ■** ■' i *-■' ; ': ''• What.this reall^^means 1 - is •that'; the '. orWeilijfg^tphV- at anyrate, ;. are . t .noit;.W:illi'ng T iwithdut; dueconsideration- .. :ot their position to. become mombers [ of 'the/ Publiic '- "* : Service; ; Superannua- ;. tirmrFund; -"and .sacrifice ;wluxt beiie- . fitsTthty* a,re entitled- to 'under the Police Proyidenit^Furid. It seems; thai - on^Match c 2 next- aljallot is to .be taKen, \;\wiieji : thfe ; police- areVto decide under :^hM Fund r they iwill stand.. Already; Jt seemSj thatr i votes .-have, been, casjt.; which are, held to be :iii-7, ! fotitial,. and as it- appears- that Diniiie. ..th.e; "'^^^ Commissioner .is "geeing":. >\?ell .fjOT.'^hfej'-neW; scheme.' arid: vprp;rtiises tp'b^ -the" returning officer,' ieing'-. empovirered ; to declare .what yotes;are. informal. 'drinpt.'iti factj,=it aptpedfs' Wat ; J Diimie '■ threatens "to run t'h^ and-the^ police : in Weliingtori aife up . against him; They resent -Dinnie's interference ;. they bbject ;to.-hiin r acting 'as returning ofii- , osi, fjbr itheibest : of all reasons— they don' t trust Him. And-that is not to ' be wondered at as "Truth" prom- ] ises ipr hopes to show.' -It is: proposed "that the ; police" -of ■■ the : Dominion \ join the /Service Superjinaiuatipn Fund, which was .created i ;last session)'.' ■ It i&.iirged that, the benefits accruing from that iFund are better than under' the vPoiice Proyi--1 dent Fund. --It is pointed out that instead, of the pension' going:,; up to 3^-sixtjetHs ofa year's pay, as pro^ ! tjie police fund/r it- could go .; 'up;;i;p. :^P-sixtietJis under the Public > Service Fund. - Contr-ibutions -paid I .ittto this; Fund are returnable, irrespective of the years of service, or whether dismissed,-' whereas, under the Police Fund a contributor with unr der ten years' .service cannot receive , -any refund,:: and from ten 1 to twenty-. , five .years'.\(if':he J - lives' voluntarily) ; he receives tHre^-ftfurths Of the amount. cpnti'ibUtedi'buf Rafter twen-ty-.five Tears' 'service ifb^.feturii of ■; tlie cpntfibutiojfis can 'be T 'mad^ unless - he retires on peii^on.^ ' '•' That bait . looks '. "t.ejnp.tihg.'enpuighi There are someme.n ' in '•'-' the '--F'prce'' who have served m ' other, capacities, ■ entitling them •; to • rank ''. '.&£'_■ public ■ servants , arid wtosi .y«ar» .of ' Service ■ .are

•lengthy, but it is a case of | .they: dunnb' where -they. are. They require #o know if -their, services as arentitle; theror. to the benefits this new scheme. The .matter 1 Is- 'clbuded, " -and ' naturally enough tliej iY'isii to look beioie tiuey. icu^. At anyrate, "Truth" could point put quite a number of alluring -baits held out; by this new scheme, but it desires first of all to point out that the Police Provident Fund is very healthy and ' amounts to something' like £30,000. The .G-overnment are to vote £20,000 annually for the whole public service, of which the . Police Force is but a small section. The Police Fund of £30,000 . has to be pooled up with this new Fund, and that fact surely calls for calm consideration. There are many ' policemen m New Zealand- who /have been m the Force for over .20! years. They have contributed regularly • to ; the ProVident Fund. Baulked- of promotion, these men looked forward to the time when they could, either by reason of advanced age or lengt 1 service, retire on an adequate pension to soothe the declining years of a disappointed. li-fe, and now m the sere and yellow days they are; confronted with some confounded scheme which' might mean that they have to start frbni,' scratch again. Their contributions are to 1 be utilised to bolster up a Fund from which every scapegrace, every Tom, Dick and Harry, who, with 'a few years' service to his credit, can draw on. It means, practically, that the veterans are to sacrifice their well-earned pensions irt order that others might feather their nests. Is it any wonder that the elder members: of the police, family strongly object ? Dinnie, "Truth has every reason to believe, is "geeing" hard for the new scheme. Is it to be taken, therefore, that Dinnie is "grafting" for' a small pension for himself ? Fifty pounds per annum on top of the pension he d^aws; or is entitled to draw from Scotland, Yard, would be very handy. "Truth" imagines it sees one of the motives underlying the strong police opposition" to the police joining the Public Service Superannuation Fund. This! -paper sounds a warning note. Under the Police Provident Fund cv-> erybody was satisfied. That Fund is m a healthy condition. Far better is it to run under a scheme which everybody is fully acquainted with than with one so fraught with possibilities. It is so. clouded, so dubious, so dangerous to the policemen of any years of service that it should not -foe touched with a 40ft. pole. •- * ■ The Wellington police, who have had the courage of their convictions and as plainly as possible told Dinnie not to put his finger m a pie that is not his, -are to be congratulated on their stand. "Truth" cannot? venture any legal opinion on the knotty : points of this new scheme, but. it." foresees danger .. and doesn't hesitate to, say ■ so.. At one stroke of -the pen the' police will sacrifice everything ;v what; they gain is problematical. It might, mean an additional pension for Dinnie.. Again, it might not. Dinnie is, presumably entitled to a- pension from the British Police .Fund. He is a well-paid, New Zealand? officer now,' and., this paper is - prompted .to the remark that his attempted "Bqssism" on this question, of ..under which Fund the police •will stand, is such as to justify the vote of want of confidence m him. Jn conclusion!, "Truth" protests -against Dannie's damnable dominatioai. It protests against Dinnie's favoritism, and it wishes to urge that New Zealariders only: should "foe employed on New. Zealand's force. We do not want" English; Scottish and Irish expolicemen m our force. They introduce with -"them shameless methods and nianners, and we' doubt if the average ' New Zealand-born bobby to foe bribed with "tuppence" to buy bitter beer— or any of those Old English customs. We .want New !|ealanders, ma-nly Maorilanders-, m Our^fOßce; and what as more will have thetai Dinnie notwithstanding, pinnie m. the past has been revered as being something extraordinary from Scotland Yard. There he ranked- as Chief Inspector. When all is said and done, his rank there was- no greater, perhaps not as great, as the rank of .Chief Detective m New Zealand, and this journal, therefore, 'with good reason, submits that m the Police Force of New Zealand to-day are to be found capable men who can buy and sell the Commissioner. We want ho more importations. They're generally duffers and costly experiments, but that is a matter which "Truth" will more fully deal with at a later date. In the meantime, however, it urges New Zealand policemen tp plump for the old Provident Fund and— dnmn Dinnie ! *