Truth DINNIE'S SPLENDID ADMINISTRATION.

NZ Truth, Issue 143, 14 March 1908, Page 4

Truth

DINNIE'S SPLENDID ADMINISTRATION.

PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY MORNING at Luke's Lane (oep Mannersstreet), Wellington, N. 2. SUBSOEIPTION (IN ADVANCE), 13S. I>EE ANNUM. ,

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 1908,

It is the decided yet perfectly hon-. est and unbiassed opinion of this much-detested weekly organ of virile democracy that Police Commissioner Dihnie has practically got Wellington's morning moaning press by the leg, or the wool, or somewhere, because it. invariably follows that,, whenever anything happens m the "foorce," where Dinnie plays apart the public are treated to some delightful dissertations on Dinnie's splendid administration. This may be accounted for by lots of reasons, but two will suffice. In the first place "Truth," which circulates from the North Cape to the Bluff, and is read m every village and hamlet m the Dominion; has never spared the boss bobby from severe criticism over his wretched, rotten and partial administration. Therefore. Dinnie cracks the whips of the daily press of Wellington, only to bolster up the precariousness of his' present shaky position ; shaky inasmuch as his appointed term of office is approaching its end, and naturally Dinnie, who is human, wants to hang on to a position which is a very profitable ' one. compared with the job of . Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard, which isn't equivalent to' the rank of Chief Detective in' the Dominion. It is more than ever necessary, also that Dinhie should be apologised for by the daily press because the boss bobby" is unpopular m evertr branch of the Police Service. Others, under him, but who. have got his mental measure, detest him for his paltriness and his allround lack of ordinary ability. He has stirred up strife by his partiality, and his recent unsuccessful attempt to caiole the cops into sacrificing their Provident Fund for the Micaw-ber-like Police'- Service Superannuation Fund has shown Dinnie m, his true character. He has been made tq swallow a bitter pill. He has been declared, by the legal opinions of Messrs Slcerrett and Grey, a sort of place and pay hunter, and,; having, discovered his unreliability, the police throughout the country rightly seek his displacement and urge the. appointment of a new head— one who can be safely trusted not to lead those under him into a merciless ambuscade. Hence the recent puffs m that liidbous abortion ;of a daily paper, staggering .under the calamitous caption of "New Zealand's National Daily." '• . . • ' , ■ ■ To quote the ever accurate, but morally misguided, Mdcroblc- organ;' which dealt with recent Police Force intestine disturbances :— - Sub-Inspector Dwyer, of. Christchurch, was deputed to inquire into the . charges, . . and his report, which was forwarded to the Cominissionfcr, bore out the charges, and indicated the necessity for' drastic punishment. Mr Dinnie lost no time m dealing with the matter. Referring to the charges made at Gisborne, and the awfulness of things police at Poverty Bay, the "Guving-. meat" organ observes :— ' The infrequent occurrence of cases of this kind is a tribute to the police'and the efficient manner m which it is controlled. Now, it is interesting to note with what speed Dinnie set about to purge the polluted police body at Gisborne. When Irwin, the brutal co-w---ard,. cruelly assaulted an elderly man near Gisborne, "Truth" was up m arms at once, and, metaphorically speaking, belted blazes out of the cowardly dastard and called on . Dinnie to biff the brute out. Having given to the world what it knew, "Truth" awaited events. As soon as Irwin was summoned for assault he was suspended,, and no doubt can. practically exist that if "Truth" had not, by reason of its wide circulation, forced Dinnie to move, the thing would have been smoothed over. Then whispers of Maddern's madness disturbed the atmosphere. Then other matters, impossible to suppress, leaked out, matters of suoh import that a public open-door inquiry should have been held. Was an inquiry conducted by the local Inspector, McDonnell, of Napier ? No. Why? The reasons are given m another column. Did Dinnie himself promptIv proceed to Gisborne to investigate ? No. What was done? McDonnell's subordinate m rank, Sub-In-spector Dwyer, of CJhristchlirch. was packed off. Thus Dwver was placed m an unenviable position. He was

indirectly charged to' inquire into a superior's ' administration ; an awkward position, to be sure, as "Truth" elsewhere points out, because Dwyer is senior Sub-Inspector, and m the course of ordinary events, the first eligible for promotion to superior rank. "Truth" does not for one moment" impute any motive to Sub-Inspector Dwyer ; but this we do happen to know- That officer was trammelled m his operations. He conducted the imcniiry not on the wellknown and clearly defined rules of a Court of Justice, admitting evidence material only to the issue, and rejecting .that which was hearsay., irrelevant and foreign to the issue. Dwyer conducted the inquiry • according to instructions. That inquiry was conducted on lines that would disgrace the judicial torturing system of France ; anything m the. shape of British Justice was cast to the four winds of .Heaven. The scandalous, unmanly system of pimpipg and illfeeling that pervades the' force, was given full play and though we find no mention is made of Inspector McDonnell's muddlesome administration, the fact that wholesale changes m the rank and file' are made are given the widest publicity. That is a tribute to tbe efficient manner m which Dinnie controls the force, that the watched "N.Z. Times' ' naturally overlooks. This hole and corner system of police enquiry was threatened with abolition by the late Mr Seddon /and it would be to the interest of police and public alike if Sir Joseph Ward carried Mr Seddon's threat into . instant .execution. If Dinnie was actuated by. • honest motives he wpuld personally have conducted the Gisborne inquiry, as it ia, "Truth", fears the worst offender ol the whole, police push goes uncensured or punished. This paper -laughed fit to "bust," and ended almost weeping the other , day . when ,it read that Dinnie, the . Commissioner, proposed to set up a Police Museum, or' criminal chamber of horrors m tli« Government buildings. The exhibits m this museum are to consist of exhibits m important cases. Quite soBut have we not heard of the lack of accommodation m our Government buildings ? Is Dinnie going to be allowed to use public offices for the edification of a few of his morbidminded personal friends ? This rot of a criminal museum seems to be quite m keeping with Some of Dirinie's bril- : li ant police ideas. What is there to exhibit ? Will we have some of the brilliant finger-print bun^lings which allow a murderer to cheat the gallows Mit help with a rescued bicycle, when too late to sheet home murder., to convict a fiend of the Findlav* tvne for burglary. Will vre have on exhibition some of Dinhie's celebrated minutes ordaining "Truth's" various prosecutions, and the one that was dropped ? Wi,'l he display for public exhibition his impudent circular to the police anent the two funds ?' Certainly he should frame the legal opinion of Messrs Skerrett and Grey oh his . deep-laid trap, for the traps. In fact, Dinnie could exhibit many things., but he won't. The best thing he ought to hide is an exhibition of his own miserable mediocrity as a. policeman. He should "chuck" the sponge and admit that, like all imported officials. he is a wretched failure.