THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1919. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Otaki Mail, 21 February 1919, Page 2

THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1919. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Overworked fnolle Officer. .On several previous occasions we .rave “drawn attention to the that ,ur local police constable is considerably overworked, and urgently needs assistance.. This zealous officer has “linr"o of the whole area from Mana- : au to Packakariki—a district the airier vision of which is .sufficient ior ,uv single policeman,- - without being addled with any 'other duties. But .be Government, while framing laws to prevent -sweating by employees, does not hestitatc to do so >tielf with impunity, and our local policeimui has all sorts _of - extra burdens

placed on his shoulders, such as acting inspector of weights and measures, inspector of., factories, collector ot aimcnlturril statistics, etc. Just uit present Constable Satherley is occupied in collecting trie agricultural statistics work which will keep him fully occupied Cor the spaye of several months, and will also necessitate - his absence from Otaki for long stretches at a time. It has‘been noticeable that eveiv jc.ii ■vhcii the constable is engaged in this work-n certain small section of people -Ims taken advantage- of his absence, and disturbances have occurred. A comidaiut has been made to- us by a nrnminent local resident ' that he was treated with indignity by a person under the influence of liquor. Ihe police officer was away from town, and consequently our informant was subjected to harsh treatment, and had no remedy, it simply means that at these times no police protection is available, and- in a town like Otaki. pvitii five hotels, it. is not right that the public should be. left at long intervals without a police officer. We would urge that the Department of Justice con-

sider this matter, and either appoint, an additional officer for Otaki, or relieve the constable of many of his extra duties,, such as the collection of the, agricultural statistics, while might well be, relegated .to a private person. proposed Memorial Road. Mr Hurst Seagar’s proposed memorial road from Auckland to the Bluff, as a . peace memorial, which we outlined in ;t previous issue, has been received most favourably in various parts of the Dominion. While being on such a grand scale as to appeal to the imaginations of most people, the scheme also commends itself from a utilitarian point of view. The president of the •'.society of Civil Engineers, at Auckland, favourably reviewed Mr Geager’s sehem:’, and the proposal will, we understand, receive full consideration at the Town-planning Conference to be held shortly at Wellington.

[ Our Local Peace -Memorial. | li is quite lime thin residents of | Otaki and district were devoting ' thought to tlic local peace memorial. I which we lake it for "tented will lie ! erected here, in common with all other eentrths of the British Empire. We re i eettily invited correspondence on the j question, hut, as yet, this has not been j availed of to any great extent. In the j course of a general discussion on the ■f subject,. at the last meeting of the 5 dishi I'alriotic Society, various sugt gestions were thrown out as to the i"most suitable memorial, hut opinion t seemed to favour the securing of a small ]dot of land in the town, with the ; object of converting it into a public garden. Such a proposal has much to • commend it. Our town lias no public squares or garden plots, and a public garden in the town —the nearer the centre of the tov.V, the batter—would he a great improvement, both front an j aesthetic and utilitarian viewpoint. Visitors to the'town, and those who j have occasion to came here for shop--1 ping or other purposes, would greatly appreciate a garden plot, with. seats, ''where they could rest for a time, waiting for trains, etc. The spot could be made attractive in many ways, and tints add materially to the appearance of the town, and it'would certainly •prove a valuable asset. The ditneulty that presents itself in securing a suitable section of land for the purpose should not be insurmountable, and the expense of upkeep should be very little. Indeed the Town Board might well keep it in good order with their roadmen. Of course there are many other wavs of fittingly .commemorating the declaration of peace, -and we will be glad to publish our-readers* views.