NEED FOR POLICE STATION.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 50, 2 October 1924, Page 2

NEED FOR POLICE STATION.

URGENCY EMPHASISED. Remarks In Parliament. The urgency for the erection of a police station at Putaruru was emphasised in detail ”by Mr. F. F. Hockly, M.P. for the district, in connection with his question in the matter to the Minister for Justice, the Hon. C. J. Parr:— Mr. Hockly said that as the Minister knew, the policeman at Putaruru was housed in a rented house, and there was no guarantee as to how long his department would be able to avail itself of those premises. It was not possible to build a house in five minutes, and the whole situation was too uncertain and too precarious to be allowed to continue. In the near future there was undoubtedly going to be a large influx of people to Arapuni, calculated on a conservative basis to amount to something like 1400 people. There was no lock-up and no provision at all for the adequate custody of people whom the policeman might find it necessary to arrest. He urged that the Minister should not only note the necessity for making provision for the erection of a police-station at Putaruru, but should have the necessary plans prepared, so that when the money was voted by the House he would be in a position to go on with the work at once. At the present time there were persons hanging- round about Putaruru waiting for work at Arapuni, in spite of the fact that no work would be forthcoming for some time. The preliminary work of housing had first to be undertaken. Now was the opportunity for the Minister to take the necessai-y steps to provide adequate police protection for the people of the disti-ict, and for the preservation of law and order. He urged the Minister to take the matter into his serious consideration and take the necessary steps in order to prevent serious trouble which might arise.