SHIRKERS IN THE POLICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 June 1916, Page 7

SHIRKERS IN THE POLICE.

MINISTER FOR POLICE CRITICISED. It will stand to the eternal .discredit of New Zealand that this is the only part of the dominions where the police have been practically prohibited from enlisting in the service of the Empire in the life and death struggle in which she is engaged (says the, Wellington Times). There are severe penalties under the conscription law for private employers who place any obstacle in the way of recruiting, and even for other employers who continue to keep a man who has been called up in their service, but there is no provision for the punishment of a Minister who forbids the enlistment of a class of strong and efficient men under his control. This ia certainly a mistake. In the Mother Country, the police have enlisted in thousands, and their places have been taken by older men and special constables, while in Australia the police have made a magnificent contribution to the army with the concurrence and encouragement of a T.abor Government. Why has Mr. Herdman.ventured to place any obstacle in the way of the enlistment of police constables in New Zealand? If a policeman resigns from the force, and goes to the front, lie is punished by the forfeiture of his superannuation rights, which is a serious matter for a thrifty and careful man. Several members of the police have already adopted this disinterested course, and they have been penalised accordingly. This policy may be consistent with Mr. Herdman's conception of patriotism. It does not by any means square with the popular sense of right and justice.