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And I say so still, without the slightest fear of being contradicted. Then, Igoon to show what is in my opinion required—that clause 25 of " The (Imperial) Licensing Act, 1872," in toto should be on the statute-book of the colony, instead of merely the last few lines of the clause, as at present. 38. Colonel Pitt.] Is that with regard to people being found on the premises during prohibited hours? —Yes. It is perfectly clear that whoever framed our Act had the English Act in his hand, because the last four or five lines are exactly word for word those of the English Act. 39. Mr. Poynton.] The other portion of the clause may have been struck out by the House ?— Ido not know how it came to be left out. I had the clause typed and sent to several members. I do not know whether I acted rightly in so doing or not, bat I could never get it brought forward, though the police are always blamed for not doing their duty. Next year, in my report of the 15th June, 1896, I again report: — Now, as regards the proposed control of licensed houses, it was stated last year, and is now reiterated, that what is required on our statute-book is clause 25 of "The (Imperial) Licensing Act, 1872," in toto, and not as at present, merely the last few lines of that clause. Then, I go on to say,— One great disadvantage the Force labours under, and it becomes more apparent every year, and requires no inquiry to find it out, is that many of the sergeants and some of the constables have passed the age of activity required to fill the positions ; but, owing to there being no superannuation scheme in force, it seems somewhat heartless to turn away an honest and willing servant, who has given the best part of bis life to the service, and grant him merely twelve months' pay as a compassionate allowance, and from this cause the efficiency is doubtlessly impeded. And I say now I had sergeants and I had constables who were too old for their billets, but I would not recommend their being turned adrift after their service, merely giving them a year's pay. I did not think I was justified in doing so. 40. The Chairman.] They were entitled to a year's pay, and that would amount to what, in the case of a sergeant?—£l64 for a first-class constable, and £175 for third-class sergeants. 41. That was all they got on being discharged ?—They were not entitled to that. 42. Colonel Pitt.] They were entitled to a month's pay for every year of service ?—No ; they were actually entitled to nothing, but usually got twelve months' pay. 43. The Chairman.] It has been the practice to give them that?— Only twelve months' pay. Take, for example, the department over which I have the honour to preside. Supposing a warder with thirty-three years' service leaves through ill-health he gets thirty-three months' pay; but a policeman, who is doing very much the same sort of work, with thirty-three years' service only gets twelve months' pay. One is a Civil servant and the other is not. It is optional with the Minister, I may say, to give him anything more, but he cannot claim it as a right. 44. Colonel Pitt.] Do you make any recommendation or reference to the Permanent Militia in that report ?—Yes, Sir, lam coming to that now. I state that a force of policemen, with a strong detachment of the Permanent Militia had been sent to the Urewera Country, and were there some months. The report goes on to state :— Owing to the continued absence of so many of the Permanent Force, as referred to in the foregoing paragraph, it was found that qualified men could not be provided to fill the existing vacancies in the police by the Permanent Militia, and consequently the department for some time was considerably hampered through vacancies remaining unfilled; and when the Force returned from the King-country, there were so many vacancies existing that there were not enough qualified gunners to fill them, and after all that fulfilled the requirements had been taken there still remained many vacancies to be filled in the Force, and recourse had to be had to men who had not previously served in the Permanent Force ; and by a careful selection on your part of duly qualified men, those admitted have so far given entire satisfaction, and are proving a valuable addition to the Force. It will thus be seen that the system of recruiting for the police from the Permanent Force entirely broke down, and this is only a forerunner of what is certain to happen should war break out, and the Permanent Force be required for active service. The reason that was put in was: the idea, of course, of getting the police from the Permanent Militia was that when war broke out you would have so many trained gunners all over the country ; but it was found that when we came to distribute these men through the colony it would take—well, ten days in some cases to get them here, even supposing you could relieve them of the stations at which they were posted. The fact of selection for the police being limited to the ranks of the Permanent Force, or about 180 men, renders the field of choice altogether too limited, and allows no scope for picking and choosing; whereas if a selection was made from the general community, a much better stamp of men for constables could be secured. The system of taking the best men from the Permanent Force for the police no doubt seriously affects the efficiency of that Force, and though I see no reason why a man who shows aptitude for the police should be debarred from joining it because he is a member of the Permanent Force, still the regulations making it compulsory to recruit the police from that body should be at once cancelled. 45. Now, I would like to ask here, what was it that changed your opinion on that point? Up to the year 1895, and in that year, you still report that the system of taking recruits from the Permanent Militia for the police was satisfactory?— That is so. 46. And now, in 1896, you say the system has entirely broken down ?—Because I could not get the men to start with ; and the Commander of the Forces said it was detrimental to his Force taking his best men away for police. They were up at Te Whaiti, in the Urewera Country, instead of coming to us. 47. What happened, in this instance of being called into active service up there, was a defectin the system ?—Yes ; and also I consider the recruits from the Permanent Force had fallen off. Further, as Mr. Pender stated, I think, to the Commission, and as I say in my report, "another advantage in recruiting outside the Permanent Force is that those selected are strangers to each other, and have not a large circle of friends in the various towns." 48. For a number of years you report in favour of that system, and then in 1896 there is a complete change of front?— Yes. First of all, we could not get the men, and then the men we were getting were not so good a stamp of men that we had been getting previously, and the Commander of the Forces was objecting. 49. The Chairman.] The fact is, Colonel Hume, your mind was mature in 1896 in regard to the opinions you arrived at ?—Yes. I state another reason here: "It has been found that men who have gone through their service in the Permanent Force with exemplary characters are often