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door ; I want to speak to you." He replied, "I am busy, I cannot let you in just now." Another boarder named Robert Frame also asked him to open the door he said "No; you won't see me alive." The servant, Nellie Goss, also asked him to open the door, and and he said, " No." I and Downie were then in the act of bursting open the door when a shot went oft. On entering the room I saw Alexander on his back lying across the bed, and a rifle between his legs. He was bleeding profusely from the left side of his face, part of which was blown away, and blood and matter sticking to the ceiling. I sent for Dr. Teare—the nearest—who came immediately and dressed his wounds. The doctor ordered bis removal to the hospital, where Constables Cameron and Cassin and the doctor accompanied him. It appears that soon after 7 p.m. he was seen coming in with a rifle under his coat, and went upstairs with it. He came down soon after and asked for pen, ink, and paper, which were given him by the servant. It was this that attracted attention, as there was something strange in his manner, and then they sent for the police. I made an examination of the place, and was unable to find the bullet, which I think lodged in the ceiling. I found two cartridges on his dressing-table, and took possession of the rifle. I also made a search with Sergeant O'Malley amongst his effects, and found no money. In fact, I do not think he had any, as Mrs. Dempsie states she lent him £2 recently. At present lam unable to ascertain any particulars as to the cause of the act. He is employed by the Union Company as a lumper, and is said to be a sober man. He is about thirty-five years of age, and a native of the West Indies. John Foley, Third-class Constable 640. 8. The Chairman.'] The gun went off before he entered the room?— The gun exploded, as set out in the report. There is a second report as follows : — Police Station, Manners Stroet, 6th December, 1897. Application of Third-class Constable J. T. Foley, No. 640, for promotion:— I respectfully apply for promotion on tho following grounds: (1) That I have longer service and a better record than either Constable Poland, who has recently been promoted to the rank of second-class constable and immediately afterwards appointed to a country station, or Constable Ryan, who has also been promoted over me to the rank of second-class constable ; (2) that I have had more important duties to do in the service than either of those two constables; and (3) that I did an act of bravery which merited promotion more than either of them. lam now about five years in the service, having joined in December, 1892, and I have been placed in charge of Manners Street Lookup and subdivision in July, 1894, and I did the necessarily important duties of that station alone until June. 1896, when Constable Cairns was told off to assist me, and we have done the duties between us ever since. And, although it being the most important sub-station of the city, I was obliged to pay my own house-rent during the whole time that I am connected with it, the station being unfit for occupation until now that it is rebuilt. On the 2nd August, 1895, I was called on to disarm a man named Gustave Lenard Alexander, who had taken a rifle and some ammunition to Mrs. Dempsie's boarding-house, of Taranaki Place, and it was feared he meant to do some foul deed with it. When I reached the house this man had locked himself in a room and would not open the door, and, as the occupants of the house were terrified, I thought it would be cowardly for me to go away without doing anything, so I burst open the door, assisted by a young man named Charles Downey, who was boarding there at the time ; but on account of some boxes having been placed inside the door, which caused some delay in opening it, the man had shot himself in the head before I was able to reach him, and he died a few hours later at the hospital, where an inquest was held next day, but the cause of his rash act was not disclosed. It leaked out soon afterwards, however, that jealousy was the cause, and that he meant to kill two others—the servant-girl and a man who was keeping company with her and boarding in the house at the time—if it was not for him being interrupted when I burst open the door. Inspector Pender, I believe, was in England at the time, and the matter passed over without my being recommended for any reward for the steps I had taken in the matter. Then, there was the sensational discovery and rescue I made of four young girls from Chinese dens in this city in 1896, and I was commended by Mr. Martin, S.M., for bringing them before the Court. The two eldest of those girls, both aged sixteen years, were sent to gaol, and afterwards to an industrial school; another was sent to some friends up country, and the fourth was allowed to return to her parents. I have never applied for promotion or for any other concession while I have been in the service, and I hope that this application will be favourably considered. J. T. Foley. To this application Commissioner Tunbridge replied as follows: — Inspector Pender, — Constable Foley must allow others to be more impartial judges of his acts than he is himself, and I consider it extremely bad taste on his part to say he " did an act of bravery which merited promotion more than either Constables Poland or Ryan." Since I have been Commissioner I have not seen anything in the conduct of this constable to call for special acknowledgment, and I certainly do not see my way clear to review the action of my predecessor in a matter of this kind. J. B. Tunbbidge. 14th December, 1897. 9. Constable Foley.] I would like to ask you if it is usual to have a conviction put on a constable's defaulter's sheet, as in my case, without giving him an opportunity to defend himself?— Yes ;in every service that I have served in, a report from an Inspector like that would certainly bring down a reprimand on a man without giving him an opportunity to reply to the charge. It was not a question of answering the woman at all; the Inspector says they were in conversation. 10. The Chairman.] He denied it ?—But in that case I would take the word of the superior officer. I considered the evidence quite strong enough for a reprimand. 11. And I take it from you that the word of the superior officer was sufficient ?—Yes. 12. Colonel Pitt.] Disregarding the fact that the other person had evidence to bring forward ? —I do not see, in a case of that sort, how there could be other evidence. 13. Suppose the Inspector said he had committed murder ?—He would be tried in the civil Court, and I should not deal with it. But you must remember this, that any constable can go and pick up witnesses in the Court afterwards. 14. Constable Foley.] Do you think it would be in the interest of a constable to make such charges against his Inspector without some foundation for them ? —I think, from what I have seen of you, it is your nature. I think I have proved that you thought I had a down on you, when I knew nothing about your case. 15. Mr. Taylor.] Did you have any conversation with the Minister of Justice in regard to the removal of this reprimand from the defaulter's sheet ?—I probably did, but I really cannot remember it. 16. You said a constable could get any number of witnesses in a case like this: do you mean your opinion of the rank and file is that they would perjure themselves in a matter of this kind, or suborn witnesses :is that the interpretation of the remark ?—I do not think so at all; they could afterwards find sympathizers. 17. You suggest that the witnesses this man would have brought would not tell the truth? I said nothing of the kind. Anybody can infer what they like. 18. The Chairman.] Who was the Minister at the time this was done?— Mr. Thompson.