I.—lα.

E. MACDONELL.]

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302. lam taking out any of these well-known men. Mr. Alfred G. Betts ?—No. 303. Did you go to Mr. Finney, of the Colonist office, partner to Mr. Bannehr ?—No ; I went to Mr. Bond, because I at first thought that it was his son that had been assaulted. 304. lam not quite sure whether Mr. Bond's name is here. What did you get from Mr. Bond—l know that his name does not figure in the police annals ?—He said it was not his son at all that had been assaulted. 305. You only went to him about young Bannehr ? —That was all. 306. You did not question him as to the general conduct of the police in Nelson ?—-I do not think so. 307. Now, Mr. Bolton, seedsman : did you ask him ? —No. I am not silly enough to do that sort of thing—go about the street asking people. I simply went to people whom I had reason to believe knew something about the police. 308. And so you went to the Coleses, or allowed them to come to you ? —Allowed them to come to me ! Is that a nice way of putting it? 309. Put it as you like ?—-They came to me. 310. And you allowed them to speak to you about the police ?—Undoubtedly. They spoke to me about them. And I did not hit them in the eye for doing so. 311. Have you seen this list of names that appears in this pamphlet that I have here?—l have seen the pamphlet, but I did not read the list; it was too long. 312. Did you ask any single man whose name appears in that pamphlet as to the general conduct of the Police Force of Nelson ? —No, I did not; and I did not ask people who perhaps knew nothing at all about it. I only went to those who I thought knew something. 313. Who else did you go to besides Coles and Atmore—who else did you tell us ? —I told you that I cannot remember their names. I went to see the son of a man whose name I saw there—a very respectable man, I am told—but the son was away in Motueka. 314. Brown, the jeweller ?—Yes. 315. Did you see him ?—No. The person I was to see was in Motueka at the time. I think I mentioned it all to the Commissioner with a view to the man being seen. 316. Supposing I told you that at the very time the Coleses were interviewing you in Nelson they were already under a bond to keep the peace, could you contradict it ?—No. I know nothing about it. 317. Supposing for a moment that it is true—and I have every reason to believe that it is— are they the sort of people whose word you ought to take in regard to a complaint against the Police Force ? —I would take any one's complaint if it was supported. I did not charge the men with the Coleses' complaint. I simply heard the Coleses, and I thought it was a case for investigation, but the Commissioner thought differently. That is the whole sum and substance of it. 318. Commissioner Tunbridge.] What case was that ?—The case that occurred when I called you out of the commercial room of the Masonic Hotel to see them. 319. Does it appear in the papers? —No. I have stated already that it does not. Commissioner Tunbridge : Mr. Chairman, I object to any matter being introduced here that is not on the file of papers. Mr. Maginnity : That was in regard to the complaints as to the conduct of the police generally, and I am asking the witness if he made any inquiry at all from these people, who are, I believe, admitted to be respectable people, or a great many of them, and well-known men. I am asking the Inspector if he made any application to any of these men to give him information as to the general conduct of the police, and he says he did not. Witness : That is so. I might say that some of the people whose names I saw in the list made themselves very busy at the inquiry; they did not appear to wish to see me, and saw the Commissioner while the inquiry was going on, which I thought was very improper. 320. Mr. Maginnity.] Who was that ?—Some of the people whose names appear on the list in the pamphlet. Commissioner Tunbridge : The whole thing is on the file. You will find it in my report to the Minister. It is stated there that a deputation consisting of Mr. Baigent (the Mayor of Nelson), Mr. Bond, Mr. Eout, and Dr. Gibb visited me while the inquiry was on. What passed at the time is also given. I should very much prefer that my statement of what occurred should stand for itself than any construction the Inspector might put upon the occurrence. Witness ; All I say is that I was put out of the room, and did not hear what was said. That in my opinion was the beginning of the agitation. 321. Mr. Maginnity.] What agitation do you refer to? —The agitation in connection with these cases in Nelson. 322. Do you mean the inquiry by the Commissioner ?—The subsequent agitation. 323. In reply to Mr. Hall, you said that you did not consider the two constables were average samples of what the New Zealand Police Force are, on account of their assaulting people frequently. Now, would you explain to the Committee what you meant by that—" assaulting people frequently"? —I mean, the complaints made against them, and the charges proved against them ; taking these altogether, Burrell and Durbridge are not samples of the New Zealand Police Force. 324. You said for " assaulting people frequently " : where has a charge of assault been proved against either of those men ?—The charges of assault were not investigated. 325. But where has a charge of assault been proved against those men to warrant you saying that ?-—I said that the charges were not investigated. 326. You said in your evidence that you would not say that the men were fair average samples of the members of the Police Force, on account of their frequently assaulting people ?—Yes, and their whole general conduct. 327. Well, now, with regard to their " frequently assaulting people " : where has there been a single case of assault proved against either of them ?—I said they were not investigated.