O. P. BBOSNAN.]

31

H.—l6b.

27. Inspector O'Brien.] You declined to answer any question when the detectives first visited you ?—Yes. 28. Did you not tell them at once, " I shall not answer any questions; I shall go with you at once to the detective office"? —No, that is a lie. 29. Will you also say it is a lie if any one says you walked to the station of your own freewill, without being in any way pressed, pushed, forced, or anything else?— They compelled me to go; I wanted to ride on my bike, but they would not allow me. 30. What do you mean by "compelled "?—Compelled me to go in their company. 31. But what do you mean by the word "compelled"?—l knew it was inadvisable to resist two constables who say, "You can't go unless we go with you." That is where the compelling came in. They forced their presence on me, and compelled me to walk with them. 32. Did they put hands on you, and force you? —No; but in the first instance Mitchell prevented me from going on my bike. 33. What became of the bike? —I wheeled it to the police-station. 34. Would you be surprised to hear that some one else wheeled it, not you ?—Yes; Thomson may have said to me, " I will hold your bike for a few minutes." He wheeled it while I smoked a cigarette, and then I wheeled it myself, as far as I remember. 35. Oh, you smoked a cigarette comfortably on the way? —That does not say I was not under compulsion. 36. But what did the compulsion consist of?—ln my not being able to please myself about what I did; they persisted in coming with me to the station. 37. They did not invite you to go to some quiet place to converse with you? —So far as I recollect, they said, " You had better explain to us," and I went and got my employer's permission to go to the police-station. I thought the best thing would be to consult a lawyer, but I had not the means to do so. 38. Describe the compulsion?—lt wants no describing: they would not leave my company. 39. How did they prevent you from going of your own free-will? —Mitchell assaulted me, and prevented me from going by laying hands on me, and, as I did not wish to make matters worse, 1 allowed them to compel men. It was a case of passive resistance. 40. To what extent did you carry it out?— When Mitchell laid hands on me I went under compulsion, 41. You say Mitchell laid hands on you?—l do. 42. Was it not on your bike he laid hands?—On me also: he pushed me against the wall, and laid hands on my bike also. I got on the bike, and he pulled me off. William Henry Higgtnp, Sergeant, examined on oath. (No 15.) Witness: lam sergeant of police stationed at Lawrence. I entered the Force on the Bth October, 1878, and was made sergeant on the Ist August, 1898 —after twenty years' service. 1. The Commissioner.] Do you wish to make any general statement with regard to the matters under inquiry?— No. 2. Have you any opinion with regard to the general organization of the Force at the present time as compared with any other period of yrmr experience?—My opinion is that the Force is just as well organized now as it was formerly. Tn Mr. Weldon's time—thirty years ago—discipline was very strict, but, I believe it is even stricter, if anything, now. 3. And is the control fairly effective?—l think so. 4. How many men have you in your district? —Three men, and they are all men of some years' service. I have been out of touch for over three years with the general body of men at head centres. I have been at Lawrence for three years on the 13th June last. 5. How do the men at the present time entering the Force compare with those who used to come in formerly?—A good many inquiries have gone through my hands with regard to applicants for the police, and T believe there is more searching inquiry made now than ever has been made previously. In fact, from the very time the applicant leaves school until he makes his application his history is looked into. 6. How do you account for unsuitable men getting in?—l have never heard of a case. lam only speaking from what correspondence has passed through my hands. 7. You are prepared to say that from your knowledge any inquiry has been searching and effective?— Yes. 8. What is the discipline as compared with past years?—-Quite as strict and quite as good. 9. And the general efficiency is as good?— Yes. 10. Now, with regard to the sobriety of the men? —Well, I am out of touch with the great body of the men, but those under my charge are sober men. They are men of long service, and I have never known of anything against them in that way. I believe the general sobriety of the Police Force is better than you could get in most walks of life. 11. And as to the general morality of the Force, is that as good? —Yes, I think so. 12. Is there any way you could suggest in which the Force could be made more attractive, say, to recruits? —I think the pay should be a little more. T think 7s. 6d. a dav —and it used to 'be only not enough for a man joining the service. He may be a married man with two or three childien, and for the first twelve months after he joins he gets no house-rent. He has to live as close to the station as possible, and he is lucky if he gets a house at as low as 15d. or 18d. a day. Then he has to pay 5 per cent, or 6A per cent, into the Provident Fund. He has to pay £2 for the making of his uniform, and all those things mount up. Then he is at the beck and call of the service. He is not like the ordinary labourer, who only works for eight hours a day.