H.—l6

Transport.—-The efficiency in this Department has been kept up as well as possible. Many of our cars are now giving trouble, owing to age. New cars are being arranged for to replace the ones now beyond the state of efficiency required by the Department. Slow cars are of no use to-day to overtake offenders in fast-moving cars. As soon as new cars are procurable, no doubt we will get our requirements. The question of radio equipment for the cars is also being considered by an expert, who hopes to be able to furnish some worth-while suggestions before long. Police Buildings.—New stations were erected at Oxford, Port Ahuriri, Te Aroha, and Cambridge during the year, and arrangemeuts are well on the way in respect of new dwellings at Ashhurst, Omakau, Opunake, Kerepehi, Riversdale, Millerton, Dobson, Karainea, Paekakariki, Ohakune, and Owaka. Great difficulty is being experienced in securing reasonable tenders on account of shortage of material and man-power. A residence was purchased at Lower Ilutt for the Sub-Inspector in charge there. The present residence in Knight's Road is being removed off that site to another section, and when re-erected on the new site it will be occupied by the senior sergeant. This will clear the way for the erection of new offices on the present police-station site. The Hutt Valley is expanding in all directions, and it is expected that in the course of ten years the present population will be doubled. At Dunedin plans and specifications are complete for the erection of new quarters for the accommodation of single men and also additional office accommodation. Plans are almost complete for new offices at Greyinouth. The present offices are the worst in the Dominion. Additional office accommodation is being erected at Auckland as a temporary measure until the main building scheme can be undertaken after the war. Additional office accommodation was provided at Whangarei headquarters, supplying much needed relief. This will serve for some time until the major scheme can be given effect to when conditions get back to normal. A residence for a second constable was purchased at Kawakawa during the year, as it was impossible to secure a house otherwise for the constable, and the need for a second constable there was an urgent one. Additional land with two old cottages at Napier adjacent to our present headquarters was purchased while the time was opportune (an estate being wound up) to provide a good building-site for new offices and a residence in the future. This completes the acquisition of additional land required at various headquarter stations where the present sites were too small for expansion. Ample land is now available at all headquarter stations to enlarge or rebuild, as the circumstances warrant, our present stations which are inadequate for our needs. As soon as finance, material, and man-power are available a number of old tumbled-down police residences should be demolished and new ones erected in their place. A residence was purchased at Wellington for an Inspector. A number of old residences that were otherwise sound were remodelled and made into good dwellings, the original timber in them being much better than the timber now available for new buildings. Housing is a very difficult problem to-day. Men who are promoted and transferred have great difficulty in securing housing accommodation in any of the centres, and in the rural districts when it is necessary to effect transfers it is found that the position is as bad. Authority was taken last year to purchase six houses in Auckland and six in Wellington. Two were purchased in the Wellington District, but as none was found suitable in Auckland no house was purchased there. A request is being made for the renewal of the authority this year. N-iyht Clubs and Sly-grog Selling.—The police have been very active in suppressing sly-grog selling. Special police under a sergeant had to be selected in Auckland and Wellington, where sly-grog selling became rife. These special police did very fine work in detecting offenders. Very little genuine liquor was sold by the offenders. It was generally adulterated stuff that they sold to overseas servicemen. They made exorbitant charges for it, and had no difficulty in obtaining their price. Fines did not stop the illicit traffic. The Magistrates then imposed sentences of imprisonment, and, while this did not stop it, it checked it. The traffic is now considerably on the wane, due to fewer servicemen being in the Dominion. Night clubs sprang up in Auckland and Wellington, particularly in Auckland. A number of them were merely sly-grog shops run under the guise of entertainment clubs for servicemen. Stringent measures had to be taken by way of regulation to control them. Young girls in their teens were found in some of these clubs the worse for liquor. Numerous prosecutions have been taken against the proprietors in Auckland for sly-grog selling, permitting liquor at dances, and conducting dancing in unlicensed halls, and many convictions have been obtained. Provision had to be made in recent regulations to close up these places where the evidence warranted it. Such clubs as I mention here are most demoralizing to young girls who frequent them. Liquor at Dances.—l am sorry to say this class of offence is still far too prevalent. Of course, it can be understood that during the war period it will be difficult to reduce the consumption of liquor at dances. Many salutary fines have been inflicted, which have done a great deal to lessen the number of offences reported, but in places where nominal fines have been imposed there has been no reduction in the number of offences. War Activities.—ln view of the position to-day, a little elasticity is now given in some directions, but nevertheless the strictest supervision is maintained, particularly about wharves and shipping and other vital points. This Department continues to co-operate with other Departments in the enforcement of various regulations connected with war conditions. Aliens.—The work connected with aliens is now tapering off considerably, but a check is still being kept on them. Water-patrol Police.—The harbour patrol is being maintained at Auckland and Wellington It was found that the patrol was no longer necessary at Lyttelton, and the launch used there has been handed over to the Navy Department. Women Police.—There are now 33 women police employed in the service ; the majority of them are in Auckland and Wellington, the remainder in Christchurch and Dunedin. They are doing excellent work among women, young girls, and children, and are particularly active in detecting offences at night clubs, where young girls not under proper control are prone to go. They have been an outstanding success and an acquisition to the service. Additional Staff required.—ln order to provide better supervision, 6 more sergeants are required. Seventeen additional constables are required in order to give more protection in various parts of New Zealand. This is of a permanent nature. D. J. Cummings, Commissioner of Police.

3