224 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE men, whose constitutions were not impaired by service, and who had more of their time before them, and they are not, in point of fact, so good characters as one would expect. Is it the duty of the police magistrates to provide for the building of watchhouses in the city of Dublin?— Yes. Does that frequently entail considerable expenses ?— I am not aware of its fre- quently being so ; I believe there has been actually erected but one; I know of but one watchhouse erected in Dublin. Will you look at the return of 1821 ; does there not appear there, charged as against the public, one thousand pounds for watchhouses?— There does appear a charge for repairs including a sum of 1,000/. 8s. 8- bd. for building two watchhouses, & c. as per estimate, 1,065/. 1 s- o~ d. What course does the office pursue in undertaking building of watchhouses or repairs?— There is a police architect, who estimates and superintends the work; and I believe that the course is, to contract for any works under the police, by public - advertisement. Is there an open contract system ?— Yes, I believe invariably in all contracts. Are you aware who have been the contractors for that building?— lam not; it was before I came into the head office; and its rests entirely with the magistrates of the head office. Are not part of the police expenses, or the watch expenses, defrayed by charges made upon the cars and carriages ?— Yes, there is a scale, under the Carriage Act, of licence duties on all descriptions of carriages, varying in amount. What is lobbing?— It is going off the stand, looking out for fares off the stand. Is there not a licence duty paid upon the cars and drays in the city of Dublin ? Yes, there is. Can you inform the Committee what is the amount of that licence duty?— Not at this moment; further than that, in the year 1822, the total amount on job car- riages, carts, cars, and sedan chairs, was 4,738/. 35. 8d. I shall be able to do so upon reference to documents, but I cannot do it now. Are there not two separate charges upon cars and carriages and sedan chairs ; the one a licence, and the other a subsequent charge in the shape of rent ?— Yes; both authorized by the Carriage Act. Does the police acquire any additional power of regulation, in consequence of the payment of these licences duty , or this rent from the cars ?— A great deal ; it affords a vast deal of convenience in detecting any offence or impropriety. Do you not conceive that that would be the same, whether exercised under the ordinary powers of police, or as it is now exercised under the payment of a tax ?— No? Why not?— Because the necessity of taking out numbers and giving the name and residence, gives an amazing facility in the detection of any impropriety. Supposing it were made imperative by the legislature still to take out the name and the number, do you think the continuance of the tax is necessarily connected with the due administration of the police?— It requires the employment of a num- ber of persons, who from the giving out of the licence and their employments as in- spectors, to regulate the conduct of owners and drivers of cars, the collection of the xents, and the penalties arising from them have an interest in detecting irre- gularities, and this undoubtedly tends to more effectually keeping them in order than would be the case under an enactment, that did not make it the interest of a particular class of persons to look after them. It is not the object of the question to suggest the removal of any penalty or re- striction, but you are requested to state to the Committee, whether continuing the system of penalty and taking out numbers, you conceive the continuance of the tax to be necessary for the purpose of the police ?— I think that nothing is so effec- tual to give a knowledge of the parties and a facility of coming at them, as their . being obliged to come to the police for some licence, however small. The necessity of resorting to the police for licence is not necessarily connected with the payment of a tax ; do not you conceive that the licensing itself without the tax would be equally effectual ?— The tax interests a certain number of persons in , the collection of it, those who are employed for that purpose and in the duties connected with it, which in my view of it, affords a great advantage; besides, if there were no charge for licence, all the expense would fall on the establishment without any return. Would