1937-12-15 — Page 6

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Reginald Dixon.

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HONGKONG HOTEL

GARAGE

Phone 27778/9

The

Stubbs Rd.

Thongkong Telegraph.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1937.

HONGKONG SECURITY

In the House of Commons Lieutenant-Commander R. T. H. 9104 The greatest mistake in my life-Waltz ... Wilbur's Orch. Fletcher, R.N. (Retired), now a

In an Old Cathedral Town-F.T.

FINGERPRINTS

By

ALFRED J.

ANGEL

In the House of Commons recently Mr. de la Bere (Evesham) asked the

Home Secretary "whether he is pre- pared to consider à scheme for the national registration of finger-prints throughout the country, with a view to storing them; thus making it easier for the police to trace persons

loss suffering from

of

memory.

”NINGER -PRINT everybody!

F

99

Again the suggestion that the fingerprints of every person in the country should be taken and registered is being made.

Advocates for universal regis- serious attempts tration declare that if such were appear to have been made to the case there would never be classify the im any doubts regarding the iden- pressions. tity of persons found dead, or

others suffering from loss of Early in the century, Pur- to-day, which is the envy of the Further grouping followed, Labour member, recently asked memory, and that the work of kenje, a young and struggling world.

till it is possible under his pre- Sir Thomas Inskip, Minister for the police in these particular practitioner, produced a learned

During the last 40 years Scot. Bent scheme to have as many as 9105-Too Marvelous for words-F.T....... .Jay Wilbur's Orch. Defence, whether he was satis-spheres would be considerably treatise ол the "marvellous land Yard officers have develop- 16,000,000 sub groups—any one

Sweet Heartache-F.T.

fied that the British forces in lightened and simplified.

groupings and curvings of the ed the scheme which to-day en- of which can be turned up with- 9109—In a little French Casino ....Primo Scala Accordian Band, Hongkong were sufficient for Some foreign countries al- minute furrows associated with ables a Colonial police force to in a few minutes by the card in-

Will you remember ("Maytimo"!).

the defence of the Colony, hav-ready have comprehensive the organ of touch." His audi- arrest a man in the morning and dex system. ing regard to the existing state finger-print registration systems ence listened-bored. Later by transmitting his finger-prints To the finger-print expert it is of affairs in the Far East, for the law-abiding as well as the Purkenja became Professor of in Yard code to London, receive an easy matter. He receives, which

everyone by now must criminal population, but in Great Physiology at Breslau.

the man's criminal record (if say, from the detective chief at realise is highly explosive. The Britain the scheme only regia- Bertillon, the French scien- any) within a few hours. Whipplewell an impression of a naval Member also asked when ters "bad men."

tist, is often wrongly given the

For provincial forces replies finger found on a scene was the last joint inquiry by

credit for originating the mo: are dispatched within half an

heavy burglary. representatives of the three ser- As far back as 200 B.C. the dern system of finger-printing hour of receipt of impressions- Joc Peterson, vices, Navy, Army and Air Chinese had a system of finger- though what he actually did was and this from a collection of

9110-The Merry-Go-Round broke down

Where are you?

Primo Scala Accordian Band,

9112-Melodies of the Month. No. 6

..Len Green,

9128-Moon at Sea-Fox Trot

Billy Cotton's Orch.

Let us bo sweethearts over again.

9132-When the Harvest Moon is Shining

In an Old Cathedral Town.

Ask for a complete list of Rex Records

S. MOUTRIE &

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York Building

?

13 DECEMBER 15

6789101112 N2346 13141516171319

20 21 22 23 24 25

29 30 31

261

of n

Force, into the condition of the printing, but it was not until the to use finger impressions-crude 600,000 prints. No fewer than The Yard man, from his train-

Such nineteenth century that any and uncertain-to strengthen 24,000 criminals are caught caching, and experience, decides it be

defences of Hongkong. questions, it would seem, are fairly vital ones to British

the anthropometrical system of Identification of which he was the father.

longs to a left fore-finger. year by the system.

On a specially printed card he Generally speaking, registra- people; and they particularly estimate, to some extent, the

tion and classification are based notes down in proper sequence interest the inhabitants of this state of security of the British

the characteristics of the print By Bertillon's system mea- on formulae respecting patterns Chater Road. Colony. But the answers are Far Eastern possessions. But

surements and records of dif- and characteristics shown by all

-type, core, etc., placing the more important still. Sir all such estimates, it would

ferent parts of the bony struc- the ten digits in

necessary symbols in the mar- combination, Thomas' answer was disappoint- seem, must be purely relative;

gin to guide him in his search. ing in that it did not go far governed, in other words, byture of the body were recorded but of recent years experts at

He is able to "read" the print enough. He said that defended the varying strength of potential in such order as to form a per- the Yard have produced, and enemies. It is obvious that manent word picture of the par- proved effective, a perfect system

in the same way as a Morse porta overseas were kept con- when Hongkong's security is ticular individual, and the finger of indentification by "single

operator reduces his combina- stantly under review by an under consideration at such

tions of dots and dashes to a appropriate sub-committee of the times as this the striking force print was an adjunct to these finger-prints only (and not ten).

legible message. of the Japanese is the essential measurements. Imperial Defence Committee on part of the equation. It is

Next, to the card index with which all three services were equally apparent that, left to

This modern method enables his written formuine. A few represented. It must be sup could not hope to resist for its own devices, Hongkong

Finger-prints came to Eng- police officers who secure a soli- only are necessary to tell him posed that Sir Thomas implied many weeks the combined naval, land from India. The British tary impression of one finger- whether the Whipplewell print that the authorities are satisfied air and land strength of a major police authorities, impressed or only a smudge-at the scene belongs to a man with a criminal with the Hongkong defence power. Only with a strong with news from that country, of a crime to refer immediately record.

naval and flying force operating position, because Lieutenant-

the scheme of finger- to the criminal records of house in this vicinity and keeping the where

Never in the course of finger- Commander Fletcher did not Colony's lines of communication printing had been developed breakers, burglars and men en- print history has it been proved gaged on similar crime, because that two persons have the same press for a further answer. intact could it be said that among the Illiterato and But the implied meaning is not there existed a real guarantee ignorant natives (to their dis- was designed for the especial different combinations of the the single finger-print system finger-prints; even twins have of safety. There will be some readily seen. The Labour mem- who question the advisability of advantage), adopted a tentative benefit of men of those classes. grainings on the fingers. ber is apparently not quite sure sending such ships as Hood and scheme in 1895, only to discover It has been proved time and that the Government's feeling Repulse, Barham and Malaya that lack of authoritative data, again that a burglar always re against finding an exact dupli- Experts declare that the odds to this part of the world with- of security is justified, in any but adequate cruiser and des- money and experienced operators mains true to his "trade" of cate anywhere in the world are

He is suggesting that troyer strength to accompany world was not kind to these carly away and becomes a bandit.

militated against succcas. The burglary, and seldom

breaks 64,000,000,000, to one! the battle cruisers Hood and them, and without cascatial sub-

Clumsy attempts to destroy pioneers. force com-

Supt. Harry Battley, Scotland the patterns on finger-tops have Repulse and the battleships marine and air

Sir Francis Galton and Sir Yard's finger-print chief, is the always failed. Crooks, knowing Malaya and Barham be sent into plementary units to make of a the Far East, presumably to be defensive contingent more than Edward Henry, who later be- originator of this advanced the danger to themselves of the "show force." It is improb-camè Commissioner of the Me- scheme and began his "Single system, have, immediately after able that Lieutenant-Comman-trópolitan Police, were in the Finger-print Collection" by tak- arreat, mutilated their finger- There is no deep secret about der Fletcher's suggestion will main responsible for fostering ing from the Yard's comprehen- tips to destroy the graining, but

meet with very much

en-the science in England, and it sive collection of crooks the im- in every case when the wounda Hongkong's defences. Anyone thusiasm, and it is doubtful if was the latter who made the pressions of all the ten digits of have healed the papillary ridges who cares to Inquire can dia- even the "landlubber populn- first serious attempt to classify all men recorded in the "break- have remained unimpaired. A ing and entering" and kindred Japanese doctor experimented cover how many submarines are tion: would be much reassured the prints.

classes,

on himself to the extent of by the presence of these vast based on this port, how many fighting

To denote the different types

pumice stoning the tips of his. craft. here--though

his prints under With these impressions he fingers till he had obliterated the destroyers are within so many they are admittedly the greatest he acparated

headings, loops, started a series of 10' distinct pattern, but his wounds did not hours' steaming distance, what'naval weapons of their day four main

GORDON'S

OF COURSE

cvent.

based on Hongkong.

cruisers are on the station, and because of the enormous odda arches, whorls and composites, collections, one for each digit.," destroy the characteristic ridges

that they would be obliged to and then sub-divided the groups

Under each of these he classi and the pattern returned exactly so on. Nor is there any attempt face in any major conflet in the into some thousands of types. fled, the prints, into sections in as before. made to suppress information Pacifc. And it is only a major To this day his main headings the following order: Arches, Finger-prints form an infalli.

regarding the numbers of troops conflict in which Britain might persist.

bocome involved that Hongkong

tented arches, radial loops, ulnar ble, unmistakeable, and per From these small beginnings loops, whorls, twinned loops, manent record of Identity and in Hongkong and Shanghai. fears in the least. We are has grown the amazing and lateral pocket loops, composites, as such each one has its own From such facts it is possible to armed against all petty enemies. efficient system of Scotland Yard accidentals and scarred prints, particular tale to tell.