THE LICENSING BENCH.

Auckland Star, Volume III, Issue 752, 12 June 1872, Page 2

THE LICENSING BENCH.

To the Editor of the EvBNiXG Stab. Sib, —Having been not a little surprised at the view taken by you of the proceedings in the Licensing Court yesterday, as expressed in your paragraph on that subject in your last issue, I take the liberty of aiking you to allow cae an opportunity of explaining the courie adopted by myeelf as one of the magistrate*

who left the Court after the majority had resolved to re-hear the cases on which lioenses had been refused at the previous sitting of the Court. I can answer for myself, and I believe also for the other Justices who left the Court, that had we not been perfectly satisfied that we had no power whatever to review the decisions of the Court at the previous sitting we would have been perfectly willing to do so. For my own part for several reasons I would hare been glad to reconsider at least one or two of the decided cases j but we would take no part in the performance of an illegal act, even though individual hardship might be the consequence of our declining to do so. 'r ~~ trust before long the responsibility of grantir /. or witholding Buch licenses will be remov. f**from a bench of justices, and placed in ty* hands of stipendiary magistrates, so that it ma]j no longer be'possible to hunt up magistrates, and pack the Benoh so as to procure a decision, favourable to those who do so.—l am, &c, , One of the Retiring Justices. }