MINISTER FOR JUSTICE.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 304, 28 June 1909, Page 3

MINISTER FOR JUSTICE.

KIlvG- COTJNT.HY 'LICENSING. [press association.] CHKISTCHURCH, last night. Hotn. Find lay arrived in town this morning for the purpose of transacting' departmental business and returns, to "Wellington to-night. In regard to granting wholesale liquor licenses in the King Country, the Minister said that a great deal of indignation was expressed in the matter.?' A decision, it seems, had been arrived at by one rote on the licensing committee: Ap-parently-it contravened the whole spirit of regulation applicable to the wholesale business in' that part of the dominion, and it was regarded by the best friends of the Maori race as a serious menace- to their well-being and progress. Apart from that, if a ■ gram. was. illegal, it should be quashed. As Attorney-General, therefore, • he l;:ul given instructions to . the Crowai Law Office to take proceedings to. have the granting of licenses test-; ed by eertiorari in the Supreme Court if upon full consideration is was found that the grant was not strictly within tile power of the committee. Dr F nidi ay said that- he had no ..news for publication in regard tothe appointment of Mr H. W. Bishop as ' a commissioner to enquire into the position of the police force, order of reference had not. been drawn up, and the scope of enquiry had not been settled. The Minister said that investigations were being made in regard to the reformatory prison at Mom-c-haki, and he hoped to have a system inaugurated as soon, as the, necessary building (to enable classification* to be carried out) had been ereeU-d. and he was also preparing a scheme of classification of prisoners . ihiYHiglKmi the' Dominion, but was . onoov.ntering serious difficulties on a-ecoimt of structural divisions in ex- • isting gaols. It would probably be • easier if he could adapt gaols to a ■ classification system, rather than the system to gaols. Provision was being made for single cells, at tree r planting stations. \