The Bruce Herald. "Nemo me impune lacesset." TOKOMAIRIRO, AUGUST 18, 1876.

Bruce Herald, Volume VIII, Issue 793, 18 August 1876, Page 5

The Bruce Herald. "Nemo me impune lacesset." TOKOMAIRIRO, AUGUST 18, 1876.

In his annual report on the Police Department, published a few weeks ago, Mr Weldon referred to a most important matter, which it is to be hoped will uot be lost sight of when the Police Force of Otago is under the control of the General Government. He said, " Another subject, which I wish to bring prominently under notice, is the formation of an effi cient revenue force, to cope with the evil effects resulting from breaches of the Licensing Act ; and I beg to add that it only requires a man of money — Bay, as a beginning, £500— placed at the disposal of the head of tbe Police Department, to establish a system of revenue police, that I am sure will confer incalculable benefits upon the public by checking drunkenness, and the miseries arising therefrom." Anyone who has travelled through the Province must admit that sly-grog selling j is carried on to an alarming extent, not only in the country districts, but in the large towns — in fact, the Chairman of a Licensing Bench only a few weeks ago stated that to cancel a publican's license was simply to create a sly-grog shop. We know that to be the case, and would ask what the police are doing to repress the evils attendant upon the illicit sale of intoxicating liquors, and to confine the traffic within its proper limits. It would be absurd to suppose that the members of the Police Force are ignorant of the fact that grog can be purchased at hundreds of unlicensed hovels throughout the Province, and yet we seldom . hear of an attempt being made to bring tbe offenders to justice. We are of opinion that if Mr Commissioner Weldon's suggestion were acted upon, an end would soon be put to such a disgraceful state of affairs. It is next to impossible to obtain evidence against the sly grog sellers, except by the employment of informers, and such work is naturally repugnant to respectable men. Then again, the police have quite enough to do in the proper discharge of their ordinary duties, and it is a patter of the greatest importance that they should possess the confidence aud respect of the people, which they would assuredly lose were they to be regularly employed as common informers. A small body of men employed as "revenue police," would not cost the country a great deal of money, and venture to say that under Commissioner Weldon's directions, they would soon succeed in closing most of the sly-grog shops. It is not only demoralising to the community, but unjust to the publicans who pay a heavy license fee, that the present state of affairs should be allowed to continue, and we earnestly hope that some vigorous action will be taken in th© cUro^tinn indicated by the Commissioner of Police.