THE LICENSING ACT.

Evening Star, Issue 6842, 4 March 1886, Page 4

THE LICENSING ACT.

A deputation from the Now Zealand Temperance Alliance waited upon the Premier at Wellington yesterday in respect to the way in which the Licensing Act is administered by the police and magistrates. Sir William Fox said the deputation had not come to ask for an alteration in the Licensing Act, which contained strong provisions for the suppression of the evils of the liguor trallic if thoy were only enforced, i’hc coin-

plaint was that the clear and definite provisions were not enforced, but allowed to lie absolutely dead, lie called attention to the fact that the police and magistrates failed to institute proceedings under the Act either for tho prevention of offences or for the punishment of offenders when offences came to their knowledge. It was notorious that in Wellington, and, ho believed, all over New Zealand, that a large proportion of the public-houses carried on the drink trade on Sundays nearly as freely ns on every other day of the week ; and he further mentioned Instances where offenders brought before magistrates were let off without any reason. Ho also referred to tho illicit sale of liquors in brothels, which the magistrates and police wore perfectly aware of yet took no action. Several speakers said that this result was partially due to a division of authority between the police and the detective office, which tended to prevent the administration of justice. It was stated that two constables who had broken into a hotel and found a large number of men drinking and gambling on a Sunday morning were censured for the manner in which they got into the hotel, and the matter was suppressed. Mr Stout read the document referred to, and said tho constables were not censured, but the endorsement on the report was simply for illegally entering the house. His opinion was that it would have been better had the cases been brought into Court. Inspectors Brown and Shearman denied, any .disagreement between the detectives and the police, and refuted tho charges brought against the police. Mr Stout having admitted the propriety of tho action of the deputation, Sir William Fox expressed a hope that it would make the police more active.