PERMITTING TREATING

Evening Star, Issue 17350, 12 May 1920, Page 7

PERMITTING TREATING

A BARMAN'S OFEEXCE. [Special to the 'Star.'3 OFTPvISTCHURCH. May 11. In a case in the Court to-d;iy in which a barman, was chavaed with permitting treating, Mr W. Hoban. -the defending counsel, said that- accused pleaded guilty to » "technical" breach of the regulations. The Act had bee.i passed for the benefit of soldiers, and the war was now over. Accused was a returned soldier, and had three and a-hali years' service. Tie thought that the Act was dead long ago. "J consider." said Mr Hoban, "that the Act is as, dead as Julius Caesar. I don't understand why the Government allowed it to remain on tlu> Statute Book." Continuing, he stated that it must have been an oversight that the regulations were not repealed. They were broken hour after hour, day after day, and week after week. If everyone who broke the regulations was fined, the fiws would pay the National Debt. Defendant had tinrioubtedly committed a technical breach. He was quite candid when the police taxed him with the offence, and said he thought the regulations were at an end. As a matter of fact, the regulations would be at an end next month—sis months after the notification in the 'Gazette' that the state of war was ended. It must ba admitted as a breach, but the object of the Act was irone long a;~o. The police knew, and His Worship knew, how impossible it was to carry out the regulation?. " You must know, vour Worship,'* stated Mr Hobau, "that the law is not observed. If the regulations; were carried out yon would have Mr Massey. Sir Joseph Ward, and nil the Judg.-s'in the to esy nothing of the"local solicitors, before the Court. Mr M'Carthy, S.M., admitted that the being flouted. He fined the defendant £o.