The Hastings Standard Published Daily TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1897. DRINKING AND GAMBLING.

Hastings Standard, Issue 448, 12 October 1897, Page 2

The Hastings Standard Published Daily

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1897. DRINKING AND GAMBLING.

For the cause that lacks assistance. For the wrongs that need resistance. For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do.

There are some people who still cherish the belie! that a community can be made sober by Act of Parliament, and that the same agency can eradicate the gambling evil. The question of prohibition and the suppression of gambling are two subjects that make their sessional appearance with the same regularity as the Governor's Speech. Parliament will never be able to abolish drinking and gambling ; of course by drinking we mean the consumption of intoxicants. Parliament has gone as far as public opinion will admit in the direction of prohibition, and the present law if properly carried out will do a great deal towards sobering the people, but the zealous prohibitionists will not be content until total prohibition is obtained, or till the will of the bare majority is given power to decide the issue. In striving for this they overlook the good that might be obtained out of the present Act by its impartial administration. If the liquor laws were rigidly enforced —and we can see no sentiment in the matter, for if there is any justification for the law being in the Statute Book its enforcement is a duty incumbent upon the authorities the complainants of the prohibitionists would melt away. It is abundantly clear that the liquor laws are not enforced ; at any rate we make bold to say that from one end of the colony to the other there is not a town or village where liquor is not sold on Sunday and in prohibited hours. We frankly admit that there are some hotelkeepers who obey the law with praiseworthy exactitude, but the majority of them snap their fingers at the law. In some of ths larger towns W9 are assured that when a house changes bauds the Sunday trade is an important factor and the incoming boniface pays for the goodwill of this business. We are not aware that hotelkeepers are entitled to any treatment, nor do we think that they expect it ; what we imagine is "irritating to them is the continued uncertainty that surrounds the trade. Let there be a truce to this continual baiting of the publican ; his calling is as legitimate as any other, whatever might be the moral tone of it, and that being so the trade ought to be, if not respected, at any rate treated with common fairness. The time is not j'et wken the world or this fad-ridden colony can do without the publican, and fulminating against hiai and bis calling is foolish. The drink traffic is subject to restrictive laws, and it these were fairly and honestty administesed fh,e excessive drinking which is the root of the evil would be very much lessened. But the liquor laws are not put into operation as they ought to be, and the publicans are not to blame £o}=lint. The Labor laws which are restrictive in their effects are administered vigorously, and a whole army o übiquitous inspectors engender respect

for those laws. The Sunday trading of publicans could be curbed by inspectors, and we incline to the belief that "if picked men from the police force were told off for this work much good will result. We do not believe publicans wish to trade after hours or on Sundays, but the trouble is if one does it the others must follow suit. We do r.ot see much of this illicit trading in Hastings, but in the larger towns it is a rampant evil. A grocer is not allowed to sell a packet of tea on the half-hoiiday, and there are inspectors ever on the watch to see that be does not transgress. The same sort of treatment should be dealt out to the publican ; but the prohibitionists appear not to wish to see the law administered properly, but prefer to whine for more stringent liquor laws. The gambling nuisance is in quite as bad a condition through the laxity with which the gambling laws ore administered. The suppression of gambling crops up every session, and one or more bills are invariably on the Order Paper. This session Mr George Hutchison is the author of a Bill designed to kill the tote shops. Mr Hutchison proposes to increase the penalties and any person who sends any circular, advertisement, letter, telegram or other document which invites the person receiving it to make any bet or wager is liable upon conviction to three months' imprisonment, or a fine of £IOO or both, or if dealt with summarily the term of imprisonment is reduced to one month and a fine of £2O. The bill is designed to suppress the " walking" tote-shops, and if passed tho police will be provided with easier means to circumvent the ways and tricks of this most undesirable class of the community. But no amount of restrictive law will be worth anything unless the law is properly and fairly administered. It is a vigorous administration of existing laws that we require for the suppression of drinking and gambling and not so much of new acts of Parliament.