The Marlborugh Express. Published Every Evening. SATURDAY, APRIL 15. 1893. PROHIBITION ORDERS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXIX, Issue 87, 15 April 1893, Page 2

The Marlborugh Express. Published Every Evening. SATURDAY, APRIL 15. 1893. PROHIBITION ORDERS.

! Thb futility oi tke so-called prohibition orders haa been frequently pointed out. That prohibited individuals can ba saen arunk time and again is too wall known, and for tbia ths publioan is too often blamed. It is easy to blame them, but the surroundings aia not always taken inta consideration. In tha first place the publican ia not th« only one who supplies liquor, and ©f ten it is obtained through a third party from brewers er wbolesals dealers, or bottl* Hoeaßoeß, aa well as from publicans —without the kaowledga that the party procuring it is obtaining it for someone elee who is prohibited. Is such easos as these the intermediary should be made to suffer. But oven if tha liquor is obtained directly by ths prohibited man or -woman, it deas not always follow tlio lioonsee is to blame. We have befors us a oopy of a Wanganui Herald m which two caesa are mentioned. In the case of the Rod Lion Hotel it was shows that tha proprietor wa« a newcomer, that ha "had no personal knowledge ef the prohibitad person m ques^ioa, wh©, f urthermoro, was sworn to have given a false name m order to hoodwink the landlord m case the latter might have any. misgivings, and look at the names on the list of prohibited persons to see if his customer's was upon it. The case against the landlord of the Ouatora Houbo Hotel was dismissed, as the evidence went to show that the prohibited peraoa had net been served iv that house; iudfiQd, that he had besn refused liquor on the grounds that he was a prohibited peraan." The Herald goea on to say—" If ifc were made an offence far a prohibit«d person to even eater & lioanssd hotel, and on conviction a suitable peaalty imposed, there weuld be very few instances of these unfortunate ones being found drunk about ths streets, especially if the law went a little further and mt.it it punishable only by confinement m an inebriate asylum for any prohibited parson to ba found the worse for liquor, no matter where obtained, as it is certain moat of these dipsomanias got drunk, not m licensed hotsls, but m private houses, many of whioh are sly greg shopß and worse. Whera the holder of *a license can be proved to have knowingly served a prohibited poraon with intoxicating liquor the penalty cannot ba too severe, but it is not just that a man should be punished by even a shilling fins for an unintentional break of tha law, largely brought about by the daoeption Buooassfally praotisad by the prohibited one himself, who was tha real oulprit." The injustice now done to the publican by the impostures praotised on him should be made the matter of remedial legislation, and thß R.M. at Wanganui has set the example by telliog tbo polios that it is their duty to find out where the drink is supplied to drunken men, as much os to arrest tha druaka. No deubt m many oaßas this would be difficult to ascertain, but for tha sake of tha publicans who will not serve them more might be done than is at present. __________«..