THE WORKING OF THE LICENSACT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6915, 16 January 1884, Page 3

THE WORKING OF THE LICENSACT.

A country correspondent, writing upon the' working of the present Licensing Act, and the imperfect way in which it is frequently administered, says :—" It is the duty of the members of a community to take all lawful steps to have anything that reflects discredit on a district removed. While the present Licensing Act remains in force it appears that abuses are allowed to exist, either through personal motives or something short of bigotry on the other hand. In one distrie! you may find either the Chairman or. some member of the Licensing Committee haviug a personal interest in a certain hotel, and in another district you may find a certain portion of the community bent on doing away with all publichouses, and providing no accommodation to the travelling public. The writer has seen instances where the Chairman of the Licensing Committee supplied the publican with stores ; in another case where a member of the Licensing Benob. supplied timber to a publican to enlarge bis hotel, while he sat on the Bench and refused a license to other hotels in the district, where they were more required. In another case, where the police reported most unfavourably of the conduct of certain houses, the committee took no notice, principally on account of pecuniary interests being at stake. YVuilc the present Act is in force, giving such power to five irresponsible men, these ovila will continue to exiat. The Act is good of itself if it were properly administered. The general impression is that resident magistrates and the police should be empowered to carry out the Act. It is not contended that R. M.'s and the police are infallible, bub under their administration there would be less likelihood of abuses being allowed to exist. Wo are getting a better class of R.M.'s, who do not administer justice in the J.P. style, and as for the police, it is generally admitted they perform their duty in a very efficient manner ; and if it be found that either the R.M. or the police are lax in the carrying out of this Act, then public opinion can be brought to bear on them, and it must be admitted that there is a power ia public opinion. The present committees can laugh at the police, who are supposed to give iu a quantity of yearly reports of each licensed house in the district, when it swits their purpose to do so ; and if anything more than auother teuda to prevent the police from, doiug their duty iu this respect, it is the fact of knowing that, after haviug taken the paina to perform their duty conscientiously, *x> find their report set aside because it may interfere with the personal interest of some member of that committee. If the Resident Magistrate aud police are not capable of carrying out this Act, they ought not to bold the position they do in their several districts." —-•