THE EVENING MAIL, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 255, 15 February 1877, Page 2

THE EVENING MAIL,

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1877.

W<m\»n,n thinjr?, nnU it drop of ink fa-llinuf upon a thoughts may proiUiua that which- mute think."

YmtVt r the t»wv Us intricacies,, anomalies* and;,, we wi't further add, absurdities. ia a theme worthy of coutjvnptation. I ft our leading columns some few month.'* since we- drew attention to ft flagrant injustice perpetrated in its name in- the case of the Umm 06 St. OenrgVa Hall PutveeSn,,who> after Qbtamirg permission from Mr. MAt£AJU?v the Inspector in charge oi the town, and; paying foe and receiving a license from the Corporation, were nevertheless indicted by the same Police Officer, and mulcted in a penalty for holding a 6at imtatpm. In thy.fi case it was clear that if the entertainment; were illegal, fcheotticer had no right to accord permission, nor the City Council tu> isMue licenses and receive revenue for what was evidently a breach of the taw., lint such was tile case nevertheless. The tmeuusuioua offender had done everything in his power to> obey the ordinance to the tetter fcy getting the permission ©f the pottceand paying the usual fees ► yet stilt he was matte equally amenable as if those condition* hatt nat been coroplfed with. We query whether it was taw, bnt certainty it w»» very tame justice. Ia onr telegraph columns* it will be seen that the newtyappointedi Resident Magistrate, Mr. WatT, has distinguished! hirnsetf by laying down an extraordinary dictum. to> the effect that playing billiards for who- shall pay for the' game is illegal. 2? ow, as every publican who keeps a billiard tabte has to pay a very stiff licence-fee for the privilege, it stands to reason that it most be necessary he should impose a smati sum for the use ©f the table r bitt by the forhi<lding of playing for the price of the gum*, virtually a prohibition is placed against playing at all. We are at f>ne with the taw in its efforts to stamp oat gaming proper, hut we certainty think Mr. Wait is alone in his reading of the 1

law. It surely never twos contemplated to carry the matter to stich an extreme length as he seems prepared to do, bat as we see that notice of appeal has been given, we have little dottbt the ruling of tlib latest acquisition to the Bench will be set aside.