Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1889.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 4539, 30 November 1889, Page 2

Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1889.

A KBW days since Mr John Horner, hotelI keeper, of Hampden, was charged by the police of that town with having sold intoxicating liquors on the 12th of November, at Moerakl—a place where he was not authorised by hiß license to sell such liquors. Codstable Joyce prosecuted, and Mr Lee, of Oamaru, appeared for the defendant. The evidence was such as to leave not a particle ' of doubt in one's mind that the offence had been committed. There were two cases, and ia both of them the defendant acknowledged that he had supplied the liquor, but swore that he did bo without payment, though one of the partiee, to whom he supplied a flask of whisky, swore just aB strongly that he paid 4s for it. The party whose procuration of j liquor formed the basis of the second case, said that though he had got a flask of liquor from Horner, he was not very clear on the question of payment, yet he had previously Bigned a statement that it was understood that he had to pay for the liquor on some other occasion. Of course, the cases were, as usual, dismissed. One of two things has been clearly demonstrated by these prosecutions —either the accused committed per jury, or he purchased liquor, carried it all the way to Moeraki, and went to the trouble of dispensing it, with no other object in view than that of assuaging the thirßt of his patrons. We leave the public to judge which is the mora probable, In any case, however, he committed an act that was - morally if not legally wrong. The occasion r, that induced Horner to take intoxicants to Moeraki was the festivities la coQneciion with the opening by the Maoris of the hall p at that place, With tbe disgraceful orgies * of a previous festivity In their minda the promoters of the affair had resolved that no >f liquor should be sold, but Horner disregarded the laudable intentions of the Maoris, juet as last year, he set at defiance - the Garrison Band and erected a booth near where they held their Boxing Day picnic, at which he had intoxicants, presumably for sale, but which, we suppose we may now assume, were to be supplied gratuitously to all and sundry. We can afford to stretch our imaginations and credit Hornor with such a burning desire to got rid of bis liquors that he went to the trouble and expense on the two occasions in question to convey them where there would be some likelihood of getting rid of them with the greatest possible rapidity, without any recompense, Even If he were seized with si unnatural a desire—a desire, indeed, which would be strongly indicative of a serious and dangeroualy weak intellect—what right had g he to insist in foroing himself and his demoralising stuff on the public in defiance of the wishes of those most intimately concerned. There is no real evil in taking payment for intoxicants. Whatever evil there is oonsists in disposing of them. Tbe Legislature has decreed, therefore, that they shall not be disposed of except nnder certain restrictions, and the man who foroes his intoxicants npon people and insists upon giving them away, does that which is oalculated to make intoxication rampant, The necessity to pay for Intoxicants interposes some limit to their consumption. But there are some vendors of these things who would override all law and order—who are not satisfied with (submitting to those licensing restrictions whioh confine them to selling their exciting beverages in liceneed houses—but who would rob the revenue, and disregard publio opinion and the public good in tfes mtst outrageous

manner. The licensing laws should be so Bmended aa to pot an effectual check on these Individuals. It shonld not be necessary to prove that payment has been taken for liquor. It should be sufficient to prove that a man has liquors at a place at which he hss no permit to supply them ; or, the act of supplying such liquors should be taken to imply that he has aooepted payment for them. The police, whose duty it is to search out and bring to justice those who commit breaches of the licensing laws, will inevitably fail to obtain convictions, if they have to depend upon such evidenoe aa that which was given in the cases which recently came before the Resident Magistrate at Hampden, and which has repeatedly been glvea In similar cases in our own town.