THE POSITION AT NEWTOWN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2579, 19 August 1903, Page 15

THE POSITION AT NEWTOWN.

DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER. WELLINGTON, August 13. . A large deputation, representing the New* town No-license League, waited on tha Premier this afternoon to protest against the Newtown hotelkeepers keeping their premises open despite the refusal of the committee to grant licenses and the more recent decision of the Court of Appeal iv favour of th'c action of the committee. Mr G. B. Nicholls, secretary of the league, complained that tho police appeared ■ powerless to act, although the hotelkeej>era were defying the law, and the deputation appealed to the Premier to insist upon the law being observed." ' ' The Rev. Mr Bond," a member, of tho Newtown Licensing Bench", said the publicans were defying the law, defeating tho ends of justice, and carrying on an illegal business. Wore it not for his traditions, he would be inclined to open a hotel in order to test the legality of the whole thing. Mr Reid, another member of the Licensing Committee, said if the Premier did not give a favourable answer soon the people themselves would do something to put matters right. The Rev. Mr Isitt said if the police would! not take action private individuals would, but he did not think it right that they should have that position forced upon them. It- was not right to assume that the matter was sub j ucl ice until the courts said it was so. - Mr T. E. Taylor, M.H.R., failed to see what right any Executive had to interfere with the police in the discharge of their duty, and he protested against any power in the country tying up the hands of the police. The Premier, in rising to reply, first asked who was responsible for the illustrated slip which had been circulated containing a. picture of a policeman with an arm round his neck and a hand over his eyes, and tho motto at the foot, " On duty in Newtown." .The -initials "R. J. S." were on the encircling arm. Mr Isitt and the president of the league admitted they knew of tho i=sue of the slip, bub denied responsibility. The Premier said it was hard when lie-was endeavouring to do his best in a difficult position to be met with contumely. However, it would not influence his -action' one way or the other. Speaking to tho subject, he said there was a general consensus of opinion that until the courts decided 1 whether or not a mandamus should issue hotels should not be closed. The Government were advised by the law officers So. 'this matter, and had to be guided thereby. Long before there was any tension the 'law officers had advised that the opinion of Mr MacGregor. of Dunedin, that licenses could not be issued was wrong. The case had now gone to tho Privy Council. He would again submit the whole position to the Crown law officers and obtain a final opinion, and place the matter before his colleagues. He would give the .deputation a definite reply within one week. Tho question was not so simple as tho "deputation imagined. If the police took action and the houses were closed, and some hotelkeepers took a case through the courts to the Privy Council, and the Council decided the hotel ought to have a license, tho holelkee-per whose business was ruined would petition Parliament for compensation. The present position was an extraordinary one iv regard to Bruce and Newtown, which nobody had foreseen. The Premier intimated that for some weeks past a measure dealing with the question of elections had been under consideration. The question to be considered was whether there should be tho same provision for dealing with the local option poll as for the election of a member of the House, or should there be a separate court to try cases. He was inclined to fa\our three magistrates as a tribunal.