THE LIQUOR LAW

Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 2

THE LIQUOR LAW

A TRAVELLER FINED. A case of some interest came before Mr Bartholomew, S.M., at Milton on the 12th, Arthur Smith (traveller for Messrs W. 1 Scoular and Co., Dunedin) was charged with having received at Fairfax, Milton, about October 1, 1909, an order, for certainliqus>r t this -being an ofTenfe within the meAnjng iof the Licensing Apt, **\I9OB. De-> feddant was -represented by} Mr 6. H. Thomson, and pleaded " Guilty." Inspector O'Brien, who pro&ecuied, said that on the day mentioned defendant was at Porter Bros ' store at Fairfax taking orders for general merchandise, in which his 'firm dealt. A settler came into the store, and, learning that defendant's firm also sold liquor wholesale, asked him to send hinr out a. supply. Defendant did not ask for nor* canvass for the order. The settler wrote the order and handed it to. defendant, who, in accepting tit in that way. did not think he was committing an offence/ T He (prosecutgf) believed that def^ndaCni accepted the ojder There' was a heavy penalty for the offence, but he did not think it was a case where a heavy penalty should be pressed for. It was the first case of the kind under nolicense in Bruce. Mr Thomson, for defendant, eaid the inspector's remarks were substantially correct. If defendant had put the- order in an envelope and sent it to his firm on the other party's account he 'di&ttot see where an offence could be dicoldbed. It was merely a matter of obliging a customer of the; firm he (defendant) was there doing bu'finess with. The Magistrate said this was -iis first experience in a no-licence district of a case against the law of that district, and he would not be any party to showing leniency in any breach of the no-license law. The matter would no doubt be .videly made known for the beneot>f "others, and as there-, was no suggestion <shaj£ the order had* been aanva&ett *tjp%; ty| |r?uld fine defenJaift S£l£- wiw -aofets> ?■■ «*- '■» Though it did not come out in court (adds our own correspondent), it appears JMt the liquo? waa conveyed with sundry ptfter goods: to' Porter Bros., but was left at the Railway* Station, and inquiries by the local police traced the order as having gone, per Mr Smith, to hie firm. — Burglary was a capiUk off ence till 1829. — Canada receives £701000 a ye»jr iron* her .cicala, ~