THE PELORUS GUARDIAN and Miners' Advocate. FRIDAY, 14th APRIL, 1911. LICENSING LAW?

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 22, Issue 29, 14 April 1911, Page 4

THE PELORUS GUARDIAN and Miners' Advocate. FRIDAY, 14th APRIL, 1911. LICENSING LAW?

Is there any real licensing laW? Most law is devised upon precedents, but not even the AttorneyGeneral himself could fashion from recent decisions an Act that would be in any way satisfactory. To commence with we had the authority of Dr Findlay for the dictum that last Boxing Day was Sunday, though the calendar, old-fashioned as ever, attempted to show that Christmas Day fell on the Sunday. Then, as a counterblast —and mightily like legal blasphemy—there came the opinion of a Westport Magistrate that Boxing Day was Boxing Day, and that no“ terminological inexactitude ” of his chief could convince him to the contrary. This confusion somewhat upset preconceived ideas that the law was merely an ass —several adjectives were now found to be necessary. Next the licensees were told that they must learn to accurately judge whether a youth was 21 years or under, but another decision threw the onus on to the offenders against the law which states that no youth under 21 shall be served with liquor. Other and more picturesque language might, however, describe the licensees’ .consternation at the latest decision. This is in connection with the serving of meals to travellers. The Christchurch Magistrate has fined a landlord for refusing, on apparently very reasonable grounds, to supply twelve men from a chaff cutter with meals after 7 p.m. But polarity is maintained by the Gisborne Magistrate, in the following ease;—A Poverty Bay hotelkeeper was summoned by a traveller for failing to provide a meal for him when asked to do so. Complainant arrived at 8.30 o’clock in the evening, and asked for a meal for himself and paddocking for his horse. The hotelheeper said the fire was out and the cook had gone to bed. The traveller offered to cook a couple of eggs for himself, but was not allowed to.do so, as the cook -Would be off in the morning if anyone disturbed the kitchen. The information was dismissed, as the Magistrate said it was unreasonable to expect cooks at country hotels to be in readiness fo travellers at outside hours on the off-chance of someone arriving- Is it any wonder, therefore, that licensees “ don’t know where they are ? ”