HOTEL REPORTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13637, 3 July 1908, Page 4

HOTEL REPORTS.

We have nevei made a close study of police jepoitß to licensing committees, but we imagjn© that they are intended to serve quite a purpose fiom piosecutions m the Magistrate'?, Couit. If, as a coirespondent suggests this morning, pai taenia i instances hid to he given when the police commented unfavourably upon a house to the licensing committee, the committee would pwicticully duplicate the oidnury tiitmnals, because it w» tolerably certain that a licensee would be proceeded against whenever the police had" j, leasonable chance of being able to secure a conviotion. The meetings of the licensing committees provide the police with opportunities for controlling the hotels over and above those which exist m the Magistrate's Couit, and licensees would be well advised to recognise and accept the position We do nob deny the apparent injustice of a system which permits indefinite accusations to be laid J against those engaged in the business, bub everybody is quite well aware that cases : do occur in which the police or the comrrtrttae are justified in admiimsteiing a . caution even though they would be unable to establish «i pai'icul.ir case again&b a, house. What may be the 1 ights and wiongs of the Geialdine* incident referred to by our correspondent, we have no means, of knowing, but it is useless to suggest to the public that Mr Wray would have spoken as he did without being fully Satisfied that what he said needed saying. The only safe course—aiid in these days even that is not-safe—-is for the publicans to carry on their business in/ a way that will,give hqt'th* slightest ground for suspicion. ' ,s ~