THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13940, 28 June 1909, Page 6

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL.

LIQUOR IN THE KING COUNTRY. PRISON REFORM. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Juno 27. Tlic Hon. Dr Findlay arrived in town tin's morning tor the purpose of transacting departmental business and returned to Wellington to-night. In regard to the granting of wholesale liquor licenses' in tlio King Country the Minister said that a great deal of indignation was expressed in theNorth Island in reference to the matter. The decision seemed to have been arrived at by one vote on the licensing committee. Apparently it contravened the whole spirit of the legislation applicable to wholesale license ill that part of the dominion, and it was regarded by the' best friends of the Maori race as a serious menace to their well-being and 'progress. Apart from that, if the grant were illegal it should be quashed. As the AttorneyGeneral, therefore, he had given instructions to the Crown Law Office to take proceedings to have the granting of the licenses tested by a writ of certiorari in the Supreme Court, if upon full consideration it was found that the grant was not strictly within the powers of the committee. Dr Findlay said that lie had no news j for publication in regard to the appointment of Mr H. W. Bishop as a comI missioner to enquire into the position of the police force. The order of reference had not been drawn up and the scope of the enquiry had not been settled. The Minister said that investigations were being made in regard to the reformatory prison at Momohaki, and he hoped to have the system inaugurated as soon as the necessary buildings to enable classification to be carried out had been erected. He.was also preparing a scheme of classification of prisoners throughout the dominion, but was encountering serious difficulties on account of the structural divisions in the existing gaols. It would probably be easier if he could adapt the gaols to the-classification system, rather than the system to the gaol. Provision was b"in<r made for single cells at the treeplanting stations/