The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th, 1902. THE PACKET LICENSE QUESTION.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11746, 24 September 1902, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th, 1902. THE PACKET LICENSE QUESTION.

The question as to whether the Licensing Committee has power to grant a Packet License to every vessel plying on the Wan ganui River, within the block or area of native land known as "The Upper Wanganui Native Licensing Area," through the centre of which the Wanganui River (a navigable river) flows, has become one- of great importance, especially to the large number of Maori men, women and children who live in their picturesque kaihangas, on the banks of the river. As time goes on the traffic on "the New Zealand Rhine" must necessarily increase, and it is quite within the bounds of probability that in a few years the number of vessels plying from Wanganui to various points on the river, which is the main! highway into the interior, will be largely increased. There are already five or six boats on the river, and the question must sooner or later be determined by Parliament as to whether the owner of every vessel running on the river is to be entitled to a Packet License authorising him to sell unlimited quantitise of intoxicating liquor to (passengers for consumption, not only on the vesse 1, but also on shore. The burning question, however, at the present time is. has the Licensing Committee under1 the existing law relating to the sale of liquor, and having regard also to the proclamation Vhich was gazetted in 1887, under Section 25 of "The Licensing Act of 1881," constituting

the Upiper Wanganui Native Licensing area., ipower to grant Packet Licenses to take effect within that area.of native land. Section 25 of the Act of 1881 pro-i-'es that "the Governor, on the application of the owners of any block or area of native land on which a publican's licejnse has been hitherto granted1, may, by proclamation in the Gazette, declare that no license shall be granted within such block or area, and it shall not be lawful for the Licensing Committee to issue any license to take effect within" any block or area so proclaimed." Section 3 of the Amending Act of 1893, which establishes and defines "Licensing Districts," also provides that "all areas of native land proclaimed under Section 25 of the Act of 1881, wherein the sale of liquor is totally prohibited, as the same respectively are existing at the time of the commencement of the Act, shall continue in force as if the Act had »ot been passed, subject that the Governor may at any time, and from time to time, alter of abolish any such district or area.." In March, 1887, the native ownei-s of the block or area of land known as "the Upper Wanganui Native Licensing area." petitioned the Governor to prohibit the sale of intoxicating liiquor within the area so owned by them, and the* Governor at once granted the jpn'ayer of their petition, and published a proclamation in the Gazette of 1887, Vol. 1, page 436, proclaiming the area, and declaring that no license to take effect within it should be granted. This proclamation has not been cancelled or amended. The southern boundary of the block or area so proclaimed crosses the Wa<nganui River at Parakino, and the northern boundary crosses it many miles beyond Pipiriki. The Township of Pipiriki is in the centre of the area, and the Wanganui River flows through the block. Strenuous efforts have for some time been made by .certain persons who desire to sell liquor at "Pipiriki House," and also on the vessels plying on the river within the proclaimed area, to induce the Government to alter the proclaimed ' district or area by excluding therefrom the Township of Pipiriki and the navigable portion of the Wanganui River, but apparently Ministers do not see their way to comply with the requests which have been so made to them. We have already stated that .the question of issuing Publicans' Licenses at Pipiriki. and an unlimited number of Packet Licenses to passenger vessels plying on the Wanganui River has become a very important one, and it is therefore to be hoped that Parliament will next session ■ptasa an Act clearly defining the powers of the Licensing Committee with regard to the issuing of Packet Licenses to passenger vessels running from Wanganui to th©

Upper Reaches of the river. Packet licenses to boats plying on rivers such as the> Wanganui, Waikato, and others, ought to stand on a different footing to similar licenses which are issued to ocean-going passenger vessels; indeed it is quite possible that when the Licensing Act of 1881 was passed (21 years ago), the question of giving packet licenses to small boats which might ply on rivers was not considered, or even thought of.

Mb. Justice Edwards' AN ruling in the case of Rex v. Weighbmain disIMPORTANT closes a weak spot in the Destitute Persons RULING. Act, 1894. which requires immediate attention at the hands1 of the Legislature. Judging from Ms Honor's remarks to the Grand1 Jury on Monday, he is of opinion that Dio order for maintenance can be made under the Act agairst a married man who has left his wife in New Zealand and is residing out of the colony. In other words, <hat no order can be made against him while he is out of the colony. If this ruling is correct —and we must assume that it isi—all that a married man iieed do when he is served with. a. summons to appear and shew cause why he should not contribute towards his wife's support, is to take the urst boat for Sydi ney or Melbourne, and if he iss fortunate to get away before an order is actually made, he is practically a free man. That this is the state of the law is a surprise" to most people, and the sooner the Act is amended the better. This is a matter which the Charitabl« Aid Board might well take in Jhand.