The Licensed Victuallers

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VIII, Issue 413, 23 June 1898, Page 16

The Licensed Victuallers

Thb Sporting Review and Licensed VicTTtat.t.rrs’ G-azette has been appointed the Official Organ of the Trade.

THE POLICE COMMISSION.

From the time the Government in a weak . 'moment consented to allow itself to be used by a mere handful of extremists, ' and consented to the “ setting up ” of a Royal Commission to enquire into the • ’* whole system and administration of i he X?’.police force of the colony, we have be- , lieved and predicted that the whole enquiry would end in a complete fiosco, and would result in utter failure and entire confusion to those misguided peokK pie,, who were primarily responsible for s the creation of the Royal Commission. Under ordinary circumstances it would be improper to review the work of a judicial tribunal before the completion y.’ of its work, and in the case under con- / sideration the usual course would have ' C.been pursued were not the circumstances of a peculiarly exceptional nature. We may state that the Government exercised /... great powers of discrimination in its sedection of the gentlemen forming the ■ commission, and we have no hesitation in saying that no men in the colony could /A'have been selected for the work who ./v possessed greater capacity for the efficient t 'discharge of their duties than Messrs War- ; dell, Pointon, and Col. Pitt, of whom the Commission consists, and if these gentle- | men have erred in conducting the enquiry they have done so in giving too much |•: latitude to' the opponents of the police /system as it obtains in New Zealand. Long before the Commission commenced its actual work we forcibly protested !•;. against the action of the Government in . appointing it, and we strongly alluded to the fact that the Government had obH tained the services of Mr Tunbridge, who ' - Was especially selected in London to enr quire into the workings of our police ; system, and we understand he was to have obtained power to effect any necessary improvements or reforms; in a word, he was expected to bring his large I experience, gained in the Old World, to .7 bear on the system and administration of - the police system as they obtain in the '•■'STew World. The great ability of Mr Tunbridge has been manifested in the ' enquiry by the Commission, and had he . been twelve years instead of as many months associated with the police force of New Zealand he could not have shown a closer familiarity with the workings of the system, a more intimate acquaint- . ance with the detaiis of every individual case, or a more perfect knowledge of 1 the responsible duties devolving upon him than he now possesses, as demonstrated at every stage of, the protracted / enquiry. We are confident that the whole country will endorse our opinion when we ■ say that he was not given the opportunity tocarryoutthe great work he was employed to effect. We have also pointed out the position occupied by the Hon. Thos. Thompson, Minister of Justice,, who is, ; comparatively speaking, new to the office, and who has been hampered and criticised at every stage by the very people who > succeeded in prevented the minister from : obtaining any opportunity of working , out the reforms which everyone must > admit are necessary, both in the interest of the police officers themselves and in “.’ the safety of the'people at large. It is hot our purpose at the present time to |. follow the enquiry through its long and tortuous grooves, and our remarks will be strictly confined to the work of the Commission as it was revealed to us in the city of Auckland. In Auckland the Rev. F. W. Isitt led the opposition, but we < do not think the most rabid prohibitionist or the most inveterate hater of the ministry, or any individual associated with the force (past or present) whose cause he ' championed, will venture to congratulate \ the Rev. gentleman on the success which - attended his efforts. It is true his courteous demeanor was a striking and most agreeable contrast to that of Mr T. E. Taylor, M.H.R., who “ ran the opposi- ' tion show” when it was on exhibition in

the southern part of the colony, and had Mr Isitt been fifty times less courteous and considerate he would still \ have merited fhe same meed of commendation. It is only fair to say that Mr Isitt was somewhat heavily handicapped, and for this reason —he had no opportunity of ascertaining the nature of the evidence given by many of his witnesses before it was submitted to the court of enquiry, and it was a revelation to him when he discovered that many of them resembled Balaam, the son of Berok, who was sent for to curse the enemies of a certain ancient personage, when 10, behold! Balaam altogether blessed them. In the enquiry held in Auckland all sorts and conditions of men were summonsed to contribute to

the volume of inane twaddle which will make up the huge add costly report of the enquiry. Men who had been heard by eavesdroppers in the street to say that liquor had been sold after hours, or that the law of Sunday trading had not been strictly observed, were dragged as unwilling victims to the enquiry, and were placed in the humiliating position of appearing as semi- informers, although they had only been heard to express what many others believe to be true. The proprietor of this journal was peremptorily “ hauled ” away from his important avocations to answer the fearful charge involved in the following passage, which is now placed on record, and will for all time appear as one of the most clear and intelligent passages in the history of the colony, especially in the cumbrous report of the Commission, which will become a matter of history The paragraph reads as follows : —“ We suppose there is not one hotelkeeper in the Auckland district who is not asked every night in the week to serve liquor after 10 o’clock, and we dare say that very few publicans refuse to supply the thirsty souls, for each knows that, though he may be perfectly willing to close at the correct hour, his fellow tradesmen are taking the risk of a raid.” It appears to us that any man not blinded by prejudice, or what is worse by'extreme fanaticism, must have seen that the article from which the above paragraph was taken really advocated a different administration of the Licensing Act in the City of Auck-

land, and only gave a suppositious case of the evil effects of the present administration of the law in the northern city. The whole text of the article in question went to show that the condition of licensed houses in Auckland was such as to cause great inconvenience to the hotelkeepers themselves as well as to the travelling public, and the article clearly and forcibly advocated the extension of the hours of closing from 10 p.m. to 1 1 p.m., in order thatthere might be no excuse for breaking the law, and also to extend privileges to Auckland citizens similar to those enjoyed in every southern city. If the Rev. F. W. Isitt had possessed ordinary perspicacity, he must have seen that the article was written and published in the interest of law observance, and we feel certain that the writer of the article knew the policy of this journal would be to strongly condemn those who violated the law after obtaining the fair conditions indicated. Yet, notwithstanding the clearness of the article in advocating a course which must, if adopted, result in a much closer observance of the law, and at the same time provide for the comfort and convenience justly demanded by the public, and taking this correct view of the circumstances, could anything be more absurd than the action of the reverend prosecutor, who

dragged the proprietor of this journal from his business simply to prove that the object of the article in question was to provide for an observance of the law, and in this respect was genuinely striving to accomplish what Mr Isitt was aiming at, but which, owing to his mode of procedure, he is vainly striving to secure. The gentleman who usually writes the leading matter in our “ Licensed Victuallers” page was examined by the reverend prosecutor in reference to the objects of this journal in its relation to the Trade, and was promptly informed that it had never been influenced by any spirit merchant, brewer, or hotelkeeper ; that it took up and dealt with social questions ; that it had protected the police against clerical and other persecutions; that it turned on a pivot of fair play and liberty; and that it was diametrically opposed to fanatics and rabid prohibitionists. We cannot devote more space in this issue to the mass of evidence heard by the patient members of the commission, but in our next number we will review the most saliant points in the evidence given by ministers of the gospel and by leading citizens, which evidence was truly beneficial in upsetting the ridiculous charges made by the prosecutors.

IMPORTANT CLAUSE OF THE ENGLISH LICENSING LAW.

The twenty-fifth section of the English Act has recently been largely discussed in this colony, and many persons greatly

interested in the wholesale trade are very desirous to have the'f: provision of the sub - joined clause incorporated with the New Zealand law, and this desire is generally shared by percons engaged in the retail trade, and more especially by the members of the police force. If this clause were made a’; part and parcel of the New Zealand law, the direct effect would be to make the person or persons who induced an hotelkeeper to break the law equally liable with the hotelkeeper himself. At any rate, if the course indicated were adopted, no young men could go straight to an hotel at the close of a and Sunday evening church service, represent themsleves to be what they were not, obtain liquor, and then instigate proceedings against the seller without obtaining tht punishment such ? sneaks deserve in consequence of their being participators in the law-breaking. Subjoined we publish the twenty-fifth clause of the English Statute, which is of special interest just now : — . If, during any period during which any premises are required under the provisions of this Act to be closed, any person is found on such premises, he shall, unless he satisfies the Court that he was an inmate, servant, or lodger on such premises, or a bona fide traveller, or that . otherwise his presence on such premises was not in contravention of the provisions of this Act. q with respect to the closing of licensed premises, / v be liable to a penalty not exceeding forty shillings. Any constable may demand the name ? and address of any person found on any premises during the period which they are required by ■ the provisions of this Act to be closed, and if he , has reasonable ground to suppose that the name or address given is false, may require evidence, of the correctness of such name and address, and may, if such person fail upon such demand to give his name or address, or such evidence,’ apprehend him without warrant and carry him, as soon as practicable, before a Jnstice of the Peace. Any person required by a constable under this section to give his name and address who fails to give the same, or gives a false name/ or address, or gives false evidence with respect . to such name and address, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding five pounds. Every per- / son who, by falsely representing himself to be a traveller or a lodger, buys or obtains, or attempts to buy or obtain, at any premises any intoxicating;' liquor during the period during which such premises are closed in pursuance of this Act, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding five pounds " \ ■ . LV. PORTRAIT GALLERY- _____ Mr Thomas Buxton, whose photograph appears on this page, was born in Hokitika in 1869. His father was the proprietor of the El Dorado Hotel at the time and for some years afterwards, so that. Mr Buxton may be said to have been born in the business he has since followed so successfully. After leaving school Mr Buxton travelled to Sydney, where he served an apprenticeship in the confectionary trade. At the expiration of his. term he was engaged in the sugar-cane industry at Richmond River, N.S.W., for a short period/ : Mr Buxton then returned to New Zealand, staying in Christchurch, and subsequently arriving in ; Auckland in 1885, where he embarked in the .! hotel business in the same year. His first venture ; was the Ellerslie Hotel, in which he made a satisfactory commencement. In a very short time be' made advantageous terms with his successor'and; . left Ellerslie for Papakura. He bought the Papakura Hotel, and, after conducting it in the same successful manner that marked his occupancy of? the Ellerslie Hotel, he was enabled to sell out . with satisfactory profit to himself At this time the freehold of the Royal Hotel, Hamilton, was in the market, and Mr Buxton purchased the property from the National Bank of New Zealand under a mortgage. During the six years he was proprietor he conducted the hotel in a manner' which made him a most popular landlord. He ’ increased the trade immensely, and, at the end of the time mentioned above, he was able to pay off the mortgage held by the National Bank, and. subsequently sold the hotel to Messrs L. D. Nathan and Co. at a substantial profit. Mr ' Buxton then became proprietor of the Epsom Hotel, remaining in possession long enough to materially increase the value of the property and then selling out to advantage. A short time ago ’ Mr Buxton purchased a long lease of the Pier Hotel, in Albert Street, now known as the?; Criterion. Mr Buxton has already made considerable improvements in this hostelry. The bedrooms (thirty-one in number) have been thoroughly renovated and refurnished; the dining and drawing rooms have been redecorated; the billiard-room . and tables have been completely overhauled, and at the present time the billiard-room is one of the ■ most comfortable in Auckland. Mr Buxton takes considerable interest in cricket, football, and general outdoor sports, and during his residence at Hamilton was secretary of the local Cricket Club. Mr Buxton was married in 1890, and attributes much of his success in business to the careful watchfulness of Mrs Buxton, xhere' can be no doubt that Mr Buxton has had an extraordinarily successful business career. He is not yet thirty, yet the above record in one that a man of twice that age might well be proud of. As a typical illustration of Mr Buxton’s resolution, we may mention that though he was born in the Trade, and has practically lived in it all his life, he has nevei’ tasted alcoholic liquor in any shape or form, nor has he tried the soothing effects of tobacco. £so