THE LICENSING LAWS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 982, 31 December 1908, Page 21

THE LICENSING LAWS.

A ROYAL COMMISSION PROMISED. One day last week a very large -deputation waited upon Sir Joseph Ward, Prime Minister, in connection with the request for the appointment of a Royal Commission to inquire into certain allegations recently made respecting the administration of the licensing laws. There were present a number of representative citizens and delegates from the Auckland Ministers’ Association, Auckland NoLicense League, Salvation Army, Good Templars, Newton Congregational Church, Central Mission, Rechabites’ Lodge, Baptist Tabernacle, Eden NoLicense League, Whangarei No-Lic-ense League, Y.M.C.A., W.C.T.U, and Remuera Liberal Association, together with delegates sent from Waihi. Mr. C. H. Poole, M.P., was also present. The Prime Minister said that on his last visit to Auckland he had been interviewed by Mr J. C. Macky and others, who asked for a Royat Commission, and the representatives of the Press were not invited to that interview. He had received from that deputation certain statements concerning alleged improprieties in connection with the Licensing Bench in Ohinemuri district, and he promised that he would submit the matter to Cabinet for consideration. On Dec. 15 the question was gone into. He •did not want to be put into the position of it being thought there was necessity for a second deputation to urge upon him the necessity for a Commission, and he wished to say publicly that the Government propos•ed to give effect to the petition in this case —(hear, hear) —that was, to have a Royal Commission appointed to investigate the allegations made. There had been no delay as far as the Government was concerned. It was not possible for Cabinet to get a meeting before it did, and in a matter of very great importance, such as this, neither he nor any member of the Ministry could deal with it alone. The mind of the Government as a whole had to be taken. He thought it was a matter of sufficient importance for a Royal Commission, and a Royal Commission would be appointed. (Applause.) One statement in the petition referred to a sworn declaration. So far the Government had not received that declaration, and must ask for it. Mr E. G. B. Moss: You shall have it. Sir Joseph Ward said the Government required that declaration, for It was to some extent' the basis upon which the whole matter must be started. The other statements made were sufficient for the purpose of doing what' what was required from a legal standpoint in getting the Commission appointed, and he was glad to hear the declaration was to be handed to him. There was one statement made in the correspondence, the Prime Minister went on t'o say, that he was not able to agree to, and he wished to allude to it, for he did not know the intention of the request, and in the second place he could not agree to it in the public interest. It was a request that the evidence should be taken in camera, no one being present but the Commission, the parties conducting both sides, and the witnesses. He did not think that in a matter of this sort there should be any secret Court. It was a matter which should be freely open to the Press. (Applause.) There might have been good reasons for the request, but in a matter where a Royal Commission was appointed there cmPd be no good in covering up, even temporarily, an investigation in the public interests. He thought he would be saving the time of the deputation by making this statement first, that a Commission would be appointed, and that as soon as possible the matter come before the Cabinet, with a view to selecting the Commission. A matter that had been urged upon him was the probable departure of important witnesses. If the parties concerned would send him a list of

the witnesses, he would have communications sent to one and all of them requesting them to wait and give their evidence, and he would also feel it necessary, on beha f of the Government, to ensure the attendance of those whose evidence was important. He had no knowledge of what was referred to, but he did not think that in that respect there need be any apprehension. Once a Royal Commission was appointed, it must necessarily be regarded, by all concerned, as of the greatest importance that all required sho.uld be in attendance and give evidence. Where very grave charges were made against public offic.als, magistrates, and justices, he thought it was the duty of the Government to have the matter investigated, for it was of the utmost importance that there should be pure and clean administration of the law. (Hear, hear. STATEMENT BY MR. MACKY. Mr. J. C. Macky said he had pleasure, on behalf of the deputation, in thanking the Prime Minister for the way in which he had met the deputation, While the Prime Minister had explained there was no delay, people had been continually pressing him (the speaker) to know what was to be done. But now a clear statement had been made that would satisfy everyone, and show that the Government was determined to~ probe the matter to the "bottom, and get at the actual truth. The meetings in connection with the petition were of public citizens, not representative of any particular party, but the general public interested in the strict administration of justice. The only thmg was as to the probable nature of the Commission, and how long it would be before the Commssion was appointed. They had pressed the matter somewhat because there were very strong rumours of the removal of important witnesses beyond the Dominion. The charges being those of bribery and corruption, led to the expectation that money would be forthcoming to remove those witnesses, and it was believed that one ,pf the most important witnesses was ’going away from New Zealand altogether. Sir Joseph Ward replied that with respect to the appointment of the Commission, necessarily he would require to confer with his colleagues, but he could tell the deputation that his own impression, and what he would recommend, was that a matter of such importance required a Commission including judges, or a judge, of the Supreme Court, and the matter would be gone Into at the first meeting of the Cabinet. He did not know that the Cabinet would meet before January 5, but after the intimation that a Royal Commission was to be appointed, he thought' it hardly possible for important witnesses to do other than recognise that their evidence was necessary. The matter was of such importance that the Commission should be a tribunal beyond all question, and that was the sort of tribunal the Government would appoint. Mr. N. Carless, on behalf of the Waihi deputation, read a resolution recently carried by a meeting of 700 electors at Waihi. The resolution was to the effect that the meeting viewed with alarm and indignation