NO LICENSE IN CLUTHA.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11501, 6 February 1903, Page 8

NO LICENSE IN CLUTHA.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PBES3. Sir,—All readers of Messrs Sherwell and Rountree's famous work on the drink question will remember what an important part "safety valves" play in contributing to the succeee of local or State prohibition in the United States, and, indeed, in Northern Europe. A " safety valve" means a nonprohibition district close at hand, where those unfortunate enough to have their persei.al liberty vetoed may become free men and slake "their Jhirete by crossing the dividing stream or street which separates them from the saloone. A " safety valve" seems to be badly needed in Clutha just now. Thoee at present existing are too far away. Recently there were two noted prosecutions there. A Dunedin brewer was charged with sending into the Clutha district "a package which does not bear distinctly written or printed on the outside thereof a statement that it contains liquor." The " package," the subject of the information, was a barrel of beer, whioh had the brewer's name and Customs stamp on it, but the contents were not stated. The solicitor for the brewer had two defences; na guilty mind, and second, that a barrel of beer "was not " a package." His Worship, who is evidently the possessor of a subtle mind, held that as the beer was bound by hoops and wood, the barrel was "a package," but ac there was no guilty mind manifesting itself in the transaction he dismissed the case as trivial. A probibitionist would probably differ from hie Worship as to the triviality of sending a barrel of beer into a no license district, and if lie did, I rather think he would have the best of the argument from a legal point of view. "Caee dismissed," and no reasons given should have been the decision. Some people will insist on giving reasons.

The second caee illustrates how jirohibition "makes" for morality. The de fendant was charged with exposing liquor for sale in a prohibited district. He had been twice convicted of the same kind of offence. Was fined once, and imprisoned for a ehort period a second time. Oα this occasion the police found five persons in the room where the liquor was ex posed. On one table were five glasses, on«l on another eleven glasses. The stock consisted of six and a half bottles of whisky. In addition, the straw jackets of bottles were also in evidence. That was the prima facie case. The onus was on th? accused to convince the Court that the whisky was not kept for sale. Appearances were somewhat adverse. "Thb liquor was a Ohrietmae gift from the accused's mother-in-law, apd he was retoiling it out by way of gift to his friends." An incredulous Magistrate would not accept no reasonable an explanation, and this time inflicted "the stretcher" of three months' hard. What the defendant's wife and six children will do during the three months is of no importance. Poetical justice, some will say.

But will the sentence stop the sale? It, might if a "safety valve" or two were placed liandy to tho end of the Balduthu bridge. Otherwise the place vacated by "the law-breaker" of the Clutha will be taken by another, whom three months' hard will not deter, but who will be v.'illing to take "the thick and the thin of it," ae' it comes. Three months in and three months out will do just as well as leading a precarious life on, say, the* margin of the betting fraternity. The penalties may be raised. They did this often in prohibition States in America, but unless there was " a safety valve" handy the drinking went on. Perhaps New Zealand human nature is different, but i am prepared to stake my little bit on the uniformity of our.common humanity, especially our thirsty humanity.—Yours, etc., SEMPER EAI)EM.

THE PUBLIC (?) GARDENS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —At noon on a very warm day not long since, I with a lady Mend journeyed to' the above .place with the intention of spending a pleasant hour. Wβ hod not long been seated on one of the benches, however, when one of t3ie garden attendants approached and calmly and seriously informed us that we were breaking the law! This announcement — considering our then quiet and inoffensive occupation—rather astonished us, and we I wondered why and wherefore it could be fhiie. And what do you tiunk we were told in response, to our surprise? We were breaking the law (how terrible it sounds) in that we bad given war to that natural and necessary craving of all .humanity, and—were eating our lunch! Yes, eating lunch within the precincts of what is supposed to be a public domain! Oh 1 the horror and absurdity of the tiling! We were also informed that we were at liberty (how kind!) to eat our lunch on the other • side of the river—that side where the little fishes live, and that the reason for the particular "law" being in force, was that people were too much in the habit of leaving the papers of their lunches where they ate —and, again, we were struck by tie enormity of- our offence. I do not know where tihe attendant ate his lunch, and he eeemed so embarrassed to Tiave to "enforce ,, such a fool of a law— and such it is. I told him that I considered the place a hungry institution —and we went our way. Later, after having been the way of the little fishes.(and they seems* far happiex than the attendant), we met quite a large party of people at lunch, and they were "enjoyimc tliemselves in real picnic fashion. I did not see that these were disturbed, and. besides, -why should they? Why should I?

If the Domain Board has a real grievance against those who leave their dinner papers, etc., behind, why does it not supply boxes at convenient, places for the reception of rubbish—such boxes as are supplied by the City Council or Beautifying Association along the rijer banks and at other pleasant places? Ir the Domain Board is too hard up to do this, old kerosene tins and piano casM woa.d serve th« purpose admirably, whilst the attendants would be far more honourably employed , emptying these, than emptying the gurdens of thosa who would gladly journey thither to enjoy—with other things—even their-lunch.

Whereas the dinner hour was to roe and many others the only opportunity to make a vL«it to what oueht to be the peoples popular resort; now that the presert id'otic "law" is in force, I can but leave the p!ace severely alono to the unhappy attendants, find to those aid foSsils who, in these days of progress and common convenience, must, from tb* nature of thine*. neee«earily constitute "the powers' tKt be."—Yonr*. *te., E. H. C. BIDDER. February sth.