BAR ATTENDANTS PROTEST

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2916, 31 October 1916, Page 7

BAR ATTENDANTS PROTEST

•AGAINST ANTI-SHOUTING REGTJ- ' LATTONS. A special meeting of tho executive of the Wellington Hotel Employees' Union and tho member's of the union who are employed as harmon was hold in tho Trades Hall on Sunday to' discuss the anti-shouting regulations. Tho president fair. J. M'Cusker) was in tho chair. After discussion it was resolved that a deputation wait on the Minister of Justice and the position bo fully put before him. An official of the union stated that it was considered that the regulations were unfair and pressed with undue severity on the bar-workers. If thero were reasonable canso to suspect a breach the onus of disproof was'thrown on the defendant, but the methods employed in. securing convictions made it very difficult for the worker to sccuro the evidence to controvert that put forward by the prosecution. If a bar attendant wero to bo charged with serving a.juvenile or a person under the influence of liquor ho had to bo notified immediately after tho commission of the offence, but under the antishouting regulations thero was no such safeguard. Before tho man know that he was to be prosecuted ho had probably forgotten all about tlio incident on which tho charge was based, and finch evidence as he might have procured was not available. Tho doublo penalty also was objected to., Tho imposition of, the employment disqualification for six months' was not oven optional with the Magistrate. In any case, it was contended, punishment twice for the some offence was against tho traditions of 1 British justice.