Access To Wharves

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 278, 23 August 1945, Page 6

Access To Wharves

Sir.—One o£ the most obnoxious of wartime restrictions —that of tile excessively drastic censorship—has come to an end. but another of the same breed—freedom of access t<> the wharves —is, according to the ultimatum of the Commissioner of Police, to remain, pending bis pleasure. His alleged "reason” for this autocratic decision —that incipient fires might result if the public were permitted to have access to the wharves—is no reason at all, for during the whole of the war period thousands of men thronged the wharves every day, and continue to do no ; and it was never before suggested that their presence created a fire risk. To permit a single individual to continue in peacetime the arbitrary role of dictator of what the public may or may not do is surely a negation of the principles governing individual liberty of action. —I am, etc., LEX TALIONIS. > Wellington. August 20.