The Globe. MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1876.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 671, 14 August 1876, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1876.

A notice signed by the Commissioner of Police appeared in our issue of Saturday, which seems us open to very grave objections. By this, rewards not exceeding £lO are offered for such information as will lead to the conviction of any person who may be found guiltyHof selling alcoholic liquors contrary to the provisions of the Licensing Acts, In the first place such a step will lead to the growth in our midst of a very undesirable class, that of spies or informers. In communities like ours there is always a number of persons, who for the sake of reward, would not hesitate to take up this trade. Such a state of thing must inevitably lead to demoralization, in fact there is a direct temptation held out to persons to forfeit their self-respect, and to become social Ishmaels. That this should not only be encouraged but directly fostered and incited by the Government seems to be exceedingly undesirable, as it is uncalled for. Were we a large mining community with a scattered population and only a comparatively small force of Police it might be justified on the grounds of expediency. But in a settled district, where the towns and even outlying districts have abundant police to check and detect any evasion of the law such a step is not only unnecessary, but positively mischievous. In Christchurch we have a large and presumably efficient force, not only of regular, but detective, police, who, if it were suspected that the law was being broken, are the proper parties to bring the offenders to justice. But in the face of this, we have rewards offered and inducements held out, to private citizens to do the work of detectives, and to play the despicable part of common informers. Such a state of things cannot fail to be productive of evil. It opens the door to the gratification of personal spite and malice, and what is even more dangerous, to the exercise of what is known in America as “ black-mailing.” Under this system we shall have organised bands of informers established, who will roam around levying contributions from their victims in consideration of withholding threatened information. Such cannot surely be regarded as a proper state of society, or a thing which in a well regulated community should he encouraged by a Government, While making these remarks, it must be understood that we do not for one moment uphold those who break the Licensing Laws. Ear from it, but we hold that the step taken by the Commissioner of Police is not only one calculated to lower the morality of the people, hut also will not result in the law being one whit the less broken. It simply institutes a system whereby the unscrupulous may, under the sanction of the law, extort money as a price of their silence. Granting for one moment, for sake of argument, that the offering of rewards in this manner is advisable, let us look at the results. In nine cases out of ten the informer would prefer taking a bribe from the lawbreaker, to incurring the odium of appearing in Court. Thus it will be seen a most vicious system would be initiated without any benefit to the public. No good end is served, and indeed, as we have pointed out, such evil will result. It seems strange also that one law alone should be selected, for the breach of which rewards will be offered for detection. Why should the Licensing Laws alone be singled out ? There are Customs Laws and numerous others, theiufractionof which is more than suspected. But we do not hear of the Customs’ authorities offering rewards to informers. They have a staff of officials whose duty it is to see that the law is not evaded and to them very rightly the department leaves the detection of offenders. We certainly fail to see any sufficient reason, apart from the grounds of our objection, why the Licensing Law should he made the

exception. It cannot be that breaches of it are more difficult of detection. The police in every town and district have large powers. In the town particularly, as we have noted, they are numerous and presumably vigilant. Hence there can be no possible reason for the introduction amongst us of a legalised system of espionage as regards one particular branch of the law. We hope that the Government will see their way clear to withdraw their notice referred to, as we have pointed out it will do no good and probably a great deal of harm. Its promulgation is a decided mistake; a mistake too fraught with evil consequences and therefore we urge its cancellation as un-English and wholly unnecessary.