THE LICENSING ACT.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5205, 18 November 1927, Page 2

THE LICENSING ACT.

POLICE PROCEDURE. MAGISTRATE’S COMMENT. A little-known and very sweeping provision of th© Licensing Act was made known to a witness and to those in court- by Mr A. M. Mowlem, S.M., in Hastings a few days ago, when a publican was giving evidence. The witness had complained that a police constable had detained one of his boarders at the police station until the bona tides of the boarder had been established, and that the same constable had followed another boarder, a. very reputable business man, from the hotel into a private’club to satisfy himself who the man was and what he was doing. The witness showed that he had been irritated by what he thought had been unjustifiable conduct on the part of the constable, but .was stayed by His Worship while the law was explained to him. That law, said His Worship (reading from the Act) allowed a constable to interrogate anybody qn the premises of an hotel—bona fide boarder, scullion, licensee, anybody at all. Indeed, it did more than that. It said that any person at all found on licensed premises could be required to explain his presence there “to the court” ; to the court, His Worship said emphatically, and not to a policeman. Th© police, however, did not avail themselves of these all-embracing powers, but used their discretion. “And,” added His Worship, “I would like to say that they have exercised that discretion in every case I have ever heard of properly and correctly.” \ z