King Country Chronicle Saturday, Dec, 3, 1910. TOPICS OF THE DAY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 317, 3 December 1910, Page 4

King Country Chronicle Saturday, Dec, 3, 1910. TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The amended Licensing Act which came into force the other day contains a clause, referred to in another column, which it is important should be clearly grasped by every resident in the King Country. By making section 147 of the Act of 1908 apply to the King Country, as well as in no-license areas as previously, it renders it obligatory upon the vendor of intoxicating liquor in quantities of more than a quart of spirits or a gallon of beer, to notify the clerk of the Court at Te Kuiti or Ohakune that he purposes despatching such liquor into the King Country. Quantities of less than a quart of spirits or a gallon of beer, may be carried personally by the purchaser without notification. Many people who do not make a practice of drinking intoxicants may occasionally require a small quantity of spirits for medicinal purposes. They aro thus free to import such quantities if carried by themselves. On the other hand, if the police have reason to suspect that excessive quantities are being carried, without proper notification having been given, they may take action and prosecute. It seems a strange state of things that the district is compulaorily placed under the restrictive conditions attached to nolicense areas, but is forbidden the rights of local option as obtain in such areas.

*~4The Libel Act Amendment Bill is admittedly late in coming forward, but it is a great deal better late than never. It makes provision for reports of parliamentary proceedings, courts of justice, public bodies and public meetings to be exempt from

proceedings under the Libel Act, save only where an action is pro-

j posed to be taken arising out of I reports of speeches by members of public bodies, it shall not be sufficient defence if the defendant newspaper ■ cannot prove that it gave the claimant the opportunity of publicly ex- | plaining his action or speeches. This is only reasonable. Too long have newspaper proprietors been at tho mercy of men of straw, who, put up to claim weighty damages for imaginary wrongs inflicted by the publication of their utterances, have only succeeded in retarding and suppressing full and free reporting, and when the case goes against them, have nothing to meet the expense* with; the costs falling on the long-suffer-ing newspaper. If the amendments to the Act are carried through there need be no fear of any decent newspaper over-stepping the limits of decurous journalism. All the press seeks is to be freed from wanton attacks by irresponsible individuals without either means or grievances of a real nature.

♦♦♦♦ The sensation of the week \3 the dramatic speech made by Sir Joseph Ward in the House of Representatives on Wednesday night, when dealing with attacks upon his personal character. Both fricnJs and opponents of the Premier will join in stigmatising the methods of attacking him os beneath any man of honour, and in regretting that such a document should have been circulated. Mr Masscy and the leading members of the Opposition have made it clear that they disapproved of the pamphlet and regretted its existence, and with the very full and exhaustive explanations of the Fremier the matter may now be very well allowed to rest.