The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1882.

Kumara Times, Issue 1682, 18 February 1882, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1882.

On Monday next the ratepayers of Kumara will be called upon to elect a Licensing Committee for the Borough. The list of candidates is a tolerably long one, and this gives a wide range for choice. Most of those nominated are new to public life, but the nature of the duties to be performed are such as may be undertaken by any men of ordinary intelligence. But simple as the duties may be, they will make the position of Licensing Committee-man anything but a bed of roses, that is, unless the roses are mostly composed of thorns. In some places, Christchurch for instance, an alliance has been made between the Good Templars and those who are presumed to represent, more or less, the publicans' interests. The result of such a union" it is difficult to forsee. The unanimous advice of the press of New Zealand, has been to vote for moderate opinions and liberal views, so as to allow of justice being dealt out equally to all persons—those connected with the trade and those opposed to it. A very considerable amount misapprehension appears to exist in the minds of many persons with regard to the operation of the present Licensing Act, some believing that the whole of it is in force, others that certain portions have the forco of law; while, again, there are those who steadfastly hold the opinion that nothing whatever can be done under the Act until the month of June next. The facts of the case are these. The Act " commenced" on the first of day of October, last year, but throughout the measure it is very distinctly shown that so long as present licenses, or rather those granted previous to the clay above-mentioned, ai-e still in existence, the Act will not affect the holders of such licenses. At the same time it must not be forgotten that there are many portions of the statute, such for instance, as those which apply to the illicit sale of alcoholic drinks, or as it is termed in the colonies, " sly-grog selling," can be enforced at any moment the police are pleased to take the business in hand. Convictions would be easy enough to obtain, but the impression, rightly or wrongly, prevails that in certain quarters a pecn'inr sympathy exists with regard to those who systematically break the laws in sly grog-selling. Until this impression is removed, the authorities who are supposed to be especially authorised to see that the licensing laws are carried out will be encouraged to refrain from interference, except in cases where some unfortunate publican has his lamp extinguished in a gale of wind, or has kept his house open five minutes past the proper time for closing, owing to the vagaries of the Post Office clock. However, we are not called upon nt the present moment to consider the eccentricities of individuals, or the manifold and manifest defects in the Licensing Act, but what has now to be done is to choose the best men we

can from the list of those who aspire to h seat on the Licensing Bpiicli. Let us hope that the good sense of the ratepayers will cause the right men to be selected, and this result we confidently anticipate. The election for the Licensing District of ilohonu takes place on Wednesday next.