The Lyell Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 1885.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume V, Issue 214, 21 March 1885, Page 2

The Lyell Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 1885.

The Police Offences Act, which became law last session, is gradually unfolding 1 some of its precious provisions for regulating the conduct -of the people besides trenching on some of the customs otf society. Tbe rigid -enforcement of the spirit of this addition to ilie statutes, will, if made, strike terror all sorts of ways, anil whilst it will be -very generally admitted that a lot of it is useful, and put together ijfc such a comprehensive and intelligible form as U make the work of bring: ug transgressors, and offenders more ready to .justice than before, still and all, that there is a lot of old-fashioned humbug made use igf in the design, will not be denied tor a

moment. Take the clauses relating to Sunday trading. Tke intention uppernn st in the mind of the builder of the enactment, j when he reviewed the awful tendencies of the people of the present daj towards anything savouring of Sabbath deseoration or, a rational observance of the seventh day of the week, was doubtless, to enforce a thoroughly general observance of the day, in such a way that it would beeome, compulsorily, a very dull one indeed; one to be filled with a constant gloom, which, it is not hard to see, must necessarily lure anything but a cheerful orcomposingeiftist upon those vvho might feel disposed to act j and think a little for themselves, just far one day in the week. As matters stand j now, the day, of all others, k teeming j with restraint and repression, and yet this is the one of all others upon which people | itre to he free and at rest. There is, perhaps, one good feature in it though ; the hardly worked, and those employed at unhealthy pursuits are safe for a little rebel, but whether the same benefits eonld he obtained, or not, without such a sweeping measure, is amvther Ihiisg. In a» exchange which we havo before us, there m the account of a li.M. Court case, where ft carrier returnisg £0 his home, on Sunday, with an empty waggon, is elurged with a breach of ths Act. The Conrt ruled that to bring a man within the law, it should be proved he was working at his calling. The act of returning home with an empty conveyance, did Bot constitute an offenee, and so the Magistrate took a rational, reasonable view of the thing, and dismissed the case. This portion of the Act relating to Sun4ay trading appears to go too far. That which is applicable to certain places, say, —big towns as an instanee, is very often altogether urinsuitafele in out-lying localities, whwee the wature of the chief occupation or employment, added to the feature of inaccessibility, not an infrequent one in these .parts, people, however com- 1 tfcieutious, to make od« occasion of tkeir I transactions with the -outside world, and I itkat usually reserved, for many reasons, to the seventh da .