THE REVENUE OFFICERS ACT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 166, 16 July 1877, Page 4

THE REVENUE OFFICERS ACT

■We {Post) believe that the Otago Licensed Victuallers Association have caused to be prepared ..a >draffc Bil), eniitdled <r The Ee venue Officers Act, ; _JS77,", which _will be brought befor^ Parliament during the ensuing session^. It appears that ''sly-grog selling r ' is frightfully, prevalent, in /Dunedin, and that the police are unable to suppress it. In faet the, Sectary, of the, Otago Licensing Victuallers AasociationMate. in a letter addressed: to us, " that there are aa many sly -grog shops as licensed bouses in Dunedin, ahd that the most aiJaltered stoffs ftr-sdld in the , iformef places. -The^prdfjosetl '*' Reve * .'Aaajoffi.qera.Aet w is intended to deal with this evil. It provides, for the appointment of a special staff of revenue officers whose duties wquld.be to detect any aud all case's of contravention : of the Licensing Acts aod Ordinances tba^ ,are,Qr:o_aty be enacted for regulating -the -sale of fermented liquofs withioj : '.i«r colony of New Zealand, .In addi-j tion to this these officers would make it their special duty to hunt Up the -sly-grog^ sellers, and secure their con-; 'Miction and punishment. A clause inj %\ti> proposed Act provides aa follows: — | ■ Uit ,sb|ll be lawful :ior any 'Chief -orj . .Assistant Revenue Officer, upon reason-' able grounds of suspicion that Fermented' Or spirituous liquors are kept ot exposed ! .for sale in any house or premises not. _ice_-_ed. for that purpose, to enter said; premises and seize, take, and carry i away, or remove to the nearest Police! Station or Custom House, all su.h \ fermented or spirituous liquors, together with the utensils oontaining or used in selliog the same, and arrest the person selling or in possession of such liquors and utensils; aad as soon after as possible faring such offender together with tbe'said lrquors and utensils^ before two or .fibre Justices of the Peace or Resident Magistrate, to be dealt with. under the Acts and Ordinances then in force, for Jthe prevention of such offences." We have always been of opinion that looking after -public houses and prosecuting publicans for breaches df the Licensing Act, has a demoralising effect tipou the police. It is equally bad in effect to employ them in detecting and proseduting sly-grog sellers. For both kind, oi work a special body of officials should be employed, and foi 1 the creation of suoh the Aot provides.