ALONG THE COAST.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1098, 11 July 1882, Page 2

ALONG THE COAST.

For liter ferendo vincitur malum quod non evitari potest.

It has been said by someone that “ there never was an Act of British legislature but what a coach and six could bo driven through it,” and in this precious Licensing Act of ours, we have the novelty of seeing not alone the passing of the proverbial coach through it, but special clauses introduced to facilitate the travelling of the same, not by one road, but in all directions. Now, in this district (which is a proclaimed one under the “ Native Licensing Act, 1878, and Licensing Act, 1881), I know nothing about how it affects other parts of the country • according to the local option poll, licenses were allowed to be increased everywhere, and in every shape 1 At least I am led to believe so, as new ones were granted in two instances, one of them, certainly, obviated a long-stand-ing want of the travelling community (viz., at Marahea), and the other, well, it was not wanted, as there were two hotels there already, and the European population of the place number only 20 souls ; but the five intellectual individuals, who rejoice in the arduous duty of working this precious “ Act ” for the benefit of a benignant public, evidently had taken it into their sagacious noddles that a third “ pub ”

was requisite for the comfort and welfare of 10 men, 4 women, ond 6 children which comprise the European recidents of Tokomaru. As a proclaimed district under the Aet of 1881, publicans, or anyone else, residing on it, are not allowed to, in any way, supply intoxicating liquors to Maoris, or half-castes, under a penalty of £2O fine for first offence, and six months’ imprisonment for the second, and yet these five pillars of alcoholised wisdom were not content with granting licenses to five different Maoris and half-castes; but in two cases, actually licensed houses situated in the centre of Maori “kaingas,” with not even the ghost of a European near them. To wit, Te Rahui and Te Kawakawa. It is not for a moment to be supposed the gentlemen forming the Commission would deign to take into consideration the clashing of the two Acts, i.e., the Act of 1878, and the Licensing Act of 1881, for had not the Legislature of the country said, “ the Acts shall work together in special districts,” and work they must of course, right or wrong, after such a “manifesto,” their idea seems to have been, what have we to do with prohibition ? We are here to grant licenses and get as much money for them as the law allows us; never mind the licensee getting into a mess through our overt doings ; let the Government look to that; and probably to a certain extent they were right; but surely they, the said Commissioners, were, and are,'responsible if not to the enlightened constituency who elected them, at least to their own consciences, that is if they have such a thing about ’em, for deliberately assisting these unfortunate Maori publicans to do that which appears to me to be next thing to breaking the law. Kokako. Waiapu, 30th June, 1881.