CORRESPONDENCE

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 97, 9 August 1879, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

Wt an ulwaya trilling to give iiißUtlea to lett«n of explanation or interest, but tro wish it to M distiuctly uudersloed that «p do not endorse the ppirtiojui oxjrtafod, or langifftga aged, by our oammoadosti Ott» idViiH of puwdiig event* will li, J'uuiul ill our local or editorial column.*.

10 TBI KDtTOIt OF TIIK SAMOA timks.

Sin,—.May J uk (lie pnblig through you, mi what principle our Neutral Territory (Joint li conducted I 1 happened to b<> in apublie house on luat Satiuday ; when there-saw a bottle of gin aerved to a ninn whom 1 took to be a half-ilusto. On Monday 1 was al the firiUtb CoDJUlate, and th.'iu is.w the propriutOJ oi thu

same public house brought up before the' magistrate for the week for telling liquor to natu-.s, and the witness for the prpsocution was the second in command in the police, who gave svidenoe that ho was present at the selling of the grog. "This evidence was taken down without eominont by the magistrate (Consul). Now what 1 want to understand is this : Are the police instructed by our three governors (Consuls) to standby and see a crime committed aim ~ ■ interfere I If lam murdered iu t ; . pubiio road BCXi .•Saturday, in the p;e*iflco of the p iiee, is it their simple uut, . -.K • . and report tuecase.it liim,. a... . ~~; lay m im." I boliow t] i ,of the first P*"* 1 " 0 ! ** "'- oifcjeralmin lacitpt. .• Hie MlllglStrata po.tiied out to tue defendant o:. Moudav, that though the gin was uot sold by him, but by some ono else acting for him, still that he, as proprietor of the house, was just as liable to be fined as if he had himself done so. It did uot seem to occur to him that the offence was committed in the presence of some one acting for hiiu, and therefore virtually in his presence, aud committed too without the slightest remonstrance. Ido not wish to reflect on the police, who, I believe, perforin an arduous duty to tho best of their ability, and who cannot be expected to be up in every point of law ; but I thiuk that the pubiio would jiot be extravagant in expecting their employers to point out to them that the chief duty and prido of the police is not to arrest offenders but to prevent crime, and that a clean police sheet is more to their credit than fifty convictions. I am, &e, LOOKEtt-OX. Apia, August 3. ~