SATURDAY, OCTOBER. 13, 1883.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 19, 13 October 1883, Page 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER. 13 , 1883.

In accordance with oar promise we proceed I o give abstracts of soino of the Acts prissc! during the last session oi (lie A-scmbly, so fcliat people may generally be acquainted with any change 3 or 'tdditions that may have been made relative to the laws under which we live. Amongst others there is a Counties Act Amendment Act, of which the following are the chief provis'ons :—ln: — In the sth <lause it is enacted that existing Counties, where the whole Act is not in force, are to be deemed counties wherein it has been suspended. The next portions r^for to whero County Councils arc dissolved \ and counties reconstructed, with regulations relative to new elections, &c. The ; 10th clause provides for cumulative voting at elections for County Councils. | on the following scale : — Anyone on the j roll rated for property valued at no! more t .an £1000, one vote ; morn than £l;»00, not more than £2000, two votes ; more than £2000 but not more than £3000, three votes ; more fian £3000, but not exceeding £7500, four votes ; £7500 and upwards, five votes No elector is entitled to vote if his rates aie not paid. In raising special I©ma,1 © ma, if the proposal is agreed to by over twothird" it [< to be uVeniel car ied, but i! not it is to be considered rejected Power is given to raise money for bridges on secu.ity of the tolls to be imposed thereon. Authority is giren to County Councils to construct or take over water races for the use and convenience of t;ie public, an 1 they may obtaiu special lo.ms for such pu poses. They \my enter on any private lan Is for sue!) purpo&u.s, compensation being given up pre^oiibe.l by the Public Works Act, IbB^, and the fullest other powers for constructing P»cts arc conferred by the 37th clause. Heasy penalties are provided against those w.jo ul'ow refuse fiom manufactories to tlow into races, or for div< rting water fium them or from htruums bupplying them. Ooun-cils" arc given authority to nutlet) bye-law^ an-d-

charge rates on water supplied. Existing water races may be brought- under th*B Act, and the Govenor may proclaim Hie Council of any Comity 'as rivor conser ators. The additional powers f.hjiis conferred nre important. There is also a I 'oads and Bridges Construction' Act 1882 Amendment Act, that, continue some alterations of interest. Section 1 0 of the original Act is amended by the omission of all words after <% cost of construction," nnd section 84 is repealed, nnd in lien thereof it is enacted " That all applications for construction of main roads, nnder the .-aid Act, made in any year after this year, shall l>e made prior* to the 30th of June in each year, and thos** made for construction of district roads or river works shall be made prior to the 30th of June and 31st of December respectively ; but all applications so made shall be deemed t» have been made simultaneously on the respective days above mentioned " Any roads gazetted before the 31st of March this year arc to be main roads for the purpose of any application made l»»fore the 30th of Juiia last passed. No application by locil bodies made after this your is to exceel £5000, under pain of being rejected, and all made in tin* present year are to be reduced to snci sum by the respective local bodies making the same. Iti grunting applications, those for bridges arc to have priority over mads, and are to be considered' next in order after coses of extraordinary damage. Imprest payments may be made, when the grant to be expended has been duly approved by the M'tiiste I',1 ', if the conditions are fulfilled relativeto the local body giving debentures as required by the. 14th section of the Act, or supplied one-fourth the cost of the work. Strict accounts of exppudituie are to be supplied and audited, ami any moneys misapplied, are to be recovered as a debt (I no to the Crown. Each and all of the members of the local body who consented to or permitted such a misappropriation are to be held personally and in lividually responsible, so there is littie o.iance of this occurring. Therein another sshott t Amendment Act to whie.i we may rofer in this issue, on the Destitute Persons Act, 1877. The secou I clausi of this measure is intended to re.uju tiiose who abandon their poor relatives, and in many cases wives and families, and runs as follows :—": — " Every pei -on who refuse*, fails, or neg'ects to comply with any order mile against hi ii under section 17 of The Destitute Persons Act, 1877, and goes to reside or is resident, either permanently or temporarily, in any of tne Australasian colonies, shall be deemed to be guilty of a misdemeanour, punish ihle by imprisonment wita hard about* for a term of 12 months." We may presume from this that offenders of this can bo extra lited from any of t.ie<e colonies, tneir offence being thus constituted a misdemeanour. In the c.ise of wife deserters it is to lie hoped that a large proportion of tue sin-ill army will bo brought within the operation of the Act. Tue next cl.iuse provides that such puuis nnent shall not do away with responsibility. The succeeding ami final eliius'S enact that the rel-itires ot destitute persons, whether nearly related or not, may be examined as to their meniH, an i that separate orders may be made on any of them, thus rendering a wide but by no means appreciative circle of relatives responsiole for their poor kinsmen's support. The procedure is certainly novel, it remains to be seen how it will work.

Skvkh\l publicans have been proceeded against in Oarnam this week, charged with soiling adulterated liquor. The analysis of Professor Black proved that the samples submitted contained large proportions of tannin, and conviction seemed imminent. The solicitor for defendants had, however, procured samples out of bond whicn, on examination, wore shown to contain as much tannin a« the liquors sold by the publicans, so it was cl'*ar tntvt the spirits had been lampiMV 1 with before export an* the information^ wore consequently dismissed. But these cases open up a rather wide field for speculation, fo< they show that the much abused colonial puuliean. may be sometimes made the scapegoat of importers, and, so without knowing it, vend liquors that are proscribed under the Act, at the- same time rendering themselves liable to all its pains anil penalties. Heie is afforded conclusive proof of the fact. But the amended Act fully meets the difficulty. Tne 2otli clause says " When any wines or spirits in bulk, stall be imported into New Zealand, any Inspector may, without any payment, procure and take a samp c or sampler of such wines or spirits for the purposes of ana'y^is Much samples shall be taken before or at the time when suun vr\no* or spirits are gauged by, or under the direction of any officer ot Custom* ; ami tne Inspector may enter, by force if necessary, any warehouse shed, building, or premises where such wines or spirits m.iy be stored or kept." Tne clause proceeds to s.ty that for the purposes of the Act the importer shall be deemed the seller of sucli sample or sample.-*. This fixes th° responsibility clearly enough, and importers cm be proceeded against ami lined in C/ises of adulteration. There is an escape provide I if iu»p irt-rs enter into a .sufficient bond, to the satisfaction of the Cu-toms Collector at, th<» port where the adulterated articles were imported, to export or destroy the same wit lin n specified time. Failing to do tlii^, the whole of the wines or spirits from which the samples were takeii are to be d« stroyed in such manner as tins Conimisfcioiifr of Customs may direct. Uu lor tho tirst schedule of t e

Act the definition of a>lulter*vHon in wines or spirits evidently brings the Oiiinaru liquors within its provisions. It now remain* to ho seen vnat furl her action, the Inspector who initiated these prosecutions will take against tlie greator sinners who sold' the -Wfficnted spirits to the publicans. What is sauce For the goose should be sauce for the gander, and because the salesmen occupy higher positions as merchants or what not, they should be rendered even in a greater degree amenable to the law. It would be no excuse to say that t.iey were unaware, that their goods were drugged, for it should be their special business to know exactly what they sell, and if they are deceived in the quality of any articles sent out to them by exporters, they have their remedy. We draw special attention to the matter, for the evil shown to exist at Oamaru, without doubt extends Qver the whole colony, and At many other places wines and -spirits, adulterated with tannin and probably even much more deleterious ingredients, are imported and sold us genuine by tio wholesale dealers. The attention of [nsppctors un ler the Act at all colonial ports should be drawn to this prosecution. Tiie publicans, as a rule, are quito able to hold their own in this direction, they do. not need any outside assistance from importers. Now thai attention has, be-.in attracte I to the matter, the bonded stores should in future receive as much supervision as the shelves or cellars of the licensed victualler. \