SLY GROG SELLING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 364, 15 April 1910, Page 2

SLY GROG SELLING.

DEPUTATION WAITS ON DR. FINDLAY. By Telegraph—Pre«t A««ooia.tion. , Wellington, Yesterday. A deputation from the New Zealand Alliance waited on the Hon. Dr. Findlay, Minister of Justice, this afternoon. The Rev. Mr. Dawson, secretary of the Aljliance, said the deputation wished to see magistrates have no option but to send sly grog sellers to gaol for a second offence. The deputation thought there had been too much leniency shown by magistrates. If the law could be made so that it would be illegal for one man to store liquor or procure it for another, the sly grog evil, would be effectively dealt with. They also thought no conditional licenses should be granted for cattle sales, race meetings, etc. The deputation would also like to see the law made plain in regard to the undoubted illegality of serving Maori women with Mquor. Dr. Findlay said this difficulty was due probably to some consolidating oversight, and ought to be put right. Other members of the deputation having spoken, Dr. Findlay said he was in entire sympathy with any attempt to preserve the law. It was a serious thing to make statements reflecting on the magistracy. If he were satisfied that any magistrate favored any particular interest he would be put off the bench at once,- Personally he knew of no case amounting to a dishonest tendency on the part of the magistracy. If the penalties imposed by the law were not sufficient to check offences they must be increased, and he admitted that where offences were repeated as often as sly grog selling was repeated j there was reasonable ground for as'klng that the penalties should be reconsidered with the intention of making them deterrent.

After quoting instances to show fines which had been imposed in different centres, Dr. Findlay said it was clear there was amazing diversity in the amounts of fines. Dealing with the proposed imprisonment for a second offence, lie pointed out that a second offence in a no-license area was •punishaWe, not by a fine, but by imprisonment. In license districts, however, there was option all through. A rule giving a magistrate no discretion might lead to putting a magistrate in a.n awkward position, in case of an offence due perhaps to thoughtlessness. He- would invite the Cabinet to consider the deputation's request to abolish conditional licenses. He agreed with the deputation that liquor which has been confiscated ought to be destroyed, and thought that an alteration would be made to meet this difficulty.