THE OKATO LICENSING CASE.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1918, Page 7

THE OKATO LICENSING CASE.

To the Editor. Sir,—Sinea my Jotter re the Okato Licensing case apposed in your issue of Tuesday last, it lias been pointed out to rae that any. person reading it without having read the published report of the case may easily infer that.the Okato licensee was not punished avail ill connection with his olience, or raihcr offences, and therefore the S.VI who dealt with the case was seriou?!j misrepresented. Fearing lest there should ho misrepresentation of the S.M., will you permit me to explain that it is perfectly true that the licensee was lined £3 cn each of three charges of selling liquor to each of three separate men, one of whom was under 18 years of age, a resident in the district and well-known to the licensee. But, Sir, my point is this: Here is a licensee who for. the sec; ond time is found guilty of opening his premises for the sale of liquor; the men io whom the liquor was servod remained in the hotel drinking from 1) a.m. until one o'clock next morning; almost, immediately after leaving the hotel these same men were (on the testimony of the licensee's counsel) caught red-luinded committing theft. Surely the fact o£ the licensee deliberately keeping tiheso men in his hotel drinking after hours constituted the major offence. And yet the S.M. refuses to inflict punishment of any sort. Such tenderness towards such an offender for such an offence is absolutely amazing. Furthermore, a point T unfortunately missed in my last letter was the fact that Mr. Vinseu, who, in the very face of the evidence, had a genuine excuse for visiting the premises that night, but unfortunately for himself stayed a little too long, was convicted and had to pay 17/- for his imprudence. It is only fair to' Mr. Vinson to say that he was a devoted worker for the patriotic sports billed for the day following his indiscretion. He had been working late-and early, and his visit to the hotel on that fateful evening was to interview "Mr Woods, iv visitor to the district, and who, by the way, was to assist Mr. Vinson rat the following day's patriotic sports- Yet these two men are bled to the tune of 17/- each, while another man for a 'blazing breach of the statute law (second offence) is merely convicted and practically told to be a good little boy and not offend again. This six o'clock closing of .pubs is a' War-measure. Tile public, of this 'Dominion recognises that alcoholic liquor produces inefficiency ilnd a hundred and one other evils, and the men who arc selling it-must toe the mark and kee.p the law. To this end the stipendiary magistrates of this Dominion must not allow, crusted sentiment or foolish tenderness to" temper punishment meted out to law-breakers, and if they do so act, complaint, cannot be tolerated when adverse criticism results.—l am, etc., W. H, IIAW.KINS. Okato, oth June.