SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1870. " Measures, not Men."

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 108, 5 March 1870, Page 4

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1870. " Measures, not Men."

It will be remembered that a deputation from the Licensed Victuallers' Association of Otago, some time last year, waited upon the Superintendent, and laid before him a just and grievous complaint against the prevailing practice, carried ou.tj no less in Dunedin than in every part of the province, by individuals trafficing in liquors without any license so to do, thereby injuring the trade of those who complied with the terms of the Licensing Ordinance. The deputation argued the case well, and besought His Honour to take some steps to put an end to such nefarious practices. The Superintendent simply said he could do nothing — the police force could not be made a body of spies ; such a thing would be derogatory

to the dignity of that august fraternity. Lately, however — whether from instructions given by the Superintendent, through the Commissioner, or given by the Commissioner on his own responsibility, we cannot tell — the police force have adopted the very course to which His Honour so gravely objected. Last week we gave a very glaring instance in which a constable, in the guise of a digger, succeeded in securing a conviction against a man named Purdo, a shantykeeper at Skippers, The report did not state whether or not the ponstable " shouted," but from the fact that "spirituous liquors changed hands freely," we may take it for granted that he shouted to a considerable extent. It would be interesting to know if the constable paid the amount for shouts out of his own pocket, with the view of gaining promotion, or was reimbursed by charging the amount to incidental expenses. Supposing the latter course was adopted by the constable, with the permission of his superior — and it is certainly the most lively one-r-we then have the ■ Government encouraging the police force to aid and assist men to infringe the very Ordinance which it is the duty of that body to guard and pro.te.ct. Here we have the Government abetting law-breaking with a vengeance. A fine state of morality indeed, but nevertheless a state of things allowed in our model police force. The means adopted by the Skippers policeman to obtain a conviction are deserving of the severest censure, and should be put a stop to at once. If the Licensing Ordinance cannot be honoured without such subterfuges on the part of the police force as were carried out in the case referred to, it is very evident the law does not meet the necessities of the province, and that a more liberal one is much required. In another colum we reprint an extremely analogous case which lately occurred in England, with the comments upon it by a leading Home journal. Our men in authority would do well to read it, as it is so applicable to the subject discussed.

Our contemporary the "Evening Star " is very hard pressed for subject matter for leading articles. Indeed he has been obliged during the last week, from sheer desperation, to expend a vast amount of gas on the awful crime perpetrated by this journal in publishing a list of those individuals who recorded their votes at the last Wallace election. Fancying that some deep political design lay at the root of the proceeding, he, with all the chivalry of a Quixot, bound forth on the laudable quest of revealing bribery, intimidation, and corruption. He makes it no secret that he has been studying all the Acts of the Colonial Parliament for the last dozen years, to make a good case against us for such a great breach of privilege. His search, we regret to say, has not proved so successful as he expected, and he calls upon those who "coincide with his views to assist him in thoroughly sifting the matter." But although he has not entirely realized his wishes, still his enquiries have " elicited some extraordinary disclosures," which he wisely refrains from making known, but no doubt will reserve them to strengthen the overwhelming case he purposes bringing against the Colonial Secretary in the first place, and in the second against our humble efforts to distribute interesting and welcome news to our readers. There is no need disguising the fact that our contemporary has discovered what is vulgarly termed a mare's nest, and we have no doubt he has already seen his error. In his first article he incriminated the Returning Officer for supplying the list, but after reading that gentleman's communication on the subject to the "Daily Times,"— which also appears in our columns, — he fully acquits him, and transfers the onus to the Colonial Secretary, who will doubtless bear it as if he bore it not. For the information of our contemporary, we may state that the list was given to us at our own request, and we published it from no other motive than to fill a corner ; and we believe it proved infinitely more interesting to our readers than our j contemporary's inflated articles will prove interesting to hi 3 Dunedin aubsciibers.

Mr. Thatcher, on Saturday week, at Vauxhall Gardem, shot in three sweeps, winning every one, and killing seven out of eight pigeons — beating Messrs. Clayton, Harding, and Woodlands. We are informed that in a contest at Hokitika, three or four years ago, at paroquet shooting from the trap, ha succeeded in killing ten out of eleven bilds,— beating on that occasion the two crack shots, Dean and Dyson, as well as Harding and Comiskey, who are both reputed clever with the gun. This feat has, we believe, never been excelled— the small size of New Zealand paroquets and their swiftness of winj making them far more difficult fo hit than the pigeon. — " Evening S,tar."