SMOKE CONCERTS IN NOLICENSE DISTRICTS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10429, 21 September 1911, Page 5

SMOKE CONCERTS IN NOLICENSE DISTRICTS.

{To The Editor. ,]

I Sir, — Your leaderette in to-day's j alssue in reply to my letter of the 18th is only beating the wind. There is no necessity to obtain the opinion of the Grown Ijaw Officere, sauce I [have given you something higher, a •decision, from- the Bench in a p<rose■cution which, judged from the date tof the offence (23nxl February) and Hate of the hearing (sth April) was under/taken only after obtaining the opinion of the Crown Law Officers. | Further, you are aware that the ! Crown Law Officers do not gave opin- | ions except to the Crown, so that you were on safe ground® with your £5 I challenge. It does' not require legal I acumen or anything but an impartial I mind, to see that the cases of the i oyster saloon keeper and the occupier of (a room let for a banquet or smoke ■coioert are on all fours. Section. 37, sub-section I, reads: ''No building, roomi or other premises in any Noiicensie. district shall be kept or 'useoY' asi a place or resort ifor the consumption of ailicoholic liquor on Whose premises." In the case I I quoted rtlbe people went to the saloon ifor the "bona fide purpose of having & supper, at wibrlch the consumption of liquor (supplied by the piarti.es themselves) was but an incAdfent. The (Magistrate ibeld tihiat the saloonkeeper., by permitting (this, was privy to allowing his "premises to be 'used' a,:- a resort for the consumfpr tion of alcoholic liquofj" and fined him accordingly. Turn now to the •?ase of a man letting a room for a banquet or smoke concert, for which the parties supply their own liquor, and consume it there, and tell me how his position i,s any different to that cf the Gore oyster s&loon keeper. If the latter was properly convicted—which he must have been, as he did not appeail, a,nd the decision has not been dissented from— what hope can the occupier of any other premises in a No-license district hfave who permits liquor to be consumed therle? None whatever. Thle latter part of the leaderette stating thiat i "evidence is daffy' forthcoming in I Masterton No-license district in soip- | port yf your contention" is valueless ;to you. It is simply stating in cold [ print that which has been knowui all i along, viz., thiat the resort-clauses I in the Act have-not been enforced! in | Masterton.— I am, etc., I J. W. CARD.

Featherston,

19>#i September, 1911. (This matter is again referred ito in our leading columms..~r-Ed. Age.)