The Wairoa Bell AND Hobson County Gazette. FRIDAY, APRIL 7th.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 192, 7 April 1893, Page 5

The Wairoa Bell AND Hobson County Gazette. FRIDA Y, APRIL 7th.

A question which may be of interest to many of our readers has lately been ec ■ cupying some attention in England. As in New Zealand, so in England, there are some persons who appear to have an insatiable desire for strong drink; and to these people it seems almost a necessity that they should have their liquor on Sunday as on other days. The law, however, forbids the publican to supply other than “ bona-fide travellers ” during close hours, and in order to ensure the obtaining of liquor it is necessary that they should become such The general reading of the law seems to have been that a publican was to look upon all persons who had slept the previous night at a distance of more than three miles from his hotel as bona-fide travellers ; and it has become a custom with many working men in English towns (and others) to go out to some hotel be yond the radius of three miles for drink on Sundays. The habit has in fact become so common that it has giyen rise to a new irord in the English language, to

“ bonify,” and the men when they go for di ir Sunday’s drink, say they were going ' unifying.”

In some t wus the practice had assumed such proportions that the quiet villages on the outskirts became the scenes of great disorder on Sundays to the great annoyance of flie residents. A test case was taken before the magistrates and the publican was fined ; the case was that of workmen who walked from Northampton to a village three miles and a quarter off, called Little Houghton, and theie obtained liqucr. The magistrates thought they went for the purpose of drinking, and were not within the exception which entitled them to be regarded as bona-fide travellers, This was appealed against and heard before Lord Chief Justice Coleridge and Mr Justice Cave, when the former said there was an irreconcilable difference between his brother Cave and himself as to “ bona fide travellers,” and the case was held over t ill it could be heard by a Court of five judges.

Later on the case was heard in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court before the Lord Chief Justice, and Justices Hawkins, Cave, Day, and Henn Collins The case was styled “Penn v Alexander,” and was an appeal from a conviction of a beerhouse-keeper for serving liquor within prohibited hours on Sunday, the question joeing as to the exception of *' bona-fide travellers;” whether it applies as to persons who take a walk on Sunday to a village where there is a public-house, and there take refreshment. In the course of the evidence it transpired that on the par ricular Sunday specified there were 131 persons drinking in the house, and a somewhat similar number were expected every Sunday for two extra barmen were always engaged for Sundays. After a full hearing the Court upheld the conviction, and declined co consider persons “ bona-fide travellers ” who made a journey specially to get drink. The practice of “ bonifying ” is one not unknown in our communities and we draw attention to the above for the good of all concerned, —police publicans, and bonifiers too. Some people lay all the blame for Sunday drinking upon hotel-keepers, but this in very many instances is unfair, for some of them would be only too glad to be left alone on Sundays, whilst those who call for the liquors are so anxious to get them that they will walk several miles to secure them. In one town, the name of which has gone from our memory, the publicans themselves very effectively put a check on Sunday trading by making the price of drinks on that day a shilling.