CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1713, 18 June 1884, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor,

Sir,—While rending the report of the Licensing Committee, I was very much struck with the want of decision on the part of the chairman thereof, Tho only way to excuse such laxity on his part is, as you suggested in your leading column, that it is for want of experience. Whea the Sergeant of Police declared that their previous meeting had been held privately, he should have contradicted the statement at once, if such was not the case, and not given what appears like an evasive answer. .Mr Price apparently grasped the position of affairs, for he came to the rescue by stating that they had met in "open Court" and then retired. The Sergeant seems to have taken the reins into his own hands, for when he complained that husbands came home drunk at night—of which I will say more further on—the chairman expressed sympathy for the wives, the Sergeant turned round on him and said, "You have more sympathy for the hotelkeepers!" Goodness me! What next? Surely the Sergeant must have entirely forgotten his position, and ought to have been severely reprimanded for such conduct. The chairman was no doubt correct when he stated that closing at 10 o'clock would not do away with drunkenness. But the Sergeant in his simplicity seemed to think otherwise, for he said it would be an advantage to " compel" drunkards to go home at 10, before they had spent their " last sixpence." Does he think that closing the hotels at 10 o'clock would prevent them doing tbatl No, sir, I will answer for him, it would do no such thing, A drunkard is a drunkard, and the more you try by "force" to keep him from the drink the more he will strive to get it. Have we not had examples enough with regard to the prohibition clauses in the Licensing Act, where men who, having been brought under them, have, in a number of cases, only broken out worse than before; one in particular declaring that he had bottles of liquor planted in the hedges on his way home. It must be by gentleness and persuasion that the evil will be conquered, not by "force." Certainly if the polioe have power to issue a notice to publican's, warning each of them not to supply a certain person with liquor,- and they are afterwards found disobeying .that order, the publicans should be punished sevorely. With regard to closing the hotels at 10 o'clock, lam pleased to see that (he committee did not act on the advice of the police in this matter, for, as you ably put it in your leader on the subject : Why should the 600 or so be put, to inconvenience for the sake of keeping half-a-dozen black sheep out of hotels after 10 o'clock? I have expressed myself more fully than I at first intended, which I hope you will excuse; but there is one point more,, and I am rather disappointed at it not being mentioned in your article,—that is, the "extra bar" system that is coming so much into vogue. The committee seem equally divided on this'question, for upon it being put to the vote that a certain hotel should have an extra bar, we find the Chairman giving his casting vote in favor thereof. I would much sooner.'ihave seen that it had been given the, contrary way, for it is an objectionable practice, and if the Sergeant of Police had acted consistently, he would- have opposed rather than encouraged such a system, by stating that he thought it would be beneficial to this particular hotel, as it is evidently giving men another opportunity of spending their "last sixpence" Yours, etc., .Resident, • June 17,1884, , -