Untitled

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4744, 11 June 1894, Page 2

AVe expressed nil opinion the other day that with the introduction of a new licensing act some measure of condonation might be conceded to old offenders. Now that the first | meeting of the Licensing Committee in this district has terminated we ask ourselves whether an unduo measure of indemnity has been extended? Has our Licensing Committee ruled high or low, for on this depends the successful working of the new Act. We cannot conscientiously declare that it has ruled high ! It took infinite pains over its work, it collected evidence in almost painful detail, but when at the last it gave its decisions we failed to find in them any. high purpose and came to the conclusion that it had ruled low, The police did their duty and moderate men expected that the Licensing Committee would have proved as loyal to a sense of public duty as the police, but it is the old story over of plausible excuses being accepted for cases of grave misconduct and disorderly houses perpetuated in spite of the outspoken remonstrance of the police. A lady cannot walk down Queen Street after dark nowadays without running the risk of annoyance and molestation from intoxicated men. We have occasionally blamed tho polico for a condition of affairs like this, but it is obvious that the real culprits are our Licensing Committees, which do net back up the polico in maintaining erdcr in the community. Prohibitionists maintain that tho drink tratlic cannot be regulated, and the the result of the late licensing meeting seems to confirm the assertion. The only encouraging signs are that a minority of the Mastcrton Licensing Committee was prepared to rule high, but was out-voted, and that tho publicans themselves seem disposed to voluntarily undertake the work of reformation in the conduct of tlicii trade.