Sessional_Paper_1898 — Page 511

( 10 )

The complaint of the last Regiment--the West Yorks-was that the men got the liquor from these grocers' shops and got very drunk. Therefore the liquor ought not to have been samshu ?--I did not say it was samshu.

You said it was in the case of the "Rifles" ?—I said I had been told it was.

Well, would not that all point to the fact that the quality of the liquor was very bad? No, because they may have got it from a Chinese shop.

But I mean that the report of the officers was that it was bought from the grocers, and that as regards the Rifles the liquor was samshu. Colonel NORCOTT told me that.--- The last Regiment complained that the men were continually bringing bottles of liquor-whiskey they called it into the barracks, and they asked me to put a stop to it. A man could go and buy a bottle of whiskey in a hundred places and in my opinion it was for the officers to prevent the men going into barracks with bottles in their pockets.

Do you think it would be a good thing to provide in the Ordinance that grocers should not sell single bottles ?-I do not think it would. You cannot legislate for that sort of thing. It would be very hard if I sent out for a bottle of whiskey and could not get it.

With regard to guarantees for character signed for publicans' licences, do you think that any enquiry is made by people who sign these applications? I mean the different firms ?--I do not know. I think you get full information from the Police,

This man

**** the Police reported most unfavourably upon and yet we have three highly respectable people to give him a character. Taking that as a positive fact, together with the case of SCHWALM the other day, do you think the guarantees are genuine ?--The exceptions bave not been many.

And you think all these other people are of good character? Remember that you yourself brought up * * *.- How can you get people to be absolutely honest in giving characters ?-A servant leaves an employer and he is often known to be a bad servant and yet he gets a character.

Therefore a character is not of much value ?-The Justices do not go on these characters; they go on the Police reports.

I am afraid they go on the others.-I think, taking them on the whole, the guarantees are bonâ fide guarantees.

They guaranteed that man SCHWALM.-There have been exceptions, undoubtedly. With regard to the eating-houses-they have guarantees-do you mean that the Police make some enquiry as far as they can and simply report to the Colonial Secretary or to you ?--With every licence issued there is a report.

But the Police do not get a guarantee from the householder; they go in and get what information they can ?-Yes.

Has it not been reported that they were issued for other purposes than was intended ?—Of course, it has. This is a class of houses that gives a good deal of trouble; prosecutions are fairly numerous.

In fact, they are not a respectable class of houses ?-Some of them are; others are not. They are not of a very high class.

You could suggest, I suppose, regulations that would bring them more into line and make a better class of them ?--I do not think so. You must live and let live. That class of house is quite as good as any in the slums of other cities. In every city you find these coffee houses. If you intend to level them up to such a high tone a man with $20 or $30 a month would not be able to get a meal.