Review of Reviews, 2 J 10/06. 



Political Power versus Pubhc Interest. 



335 



rigorously that Sunday trade and trading after hours 

 would become a dead letter. 



Sir Samuel Gillott insists on none of these things; 

 wherefore it is evident that Sir Samuel Gillott is 

 interested in lax administration and ineffective laws. 



THE EFFECT UPON THE POLICE. 



Now, imagine the effect of all this upon the 

 police. 1 do not say that every policeman in the 

 force is likely to be influenced in his action against 

 public-houses owned by Sir Samuel Gillott, by the 

 fact that this man is the own-er, but I do most em- 

 phatically say that no policeman ought to be allow- 

 ed the opportunity to exercise a bias in favour of a 

 house owned by his official chief. Many a man 

 with a keen eye for promotion, recognising that 

 sometimes zeal may not be the most discreet thing 

 where promotion is concerned, could find it an easy 

 thing simply not to see attempts at evasion of the law 

 in connection with these houses. The door is open 

 to such a vast amount of corruption that one stands 

 appalled at the possibilities which may lie before it. 

 Or, to look at the case from another point. Sup- 

 posing a prosecution were instituted against houses 

 owned by a policeman's official chief. The latter, 

 by virtue of his position, has the right to e.xamine 

 correspondence and reports from constables in refer- 

 ence to these matters. Here, then, is a door open- 

 ing upon a festering mass of corruption which a man 

 in that position might easily enter. Only two or 

 three weeks ago the legal firm of which Sir Samuel 

 Gillott is a member defended a person who was 

 prosecuted for an alleged breach of the licensing 

 laws. In representative capacities, therefore, the 

 Victorian Chief Secretary was both prosecutor and 

 defendant. The utter unreasonableness, the stupi- 

 dity and farcical nature of such a condition of things 

 as this is inexpressible. 



A POOR TOOL NOT A PLEA FOR NEGLECT. 



Of course it may be said, and with truth, that 

 while the present Commissioner of Police is in office 

 nothing very great in the administration of licensing 

 and gambling laws may be expected. Even the 

 Commissioner's hands are soiled by an association, 

 direct or indirect, with the liquor trade, and the 

 police commission has adversely reported upon this 

 matter. .Mr. O'Callaghan's regime has been noto- 

 riously a barren one as far as the enforcement of 

 the law is concerned. I shall, however, have op- 

 portunity to deal with this aspect of affairs a littl«- 

 later. 



.•\fter all, Sir Samuel Gillott is th ■ responsible 

 person : the other is his subordinate. It is to the 

 responsible person that one looks for faith- 

 ful performance of duties. It is the respon- 

 sible person who is responsible for any cul- 

 pable circumstances that may ari.se. If a business 

 concern is running on wrong lines, it is not the un- 

 derling, h>it thi- rrspimsibli- person to whom the 



principal looks, and it is right that it should be so. 

 Men are not placed in positions of trust to be 

 figure-heads. If they think they are, it is time that 

 an indignant public assured them of the fact that 

 when they are paid a salary to do a work, it is 

 expected that the work shall be done. 



The whole thing lies in Sir Samuel Gillott's hands. 

 If his Chief Commissioner is not the man to do 

 his bidding, he (Sir Samuel Gillott) could raise such 

 a storm about the matter that the whole country- 

 would support him in retiring the individual. 



Mr. O'Callaghan is over 6o years of age, at which 

 other police officers have to retire, and there is 

 neither rhyme nor reason for keeping him where he 

 is. This only makes Sir Samuel Gillott's culpability 

 all the greater. If he were in real earnest, there is 

 no doubt that he could galvanise even the Chief 

 Commissioner into activity. But seeing that Sir 

 Samuel Gillott seems to care as little personally for 

 observance of the law as regards public-houses as 

 does the Police Commissioner, it is no wonder that 

 things in that department are in a most lamentable 

 condition. 



THE PRIME DUTY. 



.Sir Samuel Gillott's duty is clear. He should 

 either resign his position as Chief Secretarv, or else 

 give up his ownership of public-houses. No other 

 course is open to an honourable man. In holding 

 the dual position he is defrauding the people of 

 their rights, and j>erpetuating a condition of affairs 

 which is open to the grossest corruption to be found 

 anywhere in the world. I venture to say that if the 

 licensing law in New York were administered as 

 b'adly as is the Victorian licensing law, and the 

 responsible man owned public-houses to the extent 

 that Sir Samuel Gillott does, a howl of execration 

 would go up from the civilised world concerning the 

 iniquity and corruption of things in .\merica ; but 

 because it is in our midst, and the occupier of the 

 position has the reputation of being slightlv benevo- 

 lent, people fail to see the matter in its true light. 



I know it is not an illegal thing to own public- 

 houses. I know also that if a man does own 

 public-hou.ses he is not the right person to control 

 a department which .seeks to keep public-houses in 

 order. 



Here is a crv which vmuig .\ustralasia will need 

 to take up and insist upon, unless it desires to fall 

 into .some of the errors of other countries. It must 

 be insisted upon that if men in public positions have 

 private interests in the public departments they ad- 

 minister, they surrender one or the other. 



A WORTHY EXAMPLE. 



A. little time ago, when the notorious New South 

 Wales Lands Departmervt scandals w-ere first brought 

 into the light, Mr. Carruthers, the Premier, who was 

 also one of the principals in one of the most lucrative 

 Irgal businesses in Sydney, resigned his position as 



