Xmas Is Not Sunday

£10 Fine For Rabaul Licensees

THE New Guinea hotels may sell liquor between noon and 1 p.m., and 5.30 and 7 p.m., on Sundays.

On Christmas Day, two Rabual hotels naturally opened their doors during the stipulated hours. A third licensee did not open; but, instead, complained to the police.

The two licensees, who opened, were prosecuted. The magistrate said he thought they had acted in ignorance—as was most obvious. But he fined each of them £lO. As Christmas Day is treated as a Sunday in most other licensing sys tems, and as the provision nad clearly been left out of the N.G. Ordinance in error, and as the licensees had acted in good faith, a warning or a very nominal fine should have sufficed. £lO, presumably, was the minimum fine provided for.

However, if this kind of asinine f hing did not happen frequently in New Guinea the place would lose its atmosphere and reputation.