§ MR. W. E. M. TOMLINSON (Preston)I beg to ask Mr. Attorney General whether, in view of the fact that the managers of regimental canteens in Volunteer camps have been subjected to fines by local magistrates, in cases where they have been unable to prevent persons, not members of the corps, from surreptitiously purchasing drink from the canteen, he can say whether, in the case of a regimental canteen being established in a Volunteer camp under the sanction of the General Officer commanding, pursuant to the provisions of the circular memorandum recently issued from the Adjutant General's Office, any person not a member of the corps to which the canteen belongs, surreptitiously obtaining, or endeavouring to obtain, drink at such canteen, commits an offence for which he is punishable at law; what remedies are open to the Commanding Officer against the person so offending; and is he entitled to put him under arrest, or can he take 130 out a summons against him before the local magistrates?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir ROBERT REID,) Dumfries BurghsThe law punishes persons who sell liquor without a licence, but does not punish persons who buy liquor from an unlicensed person, presumably because they cannot always know if the seller is licensed or not. I should not recommend a Commanding Officer in the circumstances, to put any buyers of liquor from the canteen under arrest, because, if he did, he would have no defence in an action for false imprisonment.