The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1835.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 18, 22 January 1895, Page 4

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1835.

For the cause that lacks assistoos, For tlio irrong that needs resistance, For th» future in tha distance, .. led tha good that ire' can tie.

Public attention in New: South Wales is being specially called to the inefficiency of the law dealing with adulterated liquors, and to the alarming extent to tyhich these deleterious beverages are retailed. It would,seem that either the quality .pt the alcoholic liquors sold in that colonychas sovper/ ccptibly . deteiriorated'^of-late as ;.to to: attract general.notice, or else; that the authorities by exercising a stricter supervision are bringing the hitherto hidden evil to light, • for there were more prosecutions for sellipg unwholesome spirits last year than was ever the case before. There are likely to be shortly some decidedly sensational developments, for the Inspector and his assistants, since the opening of, the new year, have been ;busy, collecting samples from various licensed houses in Sydney and its suburbs, which have been, forwarded to the1 Government laboratory for analysis. It will take some weeks to complete the testing of the liquors contained in a formidable array of flasks and bottles, but from former experiments on a smaller scale there is every reason to conclude that the result of the analysis will show ; that a large proportion of the beverages labelled "gin," "whisky," "brandy/ etc., are either systematically "doctored " or fraudulent imitations.

It is usual to attribute the practice of adulterating liquors to the licensed victuallers. Total abstainers often expatiate upon this in their public addresses, and are eloquent respecting the evils which are in consequence inflicted upon the consumer. To a certain extent they are justified in their complaints. While there are members ot the trade who, as honourable men, unsparingly condemn such practices, the experience of all the colonies, and indeed of the world at large for that matter, shows that many publicans use deleterious ingredients for the purpose lof fortifying the liquor they sell, .with an utter disregard to the effects upon the health of their, customers, Owing to the primitive condition of the liquor law in New;: South Wales, which the Premier, Mr Reid, recently characterised as a " disgrace to the country;''' such practices have been Even in Sydney, where, owing to co'mpetitioia and the dread of a Visit from the^tispecitQrfWs^^ considerable attention paid to the quality of the liquor sold, adulteration has gone on-to an; almost incredible extent. Nor have those who practised it even the excuse of having -used an admixture of ingredients of % harmless character. Rum has been fortified with tobacco, and whisky sold which contained a considerable percentage of oil of vitriol. It is hardly necessary to say that to partake of spirits containing even a small amount of these ingredients is injurious to health, .and produces distressing results to the drinker. When such things are done in a city like Sydney, it is.easy to believe the assertion that in many country townships where the supervision is laxer and there is less danger of losing custom, adulteration is the rule rather than the exception. According to the Government Analysist, there are considerable quantities of "manufactured" spirits in Sydney, concocted locally from essences for making imitation brandy, whisky and wines of all description. These concoctions are largely vended in the country districts. > ;; ,

But the consumer of wine or spirits in New South Wales has another evil to contend with. The law is so lax that large quantities of "sham " liquor are poured into th*e country from Germany and, other foreign places. In connection with this abuse, a deputation from the Licensed Victuallers' Association of that colony recently waited on the Colonial Treasurer. They produced specimen bottles of liquor made in Belgium and Germany, and placed free on board the steamer at Hamburg, at a cost of about is 6d a gallon for the best, and; ird a gallon for the bulk.,.. One of the samples, the deputation pointed-outj,was " a deliberate imitation of a good- English rum." As the - law ... of New South Wales doe&.not prevent, these imitation liquors going into consumption- 50 long as there is nothing in them " injurious to human health," it is easy'to see that an unprincipled publican can take advantage of this flaw in the Act to enrich himself at the expense of his customers. The consumer innocently supposes he is drinking rum or brandy, when be is in reality imbibing a liquor supplied at lid per gallon in bulk. The remedies proposed by the deputation were that the Customs regulations should be so altered as to permit of the examination and testing of doubtful liquors in bond, and that when found to be spurious they should be destroyed, and further that the duty on spirits, which is at present 14s per gallon, should be reduced. It was urged that owing to the high duty licensed victuallers who wished to deal fairly with the public were handicapped, while there was a great temptation to ! establish illicit stills, and as a matter of fact illicit spirits were hawked about all over the colony.

The Colonial Treasurer admitted the force of the arguments urged by the deputation, and promised to give them due consideration. In looking at this case, one can hardly help being

struck with the fact that, however^defective our liquor laws may be, they are superior toithose of our Australian neighbours. If a publican in Sydney is convicted of selling - a decoction fortified"-with.^tobacco or vitriol,; he generally escapes " with : the forfeiture of .the; poisoned article and. a. nominal penalty,, while heJhas a large margin for selling imported imitation liquor with impunity. In New Zealand the licensed victualler is much /more carefully shepherded. He is liable -to a heavy penalty for selling liquor with which is mixed any ingredient injurious to the health, and also for selling liquor as unadulterated which is adulterated.. Conviction for adulteration is to be recorded on the - license.. In the case of a second. ,or any subsequent offence^ the -licensee, is liable: to forfeit his license, arid his premises at4:|ia.|ie]t6 be declared discjualified piffmi'ses'■ for not less Jtban.' tw!p jiqr mor,e Ihan -five; years. .-. ;Ev,en...;.ifrthe. license is not forfeited "for such<an offence^ the public are to some extent protected against the offender, for in such Case the Act provides that the police shall affix a placard to the premises,; which shall remain affixed for a fortnight, stating that a conviction for selling adulterated liquors , has been recorded against the licensee,, and penalties are attached. tb:: defacihg or tearing,, down such notice. ; . In case of. a second or any ; subsequent conviction for adulteration of drink, the offender's name, place of abode, and offence shall be published. So long as there is a trade in alcoholic liquors in any country^ it is certainly to: the interest not merely of the actual seller and buyer, bill of the whole cdmrriunfty, that drastic regulation's against adulteration should: be 1 enforced.