The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 4153, 5 December 1870, Page 2

The Daily Southern Cross.

LUOEO, NON UHO. If I have been extinguished, yet, there rise A thousand beacons from the ipark I bore.

MONDA F, DECEMBER 5, 1870.

Of all the measures submitted during the session to the consideration of the Pro vincial Council no one is more important for its social influences than the Licensing Bill, 1870, now passing through its second reading In a recent issue we published the principal clauses of the bill, from which, it will be seen that changes of the most important character are contemplated, and which are calculated to wholly revolutionise the system of dealing with the sale of intoxicating liquors. It cannot be denied that the prevalence of the vice of drunkenness, and the bearing which it has on the health andpeace and well-beingofthecom-munity, demand legislative interference ; and whether the ohanges contemplated will meet the approval of the majority of the representatives of the people, or attain the objects intended, the time has come when, in the interests of society, important changes should be effected, in the licensing and control of the sale of alcoholic stimulants. It does not require one to bo a teetotaller, nor yet to coincide with the principles of repressive legislation in connection with the liquor traffic, in order to acknowledge the crying evils of the present system, or to lament the woe, domestic and social, that is daily produced in our midst by the demon of intemperance. It is not exaggeration to say that the majority of the crimes and nine-tenths of the miseries with which society, as we know ifc, is afflicted, can be traced directly or indirectly to this cause ; and the claims of humanity, as well as those of law and order, demand that some restraint shotild be put on the indiscriminate licensing of public-houses, and the sale" not only of poisoned drink, but even of drink pure and wholesome in itself, but having, ia the circumstances of the drinker, all the effects of deadly poisou. And, however much we may enjoy the refresh- > ment afforded at timesjjy stimulants, and Jj^weje^ uoeesbary we may consider t|enj \ • * - \ v *

for restoring the tone to exhausted nature, there are few who would not acknowledge that, as customs now prevail, the community, in iIR entirety, would bo all the better if those stimulants were wholly unknown. That they are the gifts of beneficent nature none can dispute ; but they hare unmistakably been prostituted to purposes for which they were not intended, and, instead of beiug a blessing, are the bane of society. In such circumstances, it is the bounden duty of the legislature to throwashield around society"; and,while society does not actually demand the expulsion of stimulants, to at leaßt protect it from the evils of intemperance now so rampant and destructive. Ihe 22nd clause of the proposed measurecontains the most sweeping reform, embodying as it does the principles of what is known as the Permissive Bill. That clause reads as follows :— " No such "certificate or license shall be granted "within any city, town, or highway dis- " trict, or in respect of any house or " premises within such city, town, or high- " way district, in which two-thirds of the "adult male resident population shall, by " memorial signed by them and addressed " to the Justices at such annual licensing " meeting, request that.no such certificate " or license be granted, either in respect of " any house whatsoever, or in respect of " any individual house within the district." Such are the terms in which the first effort has been made to introduce the action of the Permissive Bill into the liquor traffic of the province, and it cannot fail to be interesting to all, to oboerv&in what way the restrictive measure will be received by honourable member*, a-- representing the peopi» of the province. In whatever way it may result, it must be acknowledged that the representatives of the United Kingdom Alliance have agitated the subject with a persistency deserving of success; and the decision of the Council will be watched by many with feelings of personal anxiety, not often evoked by deliberations in our local legislature; while the census of the city now beintf made by the advocates of the Permissive Bill, with the object of eliciting the true popular voice on the subject, would seem to show that the question has created a more general feeling than was generally supposed, and that the " Permissive" clauses are really desired by the great majority of the people. But whatever may be the desire of the public outside the Council Chamber, the 22nd clause should receive the most careful consideration of members before becoming law. In its present form it appears to convey a power of doing an injustice that the Legislature should not sanction. If the bill conveys the right to the people of obstructing the granting of a license to a house which has previously held a license, and so peremptorily shutting up public-houses, and ruining vested interests, a wrong will be perpetrated which no legislation would make a right. Large sums of money have been invested in the building of- hotels; this has been done under the sanction of law, and, however the teetotaller may condemn the whole traffic as immoral, legislation is not to be tolerated which to-day builds up, and to-morrow overthrows, vested interests. Even such a sweeping reform as the emancipation of West Indian slaves, al though slavery had been condemned as an immoral institution was not effected without the expenditure of 20 million sterling, in indemnification to the planter tor the loss of his human chattels. It is repugnant to our sense of British justice ttut au open wrong should be done by legislation to any vested interest, created under the sanction of previous legislation ; and any enactment that would, cren by possibility, depreciate the vested interests of a class so created would be in itself immoral. It is a wholly different thing if legislation is made to affect interests not yet created, as in throwing bbstacles in the way of granting new licenses to houses not previously licensed. Such legislation is to be contested or advocated on wholly different t*rounds, and becomes a question merely of its capacity for compassing the objects inreuded. In its action as affecting this city it could not be otherwise than bene6cial. There is at the present time a sufficient number of licensed houses in the city to supply the legitimate requirements of citizens for the present generation, and any increase to their number cannot be required on any grounds of public benefit. And while the sufficiency of licensed houses removes the difficulty feared by the opponents of the Permissive Bill, namely, the tendency to the growth of " sly grog" shops, we cannot see that any valid objections could be raised to giving the power to two-thirds of the citizens, of prohibiting the granting of a new license, within the confines of the city. But it is for new districts, where as yet the institution of the licensed victualler is unrepresented, that the oattle is to be fought ; for it is in such circumstances that the benefits anticipated by the supporters of the measure, and the evils feared by its opponents,are supposed to be greatest. There is something attractive in the idea of a distriot rising in the strength of its moral purpose, and absolutely prohibiting the admission into its midst of that which, at least, may reduce many of its sons and daughters to infamy. It is true that it seems hard tbat the majority should in this way have the power of denying the legitimate craving of man's physical nature; but "When we see the tendency of this craving to derelop from indulgence, that " crescit eundo" so generally characterises it, that so often to small beginnings there are such terrible endings, of whicL no man in the beginning can tell the magnitude ; and when we see that theseevila press not only on the individual who is the immediate sufferer, but in their general effects unhinge society, producing domestic and general misery, it does seem some* hat reasonable that the voice of the mHJority,whioh really moulds free legislation, should decide this social question, and expel from it this root of all social evil. As to the wisdom of the results intended by the Permissive clause, the reform of the drinking habits of the people, there can be little question with any persons wishing well to their kind. Whether the means proposed are the wisest for the attainment of that object, is still the moot point. But seeing the unmistakably prevalent desire of the public that the attempt should be made, the trial is deserving of the consideration of the Provincial Council.

Our monthly summary will be published to-morrow morning. Orders for extra copies can be left with ,the clerk at our publishing office, Queen-street, until ten o'clock this evening. A public meeting was held on Saturday afternoon, at the Market-square, under the auspices of the' New Zealand Local Industry, League. The meeting was convened for 2 o'clock, but it was half .an hour later-tbefore any considerable muster' of persons *h»d assembled, and then the majority'cbnsiSted of unemployed, or, of those who had attended apparently for the sake of' mere amusement. In fact, from .the bustle and activity, of several repognieed ;ultt i a-freertrade% > imme r j, diately before the proceeding*, commenced, Ifc ■ wasevjcfent t^*t t^hey wro A^ine>t^% tys£

to pack the meeting from the time they saw ,that it was nofc likely to be larg ly attended. In opening the proceedings, the Hon H, Ohamberlin, M.L.0., alluded to the unsuitability of the meeting for the discussion of ench important questions as were to be brought before ic. Messrs. D. Graham, J. F. Clark, and Matthew H. Roe addressed the meeting in favour of the Qbjects of the League, and moved a resolution, in favour of alterations in the tariff, Messrs. Bright and Swan followed ; and after a few ad captandum arguments, which told with ,the unthinking persons of whom the meeting was largely composed, moved an amendment in favour of the repeal of the tariff, and the' imposition of an income and property tax. The amendment was put, but, as the opinion of the meeting appeared to be about equally divided, the amendment was again put, and amidst some confusion and uproar raised by a few persons who had evideutly attended the meeting with the design of carrying matters their own way, the Chairman declared that it was carried. — A meeting of the Executive Committee of the New Zealand Local Industry League will be held at the office of the League tomorrow (Tuesday), at 1,30 o'clock sharp. Ac matters of importance will be brought before the committee, a full attendance is particularly requested. The committee consists of the following gentlemen : — Messrs. J. S. Macfarlane (chairman), Every Maclean, Albin Martin, Theodore F. S. Tinne, enry Ellis. Thomas Masetield,< Henry Chamberlin, W. T. Buckland, and J. F. Clark. We have received "the following from Messrs. Dalton Brothers, civil engineers :—: — " Sir,— Will you kindly correct an error in our letter of date December 3 ? The estimated oo«t of the proposed scheme is £225,000 instead of £22,500 as stated ra your issue. We may add that we are waiting the return of plans from home for a graving dock, which will be in strict accordance with the requirements of the Admiralty, and will be capable of accommodating the largest vessel in her Majesty's service.'" F. D. Fenton. Esq., Chief Judge of the Native Lands Court, gave judgment at 12 o'clock on Saturday in the matter of the claim to' the Shortland beach. The whole question of native right* to the foreshore in New Zealand was elaborately gone into, the reading of the judgment occupying an hour; and a large portion of the earlier history of New Zealand was referred to in order to show more clearly the conditions under which it was taken over by the British Government. A good deal of business was set before the sitting Justices at the Police Court on Saturday. Drunkenness, vagrancy, assault, and breaches of the Municipal Police Act, comprised the principal charges dealt with. We notice on the vacant ground at the corner of Waterloo Quadrant and Edenstreet that & considerable crop of docks has been permitted to run to seed, and which will be an injury to the neighbouring property. We are not aware whose business it is to look after these things, but possibly the Inspector of Nuisances may find here something worthy of his attention. While on this subject we would also draw attention to the luxuriant cfop of thistles growing along the side of Symonds-street, where the Military Train stables formerly were. If attending to these things comes within the scope of the Inspector of Nuisances duties, we hope some member of the City Board will draw attention to the matter at the first meeting of the City Board. The Weeds and Watercourses Act ought to apply to the city of Auckland, as well as to districts in the vicinity of the city. The following persons have been arrested by the police, and will be brought up at the Police Court this morning to answer to the following charges :— David Quinn and Charles Rose, by Constable Carrigan, charged with indecency ; Kate Shields and Maria Yeoman, on a charge of vagrancy ; John Kearns and Henry Davis, by Constable Negua, charged with breaking into a house at the Whau, occupied by Thomas Kelly, Joseph Dyer, and Martin McAuliffe, and stealing therefrom blanaets and personal clothing, worth £10. Kearns will also be charged on warrant issued by the Coromaudel Bench, with having uttered a forged order for £5 16a., purporting to be signed by John Prior for Mr. John Gibbons, of the Kikowhakariri Sawmills. The order was presented to Mr. Joseph Senior, of the Foresters' Arms Hotel, Albert-street, on the 1 lth of November, who received it in payment of an account on the faich of it being a genuine document. The subject for practice at the Music Hall to-morrow evening will be " The Messiah." Objections to the assessment list of the Karangahape Highway District for the current year will be heard by the trnstees, at the York Hotel, East-street, between the hours of six and nine this evening. The memorandum of the PostmasterGeneral as to the new mail contract was telegraphed all over the colony on the 28th ultimo. We are informed that Mr. D. Foley is in custody at Tauranga on a charge of assaulting his wife, and that he will be brought on to Auckland by the next steamer, to be dealt with by the Bench here. We have only space for the following extract from Mr. W. H. Turner's letter on the Highways Act :— " As the Provincial Council are now sitting in committee on the new Highway Bill, it is just possible that some directions may be given concerning the publication of future rate 3, less likely to excite a diversity of opinion than the clumsy order to post the rateiu a conspicuous pi aoe; and then the calamitous decision in the late case brought by the Karangahape Highway Board will never be quoted as a precedent. But if this should not be t'»e case some means -should be taken by Highway Boards in gen«ral, and particularly by those within a short distance from Auckland, to protect the means (intended to supply the most urgent necessity of the country, namely, good roads, from being rendered unavailable, by mere fine-drawn, subtle, and technical nonentities. One cf the most effectual means to meet the difficulty would be for the Highway Boards about Auckland to give a retaining fee of one guinea yearly to some one able solicitor (say the public prosecutor for the time being) to act for the retaining Boards for moderate fees in all cases for the recovery of rates in which professional assistance might be necessary. This would induce the gentleman retained to make himself a complete master of the subject, and with a little fair help from the magistrates to sustain the rates ' when finally settled,' coupled with an occasional appeal to the Supreme Court, would effectually put an end to frivolous defences as well as very unsatisfactory decisions." A first and final dividend in the estate of Hyman Joseph, of 2s. Of d. per pound, will be payable at the office of the trustee tomorrow. The general half-yearly meeting of the New Zealand Insurance Company is announced to be held in the office of the company on Wednesday next, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. A general meeting of members of the Auckland Rowing Club is convened to be held at the Club Room, Thames Hotel, at eight o'clock this evening. We learn that three crews of the Auckland Rowing Club are to commence training this week in anticipation of the annual regatta to take place next January. Creditors in the Atlantic, Karaka, Onehunga, Sea Lion, Southern " Cross, and the Pride of Kuranui Goldmining are requested' to 'their claims on or before the, 17th instant with the (Official .Agent/ A musical and literary entertainment will be held in the Music Hall, on the evening of Thursday : next, in aaird r of : St. Sepulchred School. , A varied and* entertaining programmeis to be provided. ' One. pf; the, ions of Count- Bimnarck, an/ c , officer in* the Prusaian-navy, serving on [board f the conjmitted Suicide, at S*n.

We have the following from Mr. P. Joyce, , Onehunga: — "Sir, — Permit me to say one word ill defence of our righta, which we all ■cc we are deprived of, by the insidious design of what was to be the 'Onehunga branch line of railway ? ' lam surprised that Mr. Brookfield, a resident of Onehunga, should be influenced, as he certainly oould not be induced from conviction, to have so disregarded the interests of his neighbours, the people of Ouehunga, as to try and deprive us of the right of the railway terminus being amongst us, in favour of where no one at all lives, the White Bluff, and then pretend it was an Onehunga railway, that only passed through, it. We are not blind : we shall have no station of utility nor of even convenience amongst us if the railway pass through Onehunga to the Bluff. It might just as well be stationed at Muddy Creek, when it is out of Ouehunga. Mr. Brookfield was so accommodating to ships of large tonnage that he must deprive us of the terminus to bring it out to deep water. Now, if the gentleman is not acquainted with the harbour I have sufficient knowledge of it to inform him that a ship which can lie at the Bluff can lie, with certainly more convenience, a few yards out from the end of the Onehunga wharf, and ships of tidy burden alongside. A little addition to the wharf would ena le ships to come alongside of t >nnage as large as would satisfy the member of the Executive. Besides, we should have the immediate traffic of all the Mangere people, which we should certainly 1030 at the tenantless Bluff. Where were our members when Mr. Brookfield was unforgetful that he was becoming inconsiderate towards us ? Where they at their posts ? Where was Mr.Lundon, who pretends he has the interests of Onekunga at heart? " Tha Criminal Sittings of tho Supreme Court commence this morning at ten^ o'clock. The Wellington Evening Post thus writes : — " Mr. Wood told the Parnell electors that ' he did not want to go to Wellington unless as the representative of their opinions ; and if he did not represent their views, he hoped they would not send him -here, for he would tell them that to go to Wellington was the nearest approach that he knew of to imprisonment with hard labour for three months.' Poor fellow, how he is to be pitied! What haidships he has endured For his constituents, and his guinea a-day ! But to judge by lua appearance when he left Welliugtou at Government expense, they had not told much upon his well-preserved frame. He enlarged somewhat on his past services in the matter of the half-million loan to Auckland as a. claim for public support ; ifc is rather strange that he passed over the one brilliant episode of his political career— the negotiation of the three-rnillioa loan — tho event which enabled him to emerge at first from his obscurity, and obtain a glimpse of ' good society ;' but perhaps he thought of •the miserably ruinous terms on winch the money was procured, his failure as a financier, and the humiliation he felt on his return — deep enough to keep him quiet ever since. He may charm the electors of Parnell with his well seasoned abuse, but the colony has scarcely forgotten the threemillion loan. MisgovGrnmeut and reckless expenditure may have reduced Wellington to great strait 3, but she has the elements of prosperity still within herself in full vitality. Nature has bestowed upon her advantages which she has denied to many of her neighbours, and neither Auckland jealousy nor the sueers of small wits like Reader Wood will prevent her from working out her destiny, and eventually taking her place as one of the most flourishing districts of the united colony of New Zealand." A man in Rhode Island ha 3 been sent to gaol for ten days for sleeping iv church. Nothing was done to she clergyman. Three ladies have been appointed to firstclass clerkships in Washington, receiving 1,200d01. each. In Le Peuple Francais M. Alfred Assolant says : " God will not suffer France to be cut off; 'she is His right hand." The office of the Israelite having been twice entered by burglars, Dr. Wise, the editor, mades the following freezing request : — "The thieves who, last Friday night, broke into our office for the second time, are politely requested to do so no more, as we feel heartily ashamed for any decent tbief to see how very poor we are. Tell us beforehand your intention to pay us a visit, and we will place some change somewhere within reach, to save the credit of the establishment." — American paper.