Local Option.

Evening Star, Issue 7404, 27 December 1887, Page 4

Local Option.

The English House of Commons has three times over, by crushing majorities, affirmed the principle of local option; but the measure itself has had to wait the convenience Of politicians. In a speech at Islington Mr Chamberlain told an interesting Cabinet secret. “ A little more than twelve months ago,” he said, “ I was engaged by Mr Gladstone’s instruction, in preparing a Bill which would have extended a popular system of local government throughout the whole of England, and which would have been followed in due course by similar Bills for Scotland and for Ireland; and in connection with that Bill I had prepared clauses which would have given practical application to the principle of local option, which has been three times affirmed by great majorities in the House of Commons. Yes, that was only twelve months ago, and at that time these Bills might have been carried, and before now have been the law of the land.” Austria is falling into line with the most advanced tomperance reformers on this subject. The Austrian Parliament (says the • Pall Mall Gazette ’) is about to extend to the whole of Austria the restrictions in the sale of drink recently enforced in Galicia and the Bukovina. Like all licensing Bills of late years, the Austrian proposal will diminish the number of licenses and make simple drunkenness punishable by fine and imprisonment. The only novelty is the proposal that anyone finqd twice for drunkenness in the year may be forbidden to frequent public-houses in and around the town in which he lives.