The Licensing Problem.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 8610, 27 August 1896, Page 3

The Licensing Problem.

ABOUT CLUBS—RICH AND POOR

At a sitting of the Licensing Commission at Westminster, Viscount Peel presiding, Mr J. L. Hannay, a London police magistrate, was called, and said that recently the Excise had been very active in the prosecution of clubs, and a number of cases were dealt with by him. There had been no prosecution against rich men’s clubs. Viscount Peel: Why don’t the police prosecute the rich clubs ? —Mr Hannay : They would have great difficulty in getting in and obtai n the necessary evidence. In the cm . a poor men’s club ; the Excise officer usually enters in company with a member. He would not be able probably to enter White’s so easily. Mr Hannay further stated that there was most trouble with the foreign clubs in the neighbourhood of Soho, because they usually discharged a number of drunken persons into the street in the early morning, who quarrelled and fought. These were social clubs In his opinion, the working man’s club was more necessary than the club for the rich man. His domestic accommodation was limited, and he naturally wanted to go out occasionally.—Viscount Peel; What do you say about the entry of the police to clubs ?—Mr Hannay : It would put an end to the better class of proprietary clubs.—Bir A. West: How could the police enter the Pall-mall clubs ? —Mr Hannay: At present no Excise officer or policeman could obtain entry. Every member is known at sight, and the porter would not let a stranger pass. There is at present no power, without warrant, for the police to enter either a proprietary or members’ club unless there is a sworn information that there is a nuisance.— Dean Dickenson : I want to ask you if a well-conducted club is not a better place of resort for a working man than the ordinary public-house ? —Witness : Very likely.—Mr Walker (representing the “ trade ”): When there is -a case of drunkenness, it is always put down to the public-house, isn’t it ?—Mr Hannay : Commonly, I supose.—Mr Walker: But are not the clubs a source of drunkenness?—Mr Hannay : Certainly, and those to which I have referred are an unqualified nuisance.