TRADE TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XI, Issue 535, 21 March 1901, Page 17

TRADE TOPICS.

Owing to a Shortage of water from the mains a brewery at Campbell’s Creek, Victoria, had to suspend operations for a couple of days early last month. Two temporary transfers in Wellington city hotels were granted last week. Pincess Hotel from Thomas Taylor to Thomas James Wright, and the Cambridge Hotel trom Norah McCarthy to John James Firth. In regard to sly-grog selling Mr Seddon has declared that the law ought to cope with it and put it down. He added that it was said that this was impossible, but this was not so, for he did not believe that we were powerless to carry out our laws At Carterton the trahsfers of two hotels have been granted, that of the Taratahi Hotel was transferred from Mrs Elkins to Mr J. Innis, formerly of Kilbirnie, and that of the Martinborough Hotel from Mr A. Stewart to Mr J. Rodd, late of Wellington. The quarterly meeting of the Eden Licensing Committee was to have been held last week, but lapsed for want of a quorum. The only business was the application of Thomas William Allen for a transfer of the license for the Northcote Hotel. Mr Allan has already a temporary transfer, and the application for a permanent transfer was adjourned till the annual meeting of :he committee in June. In connection with the beer scare in England, a good deal was heard of “ peripheral neuritis.” The word “ neuritis ” literally means inflammation of a nerve, while “ peripheral ” means the outside of the body as opposed to internal. Therefore, neuritis thus designated might be regarded as an ailment specially marked by its effects on the skin and external bodily surface, these symptoms being related to others affecting the central nervous system A writer in a religious magazine estimates that John Bull pays £4,000,000 for his Christmas liquor, which consists of 9,000,000 bottles of whisky, 4,000,000 bottles of brandy and gm, and 5,000,000 gallons of beer. The liquor bill would be made up thus, says the same authority; — Whisky, £1,500,000; brandy, etc, £850,000; wines, £1,250,000 ; beer, £400,000 — total, £4,000,000. Anyone with a head for figures is at liberty to check these results Arrangements have been made to erect a threestorey building in place of the old Warner’s Hotel in Christchurch, which was recently destroyed by fire, Mr P Herman, late of the Rutland Hotel, is the proprietor . The ceremony of laying the foundation si one was performed by Master W F. Warner, aged five years, and the work was done with a silver trowel presented by the contractor. No expense is to be spared in the endeavour to make the hotel one of the leading commercial houses in the colony. At the Magistrate’s Court. Christchurch, last week, the licensee of the New Brighton Hotel was fined £5 and costs for supplying persons, not bona-fide travellers, on Sunday. This was the case m which the Magistrate previously held that a traveller remained such, even after being several hours at a place, and could have more than one drink during closed hours The Supreme Court upset this decision, and directed the case to be reheard. The appeal was made by the police, who contended that after a traveller had had one glass of liquor he ceased to be a traveller within the meaning of the Act.

The Premier, in the course of his reply to the no-license deputation in Wellington recently, called attention to the fact that immediately hotel licenses were granted in a distrct, sly-grog selling ceased in that district. When he went to Mangaweka, he found that in nearly every hut sly-grog selling went on. The same state of affairs existed at Ohingaiti. But immediately hotel licenses were granted they found that public opinion changed, and that people concluded, ‘ ‘ Now we have it here, and we shall not take the risk of the other plan.” It might be also that people went to the hotelkeeper instead of to the sly-grog sellers for their own protection —because they wanted good liquor instead of “ sheet lightning But whatever the cause, the fact was that sly-grog selling died away immediately. This well-known fact no member of the deputation sought to deny.

Temnerance reform is causing much stir at lonolulu. A despatch from that place on Feb. Jrd says First came Francis Murphy, who conducted a gospel temperance campaign of about two weeks, and left two days ago for New Zealand. While he was here there came Miss Jessie Ackerman and Miss Ada L. R. Murcott, announced as “ around the world missioneries ” of the World’s Women’s Christian Temperance Union. They made a few addresses on temperance and other topics while Murphy war. here, and as soon as he left they began a series of street meetings for temperance in the evenings. They had only got fairly started in that work when the Rev Dr Chapman, of the Californian Anti-Saloon League arrived, ready to begin his particular style of campaign against the drink traffic. Then came Helen Gougar. Mrs Gougar’s first public utterance after arriving here was an interview, in which she denounced Francis Murphy as a hypocrite, and a hireling in the service and pay of the saloon interest against all efforts at anti-saloon legislation. This interview created an immense sensation. By many it was taken up as a challenge to the ministers and churches which had aided and stood sponsor for Murphy. At the same time it found many who adopted its sentiments, and many others who believed with Mrs Gougar that the most effectual work against the saloon was through legislation against it.

There is no doubt that it has of late years been increasingly difficult to obtain good brandy, and for this reason, amongst others, whisky has in England largely taken its place. If the late Mr Pickwick were to re-visit his old haunts he would perhaps be more surprised at this than the other changes which would ftrce themselves on his notice. It ought, however, to be thoroughly understood that whisky cannot properly be substituted for brandy in all cases. Fine brandy contains in addition to alcohol a number of highly volatile ethers which have a strongly stimulating effect and which are elemininated without derangement to the digestive system. It is much to be regretted that the fine champagne which was sent from France till about the year 1870 is now practically unobtainable. These liquors were not only pleasant to the cultivated palate, but, given judiciouslv, were most useful in many cases of sickness. Unfortunately nothing has yet taken their place. Readers who habitually follow the results obtained in our Analytical Laboratory will have noticed that our consulting chemist has often found reason to praise samples of brandy which have come from some of the -English colonies Analysis has more than once pointed to the inference that the spirit has been derived from grapes, but in practically all cases there has been a deficiency in the ce nan thio ethers which are the life and soul of the ideal brandy. — “ Lancet.”

A good story was narrated by Mr J. Mackay Bernard in the course of his speech at the annual dinner of the Edinburgh and District Licensed Trade Benevolent Institution. In 1725, he said, the Government of the day, being in want of money, proposed to raise some by the imposition of a tax of 6d a bushel on malt, from which tax it was expected that in Scotland a sum of about £20,000 would be got This tax was considered most iniquitous, and was strongly resented, so much so that’in Edinburgh and Leith, brewers, rather than pay it, struck, and declined to brew with the following interesting results: In August the officials had a new trouble on their hands The Edinburgh brewers intimated an intention to discontinue brewing ale. Duncan Forbes stood aghast at the idea of what might happen if the people were wholly deprived of their accustomed beverage. After all, the difficulty involved in a proposal to force men to go on in a trade against their will was not too great to be encountered in those days. The Edinburg “Evening Conran' ” of August 26, 1725, quaintly reported that Mr Carr, engraver to the Mint, who kept a brewery in this city, and several others of the brewers “ are incarcerated in the Canongate Tolbooth for not enacting themselves to continue their trade of brewing in terms of the Act of Sederunt of the Lords of Council and Session.” “ The twopenny ale,” added the “ Courant,” “begins to grow scarce here, notwithstanding which th e city remains in perfect tranquility ” Long before the unimaginable crisis of an entire exhaustion of beer had arrived, forty of the brewers of Elin burgh and ten of the Leith thought proper to resume work, and the dissolution of soc'ety was averted Thisnaive piece of ancient history was deservedly greeted with shouts of laughter.

I hear that several changes in hotel proprietorships are about to take place.

It is rumoured in town that Lieutenant Tom Todd is due back from South Africa in May.

Some alterations are going on at the Metropolitan Hotel. The proprietor intends adding a bottle department to the house. As will be seen by the report of the meeting of the Napier Licensing Court, our old friend Sergt Treanor is on the warpath down there. Mr S. C. Caulton, late of the St Helier’s Bay Hotel, has left for Wellington, where I hear he receives a commission in the Seventh Contingent, which shortly proceeds to South Africa. Mrs Griffin, of the Nightcaps Hotel, has paid off all her late husband’s creditors, in a bankruptcy of twelve years ago. This good deed deserves the highest commendation.

Visitors to Dunedin will find all their wants attended to at the Club Hotel, where Host Owen has in s ock an excellent stock of wines and spirits, to say ncthing of Speight’s prize ales The Kensington Hotel, South Dunedin, having been thoroughly renovated and refurnished, the proprietor, Mr Alfred H. Cox (late of the U.B S. Co), offers his pat ojs gold accommodation at reasonable rates.

The many friends of Mr Chas Cress of the Occidental Hotel, Masterton, will be glad to learn that he has sufficiently recOverd from the bad accident, that he met with while driving in the Forty-mile Bush a few months ago, to be able to return to his home.

The Customs authorities of South Australia are having each shipment of imported beer or stout subjected to a test by the Customs analyst for the purpose of ascertaining if there are any traces of arsenic. So far no such traces have been found.

The Central Brewing Company of New York formally celebrated recently the opening oi their new brewery for business. The ceremony consisted of a street parade, music, a reception, banquet and Vaudeville performance. A pleasing little ceremony recently took place at Ward's Brewery, Christchurch, when Mr T. Barnett, on behalf of the proprietors, presented to Mr C G Craddock, who has severed his connection with the firm, and become the landlord of the Eastern Hotel, a substantial gold albert and pendant. The pendant is inscribed.: “In recognition of twenty years’ faithful service. From Ward and Co , Limited.”

In our advertising columns is an advertisement from Messrs Geo. Neill and Co, hotel brokers. The extensive transactions of this old established firm are’well known to many of our readers, and it is pleasing to nots the mode of conducting business bv this fi-m is not only satisfactory to heir clients, but ends to every day increase the ?cope of their operations.

On the sth February a beer scare, on a small scale, occurred at Port Melbourne. Four men obtained some beer in what is supposed to be a dirty bottle, or a bottle that had contained some poisonous article. All of them became very ill, and one man died An analysis of the same beer from which the contents of the bottle were drawn was found to be perfectly good and pure.

There was an alarm of fire at the Geyser Hotel, Whakarewarewa, about seven o’clock on Monday evening last week. The fire was first seen in one of the drawing-rooms, where the curtains were found to be on fire. The flames were quickly extinguished, but it was then found that the adjoining bedroom was on fire in two places. This also was suppressed. From the suspicious circumstances surrounding the affair, Mr C. E. Nelson, the proprietor, sent for the police, and placed the matter in their hands. Mr T. T. Masefield has been asked by the Minister for Justice whether he would be willing to accept an appointment as member of the City of Auckland Licensing Committee, in place of Mr E Bond, who has resigned. Mr Masefield replied to the Minister to the effect that he was not willing to accept the appointment. Mr Masefield’s decision is to be regretted, as having been a member of the old bench for some years, he is thoroughly conversant with the duties that position entails. The following little story is interesting as throwing a side light on “prohibition” in the United States. An English tourist arriving at Kansas City, knowing of its laws, but feeling that there must be some way of getting over the restrictions, approached a pleasant-looking native. ■■ “Isay,” whispered he, “can you tell me where I can get a drink in this city ?” The native pointed down the road, “Do you see that big red building yonder?” he asked. “Yes” “ And that little tumble-do wn a shanty by the side of it?” “ Yes, but you don’t mean to say that’s the only place where you can get a drink in this city ?” “ No, sir,” was the answer, “ that’s the only place where you can’t!” Following upon the poisoned beer scare in the Midlands, our medical contemporary, the “ Lancet,” has conducted a simple but interesting experiment which clearly demonstrates that arsenious acid does not pass over with spirit in the still when artificially derived sugar is employed in manufacture. The experimenters placed a few ounces of whisky in a small still with about twenty grains of white arsenic or arsenious acid, and then proceeded to distil the mixture. In spite of the very large poisonous quantity of arsenic in the still, not a trace of arsenic passed over or could be detected in the rectified spirit, the whole of the arsenic being left behind This proves conclusively, our contemporary thinks, that no fear need be entertained of arsenic occurring in whisky, though the poison may be present in the sugar substitute employed. This experiment, it may be added, was undertaken because it had been reported that some of the cases at Manchester and Shoreditch occurred in regard to patients who had not been beer-drinkers, but whisky-drinkers. — “Distillers’ Magazine.”