The Licensed Victuallers

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XI, Issue 609, 18 September 1902, Page 20

The Licensed Victuallers

Trade Topics / were heckling a Parliamentary candidate in Australia who was very deaf. Said they: “What are your views on the liquor question ?” He, thinking they said land question, in confident tones replied: “ That is a question to which I have given a great deal of attention. There is no one who by actual experience knows more about it than I do. My opinion is this —that no arrangement will be satisfactory that does not yiclude free selection and de« ferred payment.” * # * « A Wellington paper remarks that the petition of Mr Wesley Spragg for an inquiry into the conduct of Mr Thos. Hutchison contains allegations that the present unsatisfactory state of the libel law makes it inexpedient for them to reprint. The well-known hostelry, Warner’s Hotel, Christchurch, has been floated into a limited liability company, with a capital of £56,500, and with Mr P. Herman, the present proprietor, as supervising manager. Large additions are to be at once gone on with. LORD SALISBURY'S ARGUMENT. A characteristic incident of Lord Salisbury’s attitude towards temperance is related by a correspondent. One of the clergy in the neighbourhood of Hatfield, who was an enthusiastic advocate of Local Veto, one day tried to awake his noble neighbour to. the grave importance of the liquor question. Lord Salisbury listened with his usual courtesy, but the clergyman felt that he had made no impression. “ Your lordship,” he urged, * would at least admit that an undue multiplication of public-houses in a place is an inducement to excessive drinking.” “Really,” said Lord Salisbury, “I am extremely sorry to appear so unsympathetic, but I cannot admit even that. In this house —Hadfield—there are forty bedrooms, but I never feel more inclined to go to sleep here than anywhere else.” The clergyman is understood to have considered this argument specious, but unconvincing.—The “London L. V. Gazette.” SOUTHERN CHANGES. In last Friday’s “ New Zealand Times ” Messrs Whytock and Company report sales! of the following hotel properties:—The freehold of the Southern Cross Hotel, Reefton, from Mr D. Hughes to Mr E. J. Knowsley, of Dawson’s Hotel, Beef ton ; the lease and furniture of the Exchange Hotel and Princess Theatre, Reefton,, from Mrs Reseigh to Mr Henry Stuait, late of Hanma, and also Mr Stuart’s interest in the same to Mr F. A. beade, late of the D.1.C., 1 Wellington; the lease and furniture of ’ the Ruamai Hotel from Mr T. H. Woodger to Mr Geo. Avery, of Wellington ; and the lease and furniture of the ■Club Hotel, Eketahuna, from Mr Maurice Kelliher to Mr Thomas J. Nott, of j Paikakariki. CRUMBS OF COMFORT. j Referring to the Licensing Bill which, >' at the time of writing was to be considered j by the House of Lords, the “ London < L.V. Gazette ” says some crumbs of < comfort were permitted to creep into the < Bill. The endorsement of licenses is to ; be specifically swept away; the a < licem ed holder for a second or subsequent conviction for selling to any habitual was altered from “ twenty pounds ” to “ not .exceeding twenty pounds ” (an entirely i different gthing). And a promise was : < xhorted from the Government to : - rcularise the police to warn publicans .

of the advent of any drunken perso n > instead of setting a trap to catch th e I publican serving such a person in the hurry of trade 1 ELECTION “ SHOUTING.” TREATING PRIOR TO ELECTION DAY. The House was discussing the question . last week of extending the time when : “ treating ” is prohibited under the Electoral Bill, and Mr Herries gave a ; few hints on the ethics of election I “ shouting,” which, he explained, he had ; got second-hand, and not from personal experience. The proposal before the House was to make “ treating ” an offence if indulged in between nomination day and polling day, and not only on polling day, as at present. The member for the Bay of Plenty thought this was unnecessary. It was essential (so he i was informed) that the shouting should I be done before the shoutee went to the polling booth, and then a glass of beer mighty in some districts, do a lot of good. You had to strike while the iron was hot. If not, those best informed told him that anything spent before election day was simply waste of money. Mr Napier thought the law should be allowed to remain as at present. It had worked very well, and had suppressed all bribery and corruption. “Oh, oh,” chorused the House, but Mr Napier insisted that elections were purer in this colony than in any part of the Empire. Mr Hogg did not set much store upon the efficacy of beer. He said he had often heard the advice given, “Go and drink the other fellow’s beer as much and as long as you like, but when you go to the poll, be sure and vote for the right man.” He scouted the idea that the horny-handed could be deflected from the paths of political rectitude by a libation. “The working men,” he added, with conviction, “ are not such a degraded class that they can be bought over by beer or spirits or coffee.” Mr Hutcheson admitted the member for Auckland knew a lot, but said there was a lot of things he didn’t know, and one of those was the effect of a cup of tea at other times than election day. To point his moral, Mr Hutcheson told an ungallant story about the leader of a woman’s political not far from the windy city, who, when complaining about the paucity of the attendance of her flock at meetings during the slack season, sniffed in the air and expressed the opinion that “ a cup of tea would fetch them brutes at any time.” Mr Tanner, who thought Mr Napier was looking at things through rosecoloured spectacles, spoke about threegallon kegs of beer (he was precise about the measurement) being left in drains near where men were working, and of mysterious stories of selected wines and spirits reaching the private addresses of . certain lelectors. SELLING ON SUNDAY. In the Magistrates Court, Wellington, lately, Mrs Mary Legge, licensee of the Metropolitan Hotel, was charged with having exposed for sale, and having sold liquor on Sunday morning, Constable Redican stated that he followed two men into the hotel, and he saw them obtain j drink, one of them paying for it. One ] of the men swore that he saw the 1 constable outside the hotel, and the 1 latter said he wanted a drink. The < constable denied this. The defence ] went to show that the two men were i bona fide boarders, as they had engaged t beds on the previous night, and had 1 since lived in the hotel, though they did 1 not occupy the beds on the Saturday < night preceding the alleged offence. < Judement was reserved. i

SOUTH AEICAN PBOSPECTS. Mr James Shaw, of the British Hotel, Queen Street, has received a letter from his old friend, Mr J. G. Ralph, who has reached Johannesburg Mr < alph, in his own chatty style, gives an interesting description of business prospects, and his words of advice are not encouraging to those inclined to rush off to ihe troubled land immedi itely that peace is declared. The following extracts from Mr Ralph’s letter will be of interest to his frie >ds, as well as of use to those who may contemplate a visit to South Africa. ‘ I was , stuck up in Durban for nearly three j weeks waiting for a permit, and only for 5 the splendid letters I had, no doubt I would be there yet. Durban is a wonderful place, the business done there being enormous. In fact, for business, I like Durban better than this place. The C hotels in Durban and this place are the best mines in the world. All drinks here are 1 s 6d, and in Durban in most of t the hotels Is 3d and Is 6d. The lowest L hotel rates in Durban is 12s 6d per day, > and the lowest here 20s per day and up t up 40s per day, besides, which you have L to practically wait on yourself. Things [ in the mining line in Johannesburg are [ dreadful. Men cannot be got, that is, , darkies of course, and not a quarter are L working while those mines working are . not a quarter manned. . . At present the country is being ruined by the mili- . tary. They run everything, and are ! keeping the place back. They monopol- , ise the railway service, and it is a very hard job to get up here at all. There is no such thing as mining laws. These are only promised, and no prospecting or pegging is allowed, sb that so far as mining is concerned, one might just as well be in Queen Street as here. Nearly all the working niggers who had money have cleared out, and I can see nothing but trouble for the next twelve months here. The place is full of people waiting until things right themselves. Tell anyone proposing to come here not to think of doing so for six months at least I have met a lot of old Thames and (Jhinemuriboys since I came here. There are 150 people staying at the hotel from which I am writing (the Grand National), and I can assure you it is run cheaply. There are only five white servants in the house, the balance being nigger boys. It takes half an hour to get a drink.” PACKET LICENSES. At the quarterly meeting of the Wanganui Licensing Committee which was held recently, the postponed applications for packet licenses for river steamers came up for consideration. The applications were postponed from last meeting, to enable the owners of the steamers to communicate with the Government, with a view to getting the portion of the river at present within prohibited area excluded. It was discovered at the last meeting that the committee had for years been granting licenses between Wanganui and Pipi- . riki; including the portion between Parakino and the mouth of the Tangarakau, which is prohibited. Counsel in support of the application said, Mr Hatrick had communicated with the Minister. The latter repuired an interview with Mr Hatrick on the subject. He consequently asked for a further adjournment till the next quarterly meeting, which was granted, the chairman remarking that in the meantime the position was very awkward, as the boats had no licenses. THE WELLINGTON CITY LICENSING COMMITTEE At the recent quarterly meeting of the Wellington City Licensing Committee, forty-five out of the total of forty-nine licensed houses were reported as being well conducted, the others are reported as fairly well conducted. Regarding the question of the rebuilding of certain hotels it was announced that the question would be held in abeyance until the result of the local option poll be made known. On- this decision being made known, the Health Department proceeded to have reports made on the condition of the hotels, with a view to action.

TEETOTAL INTERFERENCE. The correspondence that has been published between the vicar of Stratford-on-Avon and the mayor of that town, on the subject of the pbwers of the licensing authority to receive a deputation of temperance workers, is interesting reading (writes the London “ Licensed Victuallers’ Gazette). While the licensing justices expressed their hearty sympathy with the desire to reduce drunkenness they plainly told the vicar and his supporters that they could not receive any deputation or communicatian from them on the subject of the approaching application for licenses. The mayor in his letter pointed out that the licensing justices were a judicial or quasi-judicial body, and should deal with licensing matters on judicial lines, and that it was contrary to the best traditions of the courts of this country for a judicial authority to allow itself to be approached by a suitor, or possible suitor, otherwise than through proceedings properly started in the court. It is clear that the vicar and his suuporters had but one object in view, namely, to influence the licensing magistrates, and it is in the highest degree satisfactory to find that the mayor and his colleagues on the Bench —Sir Arthur Hodgson, of Queensland, being one of them —refused to allow any influence to be brought to bear upon their decisions. THE CHILD’S MESSENGER ACT

It may be remembered that at the last Wiltshire Quarter Sessions an appeal against a conviction by the justices of the Malmesbury Petty ‘Sessional Division under the Child’s Messenger Act (reports the London “ Licensed Victuallers’ Gazette) obtained on the information of the police superintendent, was allowed, with costs, and the conviction quashed. When the Wiltshire Standing Joint Committee met the other day, under the presidency of Sir Godfrey Lushington, application was made for payment of the costs of the superintendent and also the costs of the appellant ordereh by the Court to be paid by the police, it was held by the Court that the magistrates had no power to order the endorsement of the license, and it therefore followed that they had to pay the costs of the prosecution and also the costs of the appellant. The question which the Joint Committee was called upon to decide was whether they should carry the case further, in view of the fact that the Court had agreed to state a case for the opinion of the Superior Court. It was pointed out that an appeal would cost between £l5O and £2oo± “It is merely a matter of sentiment,” said one of the magistrates —“was it worth while to spend such an- amount on a point of law that might never happen again ?” The general opinion seemed to be that it would be money thrown away to proceed further ; and the Committee ordered the costs. already incurred to be paid. This decision should be a warning to the police, especially in provincial districts. The costs, of course, will have 'to come out of the ratepayers pocket ; and they are not so enamoured of the Child’s Messenger Act as to need a repetition of such proceedings.

EXPENSIVE LIQUOE.

The late Lord Henry Bent-inck’s famous brandy, •which passed into the possession of Mr Henry Chaplain, was sold at Christie’s recently, and a quantity of the 1793 vintage realised the unexampled price of £3 12s fid per bottle. The remainder of the stock fetched three guineas and £3 per bottle respective! y. Hock of 1861 realised £2O per dozen, and 150 s per dozen was paid for Chateau Margaux. 1875.

TRE WHISKY COMBINE.

According to the “ Distillers, Brewers, and Spirit Merchants’ Magazine,’’ the latest enquiries fail to show that any material progress has Ireen made with the proposal to, form a combination! of whisky blenders, and the consensus of opinion is that the project is already as good a® dead. When it became bruited abroad that the inclusion of Dewar’s, Walker’s and Buchanan’s was! a “ sine qua non ” of the scheme going’ on. it was regarded as good .as doomed, and nothing has transpired • ince to modify that opinion. In any case it lis pretty evident that the promoters have no intention of coining to the help of what may be regarded as the lame ducks,” and the formation of a powerful ring of this sort would probably do them more harm than good. It is understood that it was never intended to take in any of the malt distilleries except those already owned by the large Menders, so that it does not appear that the distilling industry as a whole has ‘much to gain from the proposal.

ROYAL BREWERIES.

The reigning House of Bavaria derives a very large portion of its wealth from its •excellent beer, which it not only brews on an immense scale, but even dispenses retail at Munich, its name of “ Hofbrau,” or ” court brew,” being no mere figure of speech, or meaningless trade mark. The King of Wurtemburg is also a brewer on an extensive scale, and for the past 200 vears the rulers of Wurtemburg have -owned the two leading hotels at Stut.tgardt. King Oscar, of Sweden, is another sovereign who derives a large proportion of his private income from his breweries, arid is not above personally pushing and recommending his brew, much amusement being caused thereby at Stockholm. This does not prevent his younger son, Prince Oscar, Count of Wisborg, being president of the United Temperance Association of Scandinavia. The Emperor Francis Joseph owns a very large number of breweries' and distilleries, which are for the most part under the management of his cousin, Archduke Joseph, who may be described as the business man of the Hapsfourg family. Emperor William is another Royal brewer, and the breweries of the private domain of the reigning House of Prussia are among the most valuable of itd sources of income. So much for the part which beer plays in helping to maintain Royalty, while, with regard to its power in politics, we may merely remind our readers that while the people were ready to forgive the Gladstone administration of 1884-5 the abandonment of the national hero- —General Gordon —at Khartoum, they promptly turned the Government out of office when the Cabinet announced its intention of making a small increase to the tax on beer. It is not well to get between John Bull and his Beer, as many a British statesman has found to his cost. —(The “ Australian Brewers’ Journal.”)

THE EFFECT OF PEACE ON THE LIQUOE TBA9E.

Everywhere throughout the United # Kingdom and beyond! the liveliest satisfaction has been expressed at the conclusion of peace. It is marvellous how -comparatively little effect this South African War has had on British trade. It can hardly be said that exports or imports have been disturbed greatly, while all the time the most disastrous war of the last half-century has been going on, and foreign nations were of opinion that Britain’s resources were being strained so much that she was on the verge of financial collapse. Though we had the war in hand, still trade went on with its usual vigour, but it cannot be denied that the idea that such a serious war was; being conducted, the end of which was not assured nor its possibilities known, acted as an incubus on trade in general, and prevented expansion in many channels. Business men, like all other sections of the community, are heartily glad to see the end of it. They sincerely hope now that there will be a resumption of confidence, and that Britain’s power and prestige will lead to expansion on all hands. ‘ ’Whether it will affect the spirit trade remains to be seen. Many express the hope Ithat it will, bearing in mind, of course, thrat increased prosperity usually means increased consumption of spirits. The increased exportation is l a satisfactory feature, but it is not a staff that can be leaned upon with much confidence, seeing our total export of homemade spirits bears such a small propor-

tion to our manufacture and home consumption. Lt may bq doubted if the increases in the exportations have actually gone into consumption. More especially is this the case with South Africa, where it is believed large stocks have been ordered in view of the good time that is coming. The distilling season of 1901-2 ia practically over. Only those distilleries which have an excellent connection and a constant demand for their products continue working. The cold season has been rather favourable to distilling operations, but it is felt now that it is high time to close down and have a holiday, seeing there is no particular call for new whiskies. Distillers having an intimate connection with large blending firms are all right and safe, out those concerns which have to rely on canvassing or special orders have by no means such a satisfactory prospect, for, notwithstanding all that has been said, the huge stocks will act a s a buffer against brisk trade. —(The Distillers, Brewers, and Spirit Merchant*’ Magazine.”)

AN ILLICIT STILL.

At Christchurch, last week, a man named James Edward McGrath was charged with being in possession of an illicit still .and 50 bottles of whisky. He was remanded, bail being allowed in two sureties of £lOO each. Later another arrest was! made, the last accused, John Sheridan, being remanded to appear with McGrath.

A POLICE BAID

As a result of the efforts of the embryo policemen, who last week in Dunedin visited several eating-houses', disguised in khaki uniform, several charges of selling liquor without a license was heard in the Dunedin Police Court last week. Margaret Jones', keeper of a n oyster saloon, was fined £lO, and costs 28s. A second charge was tyithdrawn. Similar charges against S., and E. Gardh a m, of the Cafe Cecil, and P. and M. O’Brien, who keep a boarding-house, were adjourned for a week. FINE OF £lo®. As reported elsewhere, two men were recently arrested in Christchurch in connection with an illicit still. In the Magisl- - Court, last Friday, James Edward McGrath was charged with being found in possession of an illicit still and a quantity of spirits at Linwood. Accused pleaded guilty. He came to the colony a few months ago and took a house, where he set up a complete distillery, in company with his wife and a man named Sheridan. Sugar and yeast were used in the manufacture. It is not known how much spirits and beer were manufactured. Counsel for the defence said the accused after arriving' in New Zealand did clerical work till he met Sheridan, who told accused he (Sheridan) had been engaged in an illicit distillery, but had been prosecuted and fined £4OO. He told him it was not illegal to make spirits for private use, and offered to show him how. The two men came to Christchurch, and Sheridan distilled whisky. The accused became suspicious that the business was not legal, and refused to have anything to do with it. The result ws that not an ounce of spirits was sold. Counsel for the prosecution said the accused told the Collector of Customs he was here to purchase stock, and most of the apparatus was ingeniously concealed, and accused tried to conceal its nature when visited by the collector, showing that he could hardly have thought! he was carrying on anj innocent business. He had no evidence against Sheridan, who was old and infirm. The magistrate said it was a bare'faced case, andj the minimum penalty asked for by the counsel for the defence would not be sufficient. He. fined accused £lOO, with the alternative of three months’ imprisonment. The charge against J ohn Sheridan of being concerned in unlawfully making spirits was then withdrawn, on the application of counsel for the prosecution.

Ell. Av