ROME NOTES

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 801, 13 July 1905, Page 24

ROME NOTES

(“ London L.V. Gazette,” May 26). One of the main topics of discussion during the week has been the decision of the Lord Chief Justice in connection with the seventeen licensing appeals which have come before the King’s Bench Divisional Court from various parts of. the country. There is but one opinion, and that is that the Trade has scored a great victory. The justices have been given plainly to understand that they ought not to make a report in respect of any house without giving notice to the licensee and affording him an opportunity of tendering evidence and of crossexamining the witnesses, and even in cases where notice has been given the justices must not rely solely on their own knowledge, but their information must be based upon evidence taken on oath, and liberty must be given to the applicant to cross-examine and call evidence. Stripped of its legal verbiage this is the plain judgment of the Lord Chief Justice, and it practically proves that the Licensing Act of 1904 was not intended to over-ride the Act of 1872.

The thanks of the Trade are due to Mr. Lough, the member for West Islington, for taking an opportunity when the Finance Bill was before the House of Commons on Tuesday evening of protesting against the continued reimposition •of the temporary war taxes put on beer and spirits by the present Government in 1900. There can be no doubt, as he rightly said, that the Chancellor of the Exchequer could easily have found means to get rid of those additional duties if he had a mind to. When a point of this kind is raised there are always members eager and ready to have a dig at the Trade, and Mr. Whitley, the member for Halifax, had the audacity to suggest that the brewers and distillers had recouped themselves at the expense of the public by deteriorating the quality of beer and spirits.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer was sympathetic. He told the House that he did not believe there was any proof to support the suggestion that a more “ thirst producing” article was being manufactured and consumed in consequence of the war duties—neither is there. While he could not dispense with those duties during the present year, he ■declined to make any hazardous prophecies for the future, but there can be little doubt in view of the strong expressions •of opinion on the subject and the fall in the revenue from Customs and Excise that the next Budget will provide for the abolition of this extra tax on the Trade. Mr. Lough uttered a truism when he said that excessive taxation on spirits and beer did not make the people more temperate, but only more impoverished.

The attempt on the part of Mr. Flynn, the member for North Cork, to benefit the Irish whisky distillers and merchants :at the expense of their Scotch confreres qpded in utter failure, as it deserved to do. There can be no doubt that a duty of Ils on an article such as whisky is too much; at the same time whatever be the ■amount of duty resolved upon by Parliament it must apply equally throughout the United Kingdom. The proposition that Mr. Flynn put before the House that the additional duty of 6d per proof gallon imposed by section 7 of the Finance Act of 1900 should not apply to spirits consumed in Ireland .was ridiculous in the extreme. Preferential treatment with the colonies is just now in the air, but this is the first time that a seri=ous proposal has been brought forward in Parliament that Ireland should receive preferential treatment at the hands of the Imperial Government. For one thinpf the proposal would mean a new ■system of Customs and Excise duties between the two countries, and this, of ■course, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer pointed out, is impossible. • • • •

The next important Trade gathering of the year will be the annual meeting -of the Scottish Licensed Trade Defence Association, which will be he’d at the Hoyal Hotel, Edinburgh, on Wednesday, June 14, under the nresidency of Mr. T. Leslie Usher. At this gathering there will be great rejoicing over the defeat of the Scottish Veto Bill and the executive yill be thanked, as they deserve to be, for the manner in which they went to work to bring about the desired result. Not only did they place themselves in communication with the various Trade associations in England, Wales, and Scotland, but they prepared and circulated a pamphlet on the'subject, and also forwarded letters to every head of the Licensing Courts in Scotland bringing under their notice the drastic terms of the Bill in order that they might raise their voices on the subject through the various members of Parliament." The whole business was most satisfactorily done, and reflects the highest credit on all concerned.

Judging from the summarised report of the last meeting of the Central Board, the question of the direct representation of the retail trade in Parliament is to be dropped, at any rate no further steps have been taken with regard to finding a constituency for the proposed representative, and the chairman—Mr. Edward Johnson—replying to Mr. Averre, one of the Essex representatives, said that it was most desirable that there should be every reasonable prospect of success before the board again moved in the matter. That the majority of licensed victuallers would like to see a direct representative of the retail trade in the House of Commons there can be no question, but the whole matter is surrounded with difficulties. In the first place, a pretty safe seat would have to be formcF; secondly, the various protection societies throughout the metropolis would have to liberally subscribe towards the expenses of. retaining such representative; and, thirdly, there, is the selection of the most suitable candidate. So far as London is concerned, presumably there would be but one choice—the chairman of the Central Board—but Mr. Johnson T be-

lieve, has already, stated that were he selected and returned he would of necessity have to resign his present position, so that what the licensed victuallers of London would gain in one direction they would lose in another. Then there are the great provincial centres to be considered, and altogether, in view of the great difficulties in the way, it is perhaps best that the subject should be dropped.

Evidently there is one subject upon which the Trade and the teetotallers are agreed, and that is the municipalisation of the liquor traffic would be distinctly disadvantageous to the community. It is true that they arrive at the same conclusion from different standpoints. Sir Wilfrid Lawson says not for a moment will those interested in temperance legislation acquiesce in municipalisation of the liquor traffic, “ either present, prospective, or ultimate.” And why, it may be asked? Because ‘‘experience proves that the liquor traffic has more or less corrupted and demoralised all who have had to deal with it?” The reply is a stereotyped one so far as the high priest of temperance is concerned, and may or may not be fully endorsed by the bulk of his followers. Those connected with the licensing interest are opposed to the municipalisation of the liquor traffic simply because it would interfere with the legitimate trader. There is absolutely no need for municipalisation. The Borough Councils have quite enough to do without troubling themselves with the sale of intoxicating liquor, and the public would not be benefited in the least by any such change.

The testimonials which were presented to Mr. Tom Evans, immediate past chairman of the Metropolitan Beer and Wine Trade Asylum, and Mr. Harold Coleman. immediate past chairman of the Metropolitan Beer and Wine Trade Protection Society, at a little dinner given in their, honour at the Hermit’s Citve; Church-street, Camberwell, on Tuesday evening, were undoubtedly well deserved. Both of these gentlemen have rendered good service to the Trade during their year of office. Mr. Evans was fortunate in securing the services. of Mr. Thomas Wells Thorpe, of Mann, Crossmam and Paulin, Limited, as president of the Asylum for 1904, and the success which attended the festival dinner was in a great measure due to the excellent manner in which he seconded the efforts of the popular president to enlist the support of the Trade in regard.to the future of this deserving charity. Mr. Coleman also had a record year, inasmuch as during his term of office he was fortunate enough to see legislation carried through Parliament which has rendered some meed of justice to the Trade if it has not given entire satisfaction. The vellums which were presented to the recipients are sure to be treasured for old association’s sake. They will be a pleasant reminder of one of the happiest and most prosperous years in connection with these twin institutions.

It will come as a surprise to the Trade to hear that the Central Public-house Trust Association expects to secure a monopoly of the licensing business in Guernsey. There has, as is well known, been a remarkable change in the liquor laws of the island, and Lord Lytton, who presided over the annual meeting of the Association on Tuesday, said that they were at present engaged in organising a trust to take over the whole of the licensed houses. Monopoly, he added, was the best test for their system, and they hoped to have an opportunity of showing what they could do with a monopoly of the drink traffic. So far it must be confessed that the trust companies that have been formed in various centres of Great Britain have not turned out the success that was anticipated. Some have done fairly well, others have not been able to boast of financial success. Still,. more are to be formed, and the Association at the present time has in prospect the formation of three new companies in England making~altogether as nearly as many companies as counties. The parent Association last year showed a deficit of £l4OO, which has been reduced by £925 through donations received during the past twelve ' months. In order to secure an assured income annual subscriptions are to be invited in the future.