THE LICENSING ACT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3933, 27 February 1884, Page 3

THE LICENSING ACT.

[To the editor of the Daily Telegraph. J Sib,—ln the Licensing Act of 18 c, merchants and publicans hud some guarantee that investments in hotel property would receive the protection of the law. In consequence of the security that was felt in the Act very large sums of money were invested throughout New Zealand in improving the accommodation for the public. In all tne towns in the colony new and spacious hotels were built, and even the road side shauty gav-o place to a superior building. In Napier tho Criterion, the Masonic, the Caledonian, tho Railway Terminus, and other hotels were built, whilo other hostelrios were greatly improved—for instance, the Occidental, the Star, the Exchange, and the Clarendon. Mere drinking shops were converted into respectable houses, and the superior class of edifice demanding the investment of a very considerable increase of capital there was a corresponding improvement iv the proprietary. I believol am well within the mark in Haying that in tho eight years between 18713 and ISBI some £70,000 were invested in this town alone in hotel property, and which would not have been so invested but for the Act of 1873. The most rabid teetotaller will hardly go so far as to assert that a respectable hotel, owned by a respectable man, who has several thousand pounds of his own sunk on tho premises, is moro dangerous to the morals of the community than a drink shanty of a don, the frequenters of which can neither respect themselves, the house, or the proprietor. By encouraging respectable and responsible "men to enter tho trade some guarantee is sei-ured for the good conduct of the hotel, and for tho good quality of the liquor dispensed. The Good Templars, however, would drive respectable men out of tho trade, first, by lessening the business hours and so diminishing the profits, and secondly by making them feci ashamed of an occupation which they characterise as sinful and debasing. Supposing the Templar,-) were successful in this effort, all the decent hotels would have to ciose, and the cheap drinking shop, the houso that cost little to build, and which required no staff of servants, would alone be found profitable to keep open. I maintain that that would be no improvement on the present state of things. A most deservingclass of men would be ruined for the sake of throwing a monopoly of the trade into tho hands of thoso whose interest ifc would be to encourage intemperance. The old fashioned naval boast, "a bloody war, and a sickly season," denoted a speedy means of promotion, and if this crusade against public-house property is to be continued, the publicans' toast will soon denote the best method of making a competence at the expense of the health and even of the lives of their customers. To those who arc not frequenters of public-houses, who are not afflicted with unquenchable thirst, and who personally would not care whether there was such a thing as a hotel or not in the land, it would not matter whether every other house in the town was a liquor shop. Tho sight of one would not tempt them, and the appearance of many would probably only disgust. But to the man who will drink, will satisfy his craving in spite of everybody. And in so sparsely populated a country as this is, and where there arc so many secluded spots iv the midst of the bush hills, all the vigilance iv _ the world would not prevent the establishment of illicit distilleries. It is far better to have open drinking than to force men to do it on the sly. There is no less gambling in Now Zealand because it has been made illegal. The law has not reformed the people who take pleasure in gambling. But, it is asserted, tho Good Templars do not wish to shut up the public-houses. Mr J. Harding, the other night, said he would not shut up a house between Napier and Masterton ; they should remain public-houses, but they should not be able to offer' to the traveller a single drop of alcoholic refreshment. How then could they bo kept open ? Take the quality of ordinary lodging houses in towns, and ask the proprietors if a profit is to be made out of total abstinence boarders. The Coffee Palace attraction business has been tried ovor and over again, and, except in very few instances, has terminated in failure. And so it will be hero if the Temperance parry get the whip-hand. By closing the hotels at 10 o'clock some of the best houses might just as well close altogether, and in that caso the public would suffer, while the cause of temperance would gain nothing.— I am, &c, In Moderation. February 27th, 1884.