The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1874.

Evening Star, Issue 3699, 30 December 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1874.

The virulent attacks upon Mr Fox which have been made respecting legislation regarding the sale of intoxicating liquors are not very creditable to tkf Press of Dunedin. We mav, and do, differ from Good Templars, et id genus omne, as to the right claimed by i them, as one section of the community, to dictate to - the other what they shall ' use either in the shape of food nr ■ drink. It is quite as intolerant a proceeding as to attempt to compel them I to worship after a certain fashion. But it is nothing new in the liquor trade. Legislation, in regard to it, has, in a large degree, already assumed the right to regulate the traffic by determining that only certain select persons shall he allowed to sell intoxicating drinks in specially selected houses. By common consent of all British communities this power of conferring a monopoly has been conceded to their Governments, and, we have no hesitation in sayini?, with much disadvantage to the people themselves. The real question, as far as we understand Mr Fox’s argument, is whether the responsibility of appointing retailers of drink shall continue with the Government, or be assumed by the inhabitants of a district. We are by no means satisfied that the change would effect the object sought. Bad as was the administration of the law in the hands of the Bench of Justices, we do not think from the experience we have had of the working of the new Act much improvement has resulted. The logrolling is rather increased than abated ; the principles on which licenses should be granted are as ill-defined as before. Many times we have pointed to the absurdity of that portion of our liquor sale code that induces a capitalist to invest money in the construction of suitable premises on the mere chance of obtaining a license. He reasons, and many others reason with him, that it is unfair, after having complied with the specified conditions, that his license should be withheld. He may have mistaken the probabilities of success ; like all other investors he is liable to do so, and must take the consequence ; but, under our present arrangements, we cannot rid ourselves of the conclusion that, all the required conditions being fulfilled on the part of the owner of the property, to refuse the license is a breach of an implied contract on the part of the Government. It is, therefore, quite as much the interest of the present holders of licenses that a clear and well-defined principle on which additional ones should be granted should be prescribed, as it is for the public welfare. The principle of a Permissive Bill would nob effect this so long as speculation in hotel building continues to be induced by the state of the law. The idea of a Permissive Bill is that the inhabitants of a district shall, through a majority, decide whether a public-house is needed in a given district or not; and there is no good reason why this should not be ascertained before a man invests in bricks and mortar. It would be just as easy to say the license is conditional on certain conveniences being approved by the Government, after the opinion of the district had been expressed, as it is now, when the house is expected to be built before application is made. And this good effect would follow : many persons who, after a man induced by the state of the law has built a house, feel that his license ought not to be witheld, and therefore aid him to obtain it, would wifchold their sanction were they asked for it beforehand. They would say to the projector at once, “We are better without a public-house. We have done without one hitherto, and our neighborhood has been orderly and peaceful; if one is built it is one added to the number of competitors and cannot succeed without either perhaps mining a neighbor, or, still more likely, multiplying the number of drunkards.” The number of licensed victuallers already ln . business may thrive without being driven to expedients to induce their customers to drink to excess; but every addition to their numbertendstoreduce profits. They must sell a given quantity of liquor to make it “ pay,” and if the custom of a house be divided between two _ instead of one, both will offer special inducements to obtain the lion’s share. So far, therefore, as present hcencees are concerned, they are equally interested. with the public in not multi’plying drinking establishments ; and a Permissive Bill, not retrospective in its operation, would be a benefit to them. The principle of a Permissive Bill is that it takes from the Government the power of forcing a public-house upon the people of a district: the disadvantage of one would be the constant bickerings and heart burnings of peri-ons holding conflicting opinions ; hub as those are already as intense as it is possible to be, if the Permissive principle has any advantage in other respects the change would be for the better. Streot-preaching seems likely to become an institution in Auckland. i By a fire at Ardmore station on Wodnesday last an outatation and ten bales of wo6l (covered \>y insurance) were destroyed. It , is supposed tp bjtvo bpen caused by an incenftraiy;

A special meeting of the City Council is to be held at noon to-morr >w, when the deed of transfer of > he Waterworks from the Company to the City will be executed.

At Auckland, the other day, a girl with a child in her arms fell through the trap door of a warehouse to the basement, forty feet below, Strange to say, both escaped with a few bruises. An accident happened on the Anderson’s Bay Road yesterday afternoon to a man named Duncan Taylor, foreman to Mr Larnach. Taylor bad been out riding, when his hat blew off, and while looking round for it his horse shied, throwing him, and he remained insensible for some time. The master of the quarantine station at Auckland has presented a highly complimentary testimonial to the single women immigrants by the ship Hydaspus. He tells them they are “the most respe table body of unmarried women who have arrived in Am k and ior the last eighteen years ” An inquest was held at Mannherikia Valley on the 2tth inst., before Mr Warden fdmpson, on the b>.y of Prances I ouisa Hood, nineteen m utbs’ old. Deceased had wandered from her sister (seven years) in w-hoee charge she was, to a pood on the Galloway station, and, falling into ic, was drowned. A verdict was returned accordingly. A correspondent informs us that on Sunday night or Mon-lay morning an old digger was burnt to death in his hut at Drybrcad. Ihe tire occu rtd without attracting any notice, and on Monday his charred body was found inside of what had been bis hut, near the site of the door, and seemed from its position as if he had been attempting to escape We have nob heard his name. Mr John Logan and Mr Jam. s Brown, J. P.’s, attended at the gaol this afternoon, and investigated a charge preferred against a prisoner named Samuel O’Neil, alms Gibson, for having on the 14th < ctober, 1873, at Waip-'ri, unlawfully a-d knowingly by a certain false pretence obtained of and from William Gray an order for the payment of 1 5, with intent to cheat and defraud. Prisoner was committed for trial at the ensuing session of the Supreme Court.

Two cases set down for trial at the ensuing Civil Sittings of the >‘upreme Court are likely to excite considerable interest. The first, is for alleged libel—G Turnbull v. J. 1.. Gillies and J. JVJackay ; the second for alleged s auder, in which 1.1,000 damages are claimed, the plaintiff being Mr M. J. Malayan, late Mayor of Q menstown, and the defendant Mr J. Wenkaeim, a we 1 ! known red ent of that place. The trial of the list-mentioned case is fixed for January 15.

The provisional meteorological returns for November show an average temperature slightly above that of previous years in Wellington, Christchurch, ami Dunedin, and slightly below in Auckland, A ebon, and Hokitika. Atmospheric humidity, however, was considc a’nly In excess at all although the rainfall was below the average everywhere .but in Nelson. It is accounted for partly by the fact that the number of rainy days was over the average, aitho gh the actual depth of rain was un er. Ohrid* church had the highest temperature in the sh idc, 80 leg , and Dunedin that in the sunshine, 159.1 eg. A letter from John King, a miner, well known in Tuapeka, and who is at Cooktown, has been placed at the disposal of the local journal He does not give a very rosy account of the ; aimer diggings. It had been raining ince;s\ntiy four weeks, and a largenumber of min-rs whoso emaciated appearance deterred many at Cooktown from proceeding up-country were returning from the diggings. Ho also says that although a considerable amount of gold had been'obtained by some parties of men, the storekeepers and p..ckers get the lion’s share of it, as provisions and carriage to the diggings are frightfully high. The accounts Mr King giveare anything but encouraging, and from what we know of him these accounts can be accepted as truthful. 1 he baziar in aid of the building fund of All -Saints’ Church was well attended last evening, and the receipts of the day amounted to nearly Ll5O. Although several very handsome articles have disappeared or been disposed of, the stalls do not ok sensibly thinned ; and posaiblv there i* better opportunity of selection than when crowds of elegant specimens of art and use fulness bewilder choice. The pictures, which are to be disposed of by art union, will bear comparison with these of any other city in the Colonies. They are most of them landscape scenery of *ew Zealand, and many of them are admirably treated. Of themselves they ought to prove a handsome contribution to the Church. The bazaar to-day was only moderately attended up to 4 o’clock. The fine evening, will, however, be favorable for visitors. At the meeting of the Sailors’ Home Committee yesti »day afternoon Mr Fi hj reported the receipt of L2OO from the Government, and mentioned that 'he acceptance of a tenancy of the old Immigration Barra-ks meant giving up possesion on two months’ notice, though he did not think the Home would be disturbed for twelve months it was derided to accept the terms of the Corporation. The treasurer (Mr B. Martin) reported having opened an account with the Colonial Bank, The ! 2ilo received from the Government had been lodged on fixed deposit tor six mouths, to which would be added the L50l) placed in th* Savings Bank, and there was an account of L 133 odd to operate upon. It was resolved to advertise for a master of .he Home, at a salary of l 200 % year, with free quarters ; applications to be considered at a meeting to be held on the Ist of February. At the Port Chalmers Police Court, this morning, btf-re Mr T. A. Mansford, R.M., ''avid Campbell was charged with des rting from the ship Auckland. He pleaded puiliy, but on account of the way accused was found locked up in one of the cabins of the barque Record- his Worship desired to hear the evidence. From this it appeared that Sergeant Neil, in company with Captain Stevens and Constabl < Carter, proceeded on board the Record yesterday with a search warrant, Captain Jennins, of the Record, at the time being in Dunedin. The officers and steward denied that anyone was on board except those belonging to the vessel ; but a search was made, and af er a ime two of the accused’s I'oxea were found, and Constabl- Carter noticed that one of the cabins was bolted imide The door was opened, when the accused walked out. Captain ■le naius, the second officer, and the steward gave evidence, and swore that they did not know the accused was there. The accused was sentenced to twelve weeks’ bird labor, and to forfeit his wages. His W< r,hip at the sa e time remarked that bad thee been any suspicion against the officers or crew of the i.ecord, he would have had an in form ation laid, and punish, d them to the full extent the Merchant Seamen's Act allowed. The police have rather an awkward per son to deal with in Mary Fleming, the young woman who is charged with the theft of the goods of her la e employers (Messrs Herbert. Haynes, and Co.), of the value of 152 10s lOd. She appears to ha' e a weakness for fits, for when placed in the dock yesterday she fainted, and the hearing of the cane had to be postponed till next day. The police, supposing that the excitement of the crowded Court was the cause of her illness yester day, determined that such should not b«| tfw cafee to-day, add the plwge being an

indictable offence, they, with the sanction of rhr Bench, had the cleared, so that the case might be heard with closed doors. ' censed was then accommodated wi hj a chair in the body »f the (-ourt. bub no sooner had prosecutor stepped into the wit .ess box than she again fainted, and at the request of the police the case was adjourned for a week. Accused, on hearing this, iimne iiately rallied, and learning that if the case was not heard for a week it would not bo disposed of at the ensuing session of the Supreme Court, asked that it be gone on with at once, but, of course, Vur request was not complied with. Her case looks like one of kleptomania, for motive is wanting, as not only is she possessed of landed property, but has a very respectable balance at her bankers. We are requested to state that the annual pic nic in connection with Knox Church Sunday School will be held on Friday. Mr Gully’s water-color painting, the property of Mr Allen, now to be seen in the she.* of Mr G. R. West, music-seller, is not only one of the nest of Mr Gully’s productions, but one of the finest landscapes we have seen. The foreground is understood to be composition, but if so is a most beautiful illustration of New Zealand flora. It is painted with great care, and the peculiar characteristics of New Zealand foliage are minutely observed. The coloring is rich, warm, and truthful, and serves admirably to throw back the middle and extreme dis tance. Those two portions of the picture are occupied by a lake, beyond which rises a range of mountains whose neaks rising far above the snow line are almost lost in ether. We believe it is a viewy f Mount Cook, and if so it conveys a far more vivid impression of the cold grandeur and towering height of the loftiest of New Zealand’s mountains than the contracted view that has been so frequently reproduced for our edification. Our local artists should carefully study this splendid work while they have opportunity. They will gain hints for the treatment of landscape that should not be missed.