THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE DRINK INTERESTS.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2309, 29 August 1881, Page 3

THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE DRINK INTERESTS.

To the hditor of the Globe,

Sir, -1 have a question I should like, through the medium of your columns, to put to the ratepayers, and that is : Is it desirable that a large proportion of our City Councillors should be men who are connected with the liquor traffic ? At the present time we have in the Council cne member who :'b a brewer, and another who is a director in a newly-formed brewing company ; whilst outside wo have another brewer and a publican offering themselves as candi* dates for the seats at present vacant. I am not a supporter of Mr Hulbert, neither do I regard with favor either of the candidates who are standing for the North - cast Ward, and consequently my query is not put in order to benefit any of the candidates who are opposed to Messrs Manning and Hiorns, But I would just like to point out to the ratepayers, end more especially to those who are averse to any increase in the number of drinkshops, that under the Licensing Act now receiving its finishing touches at the hands of our legislator*! the members of our City Council will be placed in a position where their influence will bo potent for good or ovil. Supposing a majority of the Councillors were interested in the browing of beer, they would naturally like to see the outlets for their product largely increased ; and as the Council receives the license fees from the drink-sellers, the larger the number of licenses issued the larger will be the revenue from that source, and the larger will be the benefit derived by the brewers and the publicans. Therefore I submit, sir, that persons who are so directly interested in the liquor traffic as the brewers and the publicans are ought to bo disqualified from holding seats in the Council. Yours, Ac., SPEED MELIORA. August 29th, 1881.