THE PERMISSIVE BILL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 192, 13 August 1872, Page 4

THE PERMISSIVE BILL.

Mr Creighton moved the eecond reading of this Bill. Mr A. Clark f said lie would give the Bill his feeble support, and he proceeded to give the House a lectnre on teetotalism. Mr Katene alluded to tbechaDges which had taken place in the licensing laws regarding the sale of spirits to Maoris. He sapi allTtlie lav^s; regarding spirits should beput'irrif pot and boiled." As long' as there was liquor there would be drinking, and the only way to etop it would be to prevent its 'introduction. If that could not be done, let it be open to all. The Colonial Secretary, in noticing the prohibitory; clauses, said that they would, if parsed, prevent private people giving a friend a glass of wine in their" own houses, or preclude doctors, even in a case of illness, from giving their, patients medical comforts. Mr Johnston said that the mover and seconder of the Bill seemed to thick that they were preaching against new evils, and propounding remedies bever before heard of. The e.vji was old, and the result of the attempted remedy had been in every case the same, namely, failure. In Maine, to which many English people emigrated, a stringent prohibitory law was passed, and the result was sly grog selling and drunkenness. In Scotland, again, similar legislation had been attempted, with like results. The Bill, however, while it would diminish the the revenue, would bring into being a class of men who would gain their living by habitual hypocrisy, fraud, and a systematic breaking of the law. Mr Andrew.dwelt on. the result of the investigations of Mr. Plimsoll, in America, who found that prohibitory measures resulted in increassd: drunkenness. Mr Gilliea did not like to see a good thing laughed out of the House, even if it had a few faults. The liberty of the individual must give way before the good of the community. Mr Bunny objected to the prohibitory clauses, because they, would not cheek druukenaess. The Bill would diminish the revenue,- call into being sly grog sellingj and produce no good, so he should oppose it. Mr Seymour believed: the Bill was one of those which: would' be better left in the hands of the Provincial Governments.. Mr M'Glashan objected to the Bill on account of the compulsory clauses, and because. of its jiaterference with- properties. Messrs Steward and Tribe opposed the Bill. The Colonial Treasurer said the measure bad been clamorously put forward before the public, and therefore had been considered more important t than otherwise would have been the case. After arguing that the- fact of a man being a teetotaller is strong evidence, as a rule, of his having been a drunkard, aod pointing out that the champion teetotaller of America was a man who had signed the. pledge 2oo. times, he said he feared that the Bill might be used- by interested persons to close good houses for the purpose of driving, custom into sly grog shops, Several other members spoke, and the Bill then- psHse'd the second reading, but the prohibitory clauses have since been expunged in committee.