THE INTOXICATING LIQUORS BILL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5179, 27 October 1877, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE INTOXICATING LIQUORS BILL.

(From the Daily News, July 19.) Another morning sitting was practically wasted yesterday in the discusion of this question of Closing public-houses in Ireland. Mr. Sullivan’s Bill, which was under discussion for nearly the whole of the day, was avowedly brought as a kind of alternative proposal to that of Mr. K. Smyth. The Chief Secretary for Ireland had in some of his public expressions pitted the suggestion of shutting up the public-houses earlier on Saturday., nights against the Bill, which found favor with the House, but not with the Government, for complete closing on Sundays. The Intoxicating Liquors (Ireland) Bill, which for five months had been a name on the paper, and nothing mare, was eventually shaped so as to take Sir M. H. Beach at his word. It was ah attempt to force the Government to avow its policy on this subject; and as it failed, the Bill was negatived without a division. The waste of time in these discussions is, however, entirely the fault of the Government. They ought to have a policy on this question; and apparently they have none at all Even after the defeats they have suffered on'this subject they might have settled it for the present, had they dune no more than provide that the complete Sunday closing, on which a majority of the House seems to insist, should be an experiment tried only for a few years. Sir M. H. Beach, however, has neither pushed bis own scheme of exempting the great towns, nor adopted any other; and the whole matter is loft over to create further agitation, instead pf being settled. Nov did" the Chief Secretary in his speech yesterday say that the matter should be taken up by the Government next year.. He promised that it should be considered during the recess, but expressed at the same time his opinion that such matters might well be left in private hands. It is this mistake of leaving private members to legislate in a case in which le 'islation has become necessary which is at the bottom of all the difficulty and delay this question creates. The Government does not seem to have learned the maxim of statesmanship that when you cannot do exactly what is best, you must do the next best thing. In the present case almost any settlement would be better than leaving the matter as it stands, with Mr. R. Smyth’s Bill approved in principle by the House and the Government, but defeated by the tactics of delay. '