THE PERMISSIVE BILL.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 218, 20 June 1872, Page 3

THE PERMISSIVE BILL.

To the Editor of the THAMES GUARDIAN.

Sir, —Your apparent misunderstanding of the Permissive Bill, judging from your leader of the loth instant, if allowed to pass unnoticed will no doubt unnecessarily prejudice some against the movement. You say, “If the Permissive Bill agitators would coniine themselves to advocating temperance and sobriety, as virtues to be imitated by us all, without att< mpling to set themselves up as dictators, we think they would be acting with more wisdom.” The Total Abstinence Society exists to advocate temperance and sobriety ns virtues to be imitated, the Permissive Bill advocates seek to place in the hands ot the people the of the liquor truflh , and do not, nor never did, neither intend to set themselves up as dictators. “ The police and magistrates are far better judges of these matters than the Permissive Bill committee, who are the sort of men to look at one side of the question alone. It could be said that the police alone are better judges than some who sat on the Licensing Bench. Worse judges could be found even than the fbauies Permissive Bill committee, which is composed principally of gentlemen whose long experience of the ev : 's of the traffic, especially those whose official position has brought them face to face with its results, renders them fully competent to express an opinion on the matte - . “Tosay whether this houseorthat l o j should be closed” is not the power

toey seek. It appears somewhat strange that doubt should exist that “ there would be less crime if every public house was closed to-morrow." What say the police reports, what say our judges? Over and. over again the connection between, crime drink is pointed out. It would trespass on your space too much to give you extracts on this subject; they are familiar to all? In fact their very familiarity causes a torpidity of public feeling, which is much to he regretted. But is there not untold suffering caused by the number of

licensed temptations on this goldfield ? Are there not scores, aye, hundreds of aching hearts caused by the drink, and drinking customs of society? And is it a light matter to strive to remove the cause of this misery ? I trow not. Drink is the cause of drinking ; remove the cause, the effect will cease. But say some : If the Permissive Bill were law and in operation the effect would he the closing of respectable houses, and the opening of sly grog shops. We say, no; it would not result in the opening of sly grog- shops in large quantity.” Why, because the traffic would then be illegal, and before such a law were adopted the public, would be educated to that point, when they would take care that the proper authorities were fully alive to their duty in the suppression of such sly grog shops, did they exist. What

is the result of the Act in America ? In Portland there were between three and four hundred rum-shops, and immediately after the enactment of the law — not one. AMr Caullon travelled move than five miles and couldn’t find a drop. Then, you would abolish all public houses; not so, say wc, but we would have the liquor now sold in such houses impossible to conduct such houses to pay them, some will say. We say not so, witness 14 of such houses now in Leeds, in England, called the British Workman Public House. Hear what Mr B. It. Brown, hotel-keeper, New York, says : By abolishing the liquor bar I am brought into contact with a better class of customers, and all the duties and associations of my business are improved to a degree which affords me a fourfold compensation for the unprofitable profits which arose from vending the drink of the drunkards. I have heard none advocate this measure as the panacea for all evils without make tlic addition of words “ occasioned l>y drink," nor is it likely that the trouble woulu be taken to have the principle a law of the

land, and not attempt to put it into practice. The peisislent advocates of the movement will not fail to supply the principle when the time conics for doing so. “If it were passed it would never be carried out because the majority are against it,” that assertion remains to be proved. Time will show whether the the advocates of the Permissive Bill are in a g eat minority. When the discovety is made the sudden change of newspaper tactics will be one of the results. But the Bill will be quietly siie'ved, what a foregone conclusion from the leader of a public journal ! Permissive people keep quiet, you will provoke opposition ! You woidd suppose that those statements were copied from an organ of the Licensed Victuallers’ Association instead of a free and independent journal. The revenue wiU suffer, Mr Vogel won’t permit it to par". What says Mr Fox. “ The animal coi.i, of crime to New Zealand is £BO,OOO a year ; and it is well known that the greater part of thrt crime o-iginaics in tlie public house.” In the liist place, then, there would be more money for the Colonial T.easurer: in the next, lie would get that money eas ; er ; and lastly, crime, poverty and vice would absorb less of your money and leave you more for the legitimate purposes of Government. Fellow citizens, join in signing the petition in favor of the Permissive Bill, which when granted, wi'i give you the power of accomplishing a great social reformation. —I am,&c., R. French, Hon. Sec. Permissive Bill Committee.