THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O' CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3010, 8 October 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O' CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1878.

In the House last night the Government did. not make a favorable impression. They a'tribute the rejection of the Beer Tax Bill to lobby influences. Some of their supporters and a few newspaper writers pay the brewers and licensed victuallers have been' the moving spirits to have it thrown out, and one hon. member (Mr Saunders) ironically advised the Qo< vernment in future to put on all their measures "by permission of the licensed victuallers." The Government', members, and journalists who follow in the former's wake without turning to the right hand or to the left, are, we think, all wrong. It is public opinion that has killed the Beer Tax Bill and the Joint Stock Companies Tax Bill. Both were measures unworthy of the Government. The first was directly opposed Co one of the political tenetsoftbo Premier in his famous politicoevangelising tour, namely, to take duties off the necessaries of life and -articles of. daily consumption of the working classes and put them on luxuries, lands ancL properties. For, we contend that, putting aside the " moral " or sentimental phase of the beer question so pertinaciously adhered to by Good Templars and others, beer is as much a necessity to thousands as is tea;or coffee. When, may we ask, did'tea become a necessary beverage? How many centuries had people liwd in the world before its use became known? We are not sorry the Government sustained a defeat on this bill, but we are sorry so much was made of it as a Government measure (which, by-the-byei the Treasurer now, denies), and it is a pity it was ever introduced at all. The beer trade is a* great local industry; the product is a national beverage which thousands regard as necessary: to their daily existence. The proposal to put a tax on beer, therefore, while reducing the import duty on Australian wine, and the wretched compromise of an addi tio'nal tax of two shillings per gallon on " sparkling wines," all combined to bring about the issue which'placed the Government in a verjr awkward'dilemma, and must Lave tended towards weakening their position. The Beer Bill was too insignificanti a measure to have been made a ministerial question, and, in fact, the proposals in it were a violation of the principles of the Government policy. If the defeat on this question was humiliating, what shall be said of 'the admission that such defeat is owing to the power and influence .of the licensed victuallers ? ■ Will the Government admit that the publicans of the country exercise a power greater than Ministers? . If they do so another elemeufc of weakness . will be confessed to. ' From what we gather of last night's proceedings,, the Beer Bill will be withdrawn, and Ministers will not attempt to introduce any new measure of taxation to make up the deficiency caused by the rejection of the 'measure, but will reserve the elaboration of their fiscal policy till next sessior In this they will . dispjay wisdom. Their proposals for adjustment of the incidence of taxation fell far short of their promises. The Laud Tax Bill could but be regarded as the veriest shadow; of a land and property tax policy, while the two bills to be withdrawn were obnoxious from the firstj and the proposed remission of custom duties offered as a quid fro quo insignificant in the extreme. . :•.'■.. .

Country. , i New Zealand „ Queensland United States .. Canada .. .. South Australia.. Victoria .. ... N. S. Wales Switzerland Great Britain .. Belgium .. France .. 1877 1877 1576 1870 1877 1877 1877 1876 1876 1876 18/ C I" I ■ 414,343 203,085 45,027,000 4,000,000 236,864 800,787 .> 062,212 2,775,000 33,033,439 5,366,000 36^905,788 go 955 359 78,654 0,412 302 031 698 1^478 10,872 2,105 12,7£3 I*! I 2-30 1-70 1-72 1-60 1-27 1-68 0-90 0-53 0-51 0-39 0-34 i I sjf l|l Hit I_l 506, 570 024 7C4 924 1108 1877. 1901 2540 2900