PHILANTHROPIC PUBLICANS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1365, 28 April 1883, Page 4

PHILANTHROPIC PUBLICANS.

Tho'Sydney Morning Herald'thus refers to a recent action taken by., certain liconsed .victuallers;:--'?A,somd- ' what novel kind «f a potition was pre; sented to tlie Lei Assembly; bii the3rdinst. It emanated' from', some ; licensod "victuallers' 'carryiiig on :'biisi- ,' ncss at Parramatta, who stated that jn their opinion the Licensing Act of 1882. had conferred great 'moral and social benefits' upon this colony, They also| stated that they view. with, feelings of. deep regret and alarm cortain proposed alterations, which if adopted would seriously impair the beneficial working of the Act and result in -great evil to the community at large. Solar the petitioners appear in the light of philanthropists and patriots; but the next portion of the petition/like the concluding words of a certain description of epistles, reveals a peculiarity in the extreme disinterestedness of the petitioners. It is as follows:—'Yourj petitioners therefore most respectfully: pray your, honorable House to retain' intact the clauses relating, to early, closing on the six business daysof the! week and entire closing o,n Sundays,: and that your honorable House will' extend the distance in the travellers' clause to ten miles instead of six, as at present.' The extension of the prescribed radiuß within which refreshments would be obtainable would probably divert the Sunday passenger traffic from the suburbs of Sydney to Parramata, to the benefit of. the rigidly moral publicans of that rising town,"