To The Editor Of The Time...
Sir,-It is probably known to most of youx readers, that an act of Parliament was passed last session, enabling " brewers to retail beer from the premnises wh1ere brewed, to be consumed elsewhere, on taking out a licence for that purpose." l believe that this measure was contemplated with much satisfactioni by all those who are interested in the moral and religious welfare of the lower classes of so- ciety. I have had an opportuniity of witnessing its benefi- cial tendency in the parish in which I reside. A shop has been opened for the retailing of beer under the provisions of the act, and tho poor have thus had the opportunitY of purchasing good beer at a moderate price, wvithout entering the doors of a public-house. rhe advantages of this sys- tem are very apparent. Where the labourer is obliged to go to the atehouse for the refreshment which he feels need- ful to him after a hard day's work, he is often induced to stay by the company which he meets there ; the tempta- tion to take more than he at first intended is too strong to be resisted ; and thus, often those who first go to an ale- house with no improper intention, become confirmed drunkards, bringing distress upon their families, and a bier- den on the parish. But under the new reguilations, a man goes to the retailer, buys as much beer as in his sober judgmnent he thinks will be good for him; an(d takes it home to (Irink at his own fire-side, and cheerfully to sbare it with his family. Thus, not only the temptation to ex- I cess is avoided, but also, no encouragement is afforded to that selfishlness which leads a man to treat himself with good cheer wvhile he leaves his family starving, with the additional misery of being expcsed to his brutality when he returns homc. My object in diawing the attention of your readers to this subject is to observe the great disappointment which mtust be generallyfelt atone clause introducedinto thebill, wshich renders it entirely nugatory with respect to a great part of the population of the country. It is as follows:_ "That no brewerof retail beer in Great Britain for sale shall be entitled to renew his or her licence to retail beer, unless he or she shall have brewedand been charged with dutyupon or for loo barrels of stronig beer, at the least, in the year preceding the terminiation of such former licence, or so in pro?portion, &c." Nowz, Sir, it is only in large parishes that so much beer can possibly be retailed within the year. In our parish, containing a populatioin of 800, only half the stipulatedi quantity has been consumed, so that we shall lose the benefit of the act, and revert to the fbrmer system. Many parishes will he similarly situated. If the quantity con-' sumed in our parish bears a fair proportion to the popula- tion, it is evident that no town or village of less than 1,600 will be able to avail itself of the benefit of the act; and even where the populationi amounts to that number, or seme- what more, if there be any competition, the title to the licenco will probably be forfeited. It is much to be wished that the attention of the Legislature may be drawn to this subject, and that the clause, which to so great an extent defeats the ohieet nf thp hill -nv h - -1a - -am, &c. D. TO TIIE EDITOR OI THE TIMES.