CO882-(8-9) — Page 643

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 882

9

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH——NOT TO

42

syndicate had had enough of it; and now we find a young man tendering for the Colomba rent; so that to suppose for a moment that the Moratuwa renters became I must say it was very convenient for the Government millionaires was a mistake.

to receive the revenue without any trouble. Sir, I believe the revenue from arrack to day is about five million rupees, that is, one-eighth of the entire revenue of the Island Well, that is a very important item, and if steps can be taken to ensure the continuance of that iteni in the revenue. I think Government will be perfectly justified in taking the necessary steps. Now, Sir, if the revenue derived from the arrack rents amounts to five million rupees, it must not be supposed, as some people But the do, that the whole of the drinking has been done by the people of this country. The drinking capacity of men increases the more civilised they get. increase of population will account to a great extent for the rise in the revenue. So that really there is not much cause to be alarmed at the spread of drinking. My honourable friend the First Low-country Sinhalese Member prayed earnestly that his people may be saved from drink, but he forgot to tell this Council that the Sinhalese are not a nation of drunkards.

The Honourable the Fast LOW COUNTRY SINHALESE MEMBER: They may be becoming one.

The Honourable the BURGHER MEMBER: They may he becoming so, but very slowly. Any one travelling about the Island can see that the people are not addicted to drink, but there is the danger of the drink habit spreading. I quite see that we But, Sir, we were completely sold, should object to the increase of arrack taverns. if I may use the word, when the Honourable the Colonial Secretary told us yesterday that the redistribution of taverns would show a reduction to 552 taverns, against 55% of to-day.

The Honourable the COLONIAL SECRETARY: That is the redistribution for seven Provinces; and in the Southern Province there is a reduction of one; for the North- Western Province I have not yet got the final figures, but I anticipate an increase.

The Honourable the BURGHER MEMBER: However, Sir, I am with those who do not take the exaggerated view that the drink habit is spreading in the villages. I am also among those who think that everything possible should be done to prevent The Sinhalese religion and the religion of the the spread of the love for drink. Tamil man forbid him to drink, and education will teach them not to abuse the But to come back to the subject of local option, Sir, I do wish good gifts of God. that some means could be devised for giving us some scheme of local option. Whether as a matter of principle it should be embodied in the Ordinance, I am not prepared to say; but I have no doubt, judging from the willingness manifested by Government to meet the public wish, that some measure of local option will be desirable. If the villager does not want taverns, it is as well not to give them I do not know that there is anything I think that too much to him. The details can easily be settled.

have to comment on. else in the Ordinance itself that power--I say it with all deference-is thrown upon His Excellency the Governor. The framing of rules by the Governor for the delegation of his authority to the Excise Commissioner I must also take objection to, on principle. It is in the 31st Section and the 7th Sub-section (h). I do not think the Governor should agree It is contrary to a well-known principle of law, to the delegation of those powers. but I think we can easily amend that in Committee. I have endeavoured, Sir, in a brief way to tell the Council what I know of this question, and I have no doubt, after what we heard from the Honourable the Colonial Secretary yesterday, and the kindly spirit in which he spoke, that we shall be able to make this Ordinance a workable Ordinance, and that it will reflect the greatest credit on this Administration. (Applause.)

The Honourable the EUROPEAN URBAN MEMBER: Your Excellency and your advisers are to be congratulated on the successful effort which they have made to produce an Ordinance which will sweep away the abuses of the old, bad, renting Ordinance, and you are also to be congratulated upon having employed in this particular work one of your senior and most capable officers. The work has occupied some two and a half years, and I think even that length of time has been well spent in producing an Ordinance such as we have before us. (Hear, hear!) The object of the Ordinance, I understand, is to obtain for Government the maximum revenue, whilst at the same time controlling, curtailing, and restricting the sale of liquor. (Hear, hear!) Only good, I think, can accrue from the abolition of the old understand that it is clearly understood that Government do not Ordinance.

43

The Honourable the Colonial intend to become distillers of arrack themselves. Secretary made a statement yesterday that Government intended to establish a distillery and to distil arrack experimentally. I do not think that any objection can be taken to that, but it is not proposed, I understand, that Government should become distillers of arrack. It is intended that the right to distil arrack should be leased to various parties on certain terms. Then, I think it is a good point in the Ordinance that no rights are acquired by those to whom licences are granted, There is no pre- kind. any either from the sale, wholesale or retail, of liquor of scriptive right, so that in the event of termination there is no compensation, except such as is stated in the Ordinance in particular cases, where the licences have been cancelled. The anxiety of the public has certainly been considerable in regard to the question of an increased number of taverns, as indicated in the Excise Com- missioners Report, and that anxiety, I have no doubt, has been largely allayed by the statements made by the Honourable the Colonial Secretary in his address yesterday. There is one point I would like to emphasise, and that is, that it does not follow, because there is a large illicit sale of liquor, that there is a legitimate demand for liquor. (Hear, hear!) In the old country, until within a few years ago, the penny newspaper was the common newspaper that was delivered at the houses of the public, until an enterprising journalist thought it desirable to bring out an evening half penny paper. It was brought out, but there was no demand for it. Ultimately he hit upon the idea of sending that paper out by thousands in the hands of small boys in the streets. These papers were put under the noses of the public, and a man said, "Well, perhaps, there may be something new inside; The hand went into the pocket, and the news- it is only a half-penny after all." paper was taken. There was really no proper legitimate demand for the article, but because it was thrust before the attention of the public they bought the news- In some cases there is And so with regard to this illicit sale of arrack. paper. no legitimate sale, but the liquor is brought and placed before the cooly on the estate and before the Sinhalese villager, and he buys it, not because he wants it, not that he would go half-a-mile to an arrack shop to buy it, but simply because it is put before him strongly. Human nature is human nature, and when the drink is so placed before him he falls. Then, I was pleased to learn that Government are perfectly clear on the point that it is the sobriety of the people' which they wish to obtain, and not revenue for the Colony. (Applause.) As long as that is kept the keynote of the Government's intention, I do not think the public will have any cause to complain. I quite agree with the Honourable the Rural European Member with regard to the importance of continuing the present arrangement, under which a certain amount of local option is exercised. (Applause.)

The Honourable the KANDYAN SINHALESE Member: words on the second reading of this important Bill. the First Tamil Member the relief felt upon hearing the statement that trees pro- ducing sweet toddy will not be taxed. I think general satisfaction will be expressed on all hands with the news of that. A great deal has been said pro and con on the subject of local option, and I feel that this is an opportunity which should be taken to embody a provision for local option in the Ordinance; because, as I under- stand from the Honourable the Colonial Secretary, this Ordinance, when passed, will be amended and re-amended according to the experience which will be accu- mulated by the staff; and if local option is worth anything, I think it is worth beginning at once when the Ordinance comes into operation. It will be interesting, Sir, to note that this principle of local option has been recognised in other Ordi- You will see on reference to that nances, principally the Irrigation Ordinance. Ordinance that when a community of villagers commits itself to the construction of a tank, the public opinion of that village is ascertained, and the whole community is bound by the expression of opinion of the majority, so that even in these rural communities it is possible to ascertain the trend of public opinion. Then, again, Sir, I think that we already have the machinery which could be made use of to ascertain the public opinion amongst more educated communities. I think it is a well-known thing that in the planting districts the planters' associations are highly interested in these matters, and they will be able to state authoritatively whether a tavern is needed in particular cases or not. Besides the planters' asso- ciations, there are other associations in the districts, and I think that these institu- tions may very well be made use of by the Government in ascertaining public opinion on this point. In the discussion yesterday. Sir, the Honourable the Colonial Secretary said that this system of local option was a failure in India, and was

wish to speak a few I share with the Honourable