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20. That these toddy shops have given rise to an increase in drunkenness is abundantly clear from the large number of crimes that have been recently perpetrated by men under the influence of toddy. Such cases have been reported at times almost daily in the Press. About fifteen specific cases are given in Appendix 4 out of many more available. A case from the district of Matale, which came under the investi- gation of the District Court of Kandy, is specially noteworthy. The learned Judge states in his judgment " that the evidence showed clearly that the accused had been running amok when hopelessly intoxicated with fermented toddy, which he had pro- cured from one of the two toddy taverns recently opened near two of the boundaries of Glenary Estate

There was no question that a murder was narrowly averted on the Estate, and Mr. MacGuffie (the Superintendent of Glenary Estate) was entitled to sympathy when he complained that since the opening of the two toddy shops near his boundaries his coolies were nearly always drunk, even on week days. The expediency of continuing these two toddy shops on the boundaries of this Estate was not a matter which concerned the Court, but it might be usefully con- sidered by the Excise authorities."

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21. During the last month five murders were reported in the District of Chilaw, One of them was committed on committed in the neighbourhood of toddy taverns. the public market place of Chilaw town and it was the first murder committed in the town for 25 years. Mr. Victor Corea, who is a prominent resident of the town of Chilaw, states that these murders are the result of the opening of toddy taverns.

At a meeting of the Badulla Planters' Association held on the 23rd November, Mr. A. T. Rettie, one of the oldest planters of the district, with forty years' experience in Ceylon, stated that as the result of opening a toddy tavern on the wayside near his estate his coolies drank" during working hours, and as the day wore on they were found unfit for work. Estate tools were being sold by the coolies to the toddy renter, who, he was told, accepted them gladly and transferred them to a neighbouring smithy, where they were converted into different implements. That was not all. The coolies who were sent to Badulla to obtain provisions for the planters, and also to bring tappal,' drank at the wayside toddy shops; and it was no exaggeration to say that some of them sometimes about ten of them-were found lying on the road and in the drains helplessly drunk, while the provisions were thrown all over the road. That was the sad state of affairs. He finally contended that illicit sales could be stopped only by the Courts of Justice, and not by introducing new toddy taverns." W. J. Malcomson, proprietary planter, Clodagh Estate, Matale, writing to the Editor of "The Friend," states: I believe I am saying less than the fact when I say that drinking has increased here twenty-fold since the toddy tavern was opened. Sunday used to be a quiet day here; every Sunday since I last returned there has been a serious drunken row. One day 40 or 50 men were involved and a woman was so badly beaten that her body was covered with bruises; on a week-day this week one of our kanganies (the leading man in a gang of coolies) was attacked by a number of his own coolies with sticks and guns. On inquiry afterwards they said they had nothing against him and I know him to be a quiet man; the only excuse they pleaded was they had been drinking toddy."

22. It is now admitted by the Government that the establishment of the toddy shops was in the nature of an experiment. Under such conditions 1,072 licences have been granted without any opportunity being afforded to the people to assert their views. In these circumstances your Memorialists, with others who had inter- ested themselves to the cause of temperance and the amelioration of the people, looked forward with eagerness for the establishment of local Advisory Boards, with a view to the reconsideration of these shops before the licences were issued for the following year.

It was, therefore, with considerable disappointment that they discovered in a recent publication (Appendix 5) that the Government intended to sell the Loddy rents for the year July, 1913, to June, 1914, before the end February next-before the new Excise rules are likely to be considered in the local Legislative Council, and before the Advisory Committees are established. They further note that, in the regulations to be considered in Council, Government intend to consult, the public only in the case of those taverns which are to be established anew, or those to be transferred or suppressed. It would seem, then, that no opportunity will ever be offered to the public to express their views as regards the location or necessity of the majority of those toddy shops which were established by Government this year without consulting public opinion and which are now admitted to be of the nature of an experiment. It is further submitted that the Madras Boards, of which the contemplated Boards in Ceylon are meant to be imitations, have powers to consider

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and make recommendations as to the advisability of suppressing or otherwise as regards all existing foreign liquor shops, arrack taverns, and toddy shops. In illus- tration of this it may be mentioned that the Advisory Board for the town of Madras recommended the suppression of 135 pre-existing shops, of which 87 were imme- diately abolished and the rest were under consideration. (Vide East India Excise Administration Advisory Committee's Return, November, 1911.)

23. In these circumstances, your Memorialists respectfully request that you will be pleased to reconsider your decision as regards the Advisory Boards, and grant them full licensing powers to deal with all foreign liquor shops and arrack and toddy taverns, and further grant a Committee of Enquiry, on which the public opinion of Ceylon will have adequate representation, to consider the rules and regu- lations framed under the Excise Ordinance, to inquire into other matters referred to, and to formulate suggestions that would lead to the improvement of the Excise scheme.

Signed on behalf and by order of the Committee,

Colombo,

23rd December, 1912.

APPENDIX 1.

GERALD H. DE SARAM,

Chairman.

HENRY M. D. SMEL,

Honorary Secretary,

FROM THE Ceylon Morning Leader, 28th NOVEMBER, 1912, Re-sale of Toddy Rents.

Yesterday the Honourable Mr. J. G. Fraser, Government Agent, Western Pro- vince, presided over a re-sale of toddy rents of areas situated in the Colombo District, owing to the failure on the part of the present renters to pay the due instalments. Seven areas were put up for re-sale but only one found a bidder, whose bid, however, was not considered satisfactory. It was accepted, subject to sanction by Govern- ment. The area sold is located in Siyane Korale East, known as the Radawana, where two toddy shops were opened. At the sale held in May these two shops were purchased by Abeysinghe Arachige Heras Perera for Rs. 900. Yesterday the highest bid for a period of seven months was only Rs. 85.

On enquiry from the Government Agent our representative was not able to obtain further particulars, as the re-sale had not been advertised in the usual manner. The Government Agent added that he could give no sort of information, and that, as a matter of fact, he did not think it desirable to supply any information.

APPENDIX 2.

Copy of Affidavit sworn by Mr. C. E. Victor S. Corea before Mr. J. Conroy, J.P., Assistant Government Agent, Chilaw.

[See Appendix II. to No. 7, page 138.]

APPENDIX 3.

FROM THE CRYlon "Morning Leader," 29th NOVEMBER, 1912.

In the village of Dalugama the number of trees tapped for toddy before the Since the establishment of establishment of the new toddy shops was 50

50 to 150

the Government toddy shops the number of trees tapped for toddy has increased from and for the first time during fifteen years illicit sale of toddy has begun, much toddy being now consumed at the foot of trees, especially in one The questions raised are:-Does the present system particular garden diminish consumption or increase it? Does it check illicit sales or induce them! Does it promote intemperance or arrest it!