Sessional_Paper_1898 — Page 509

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complained of by the military authorities does not take place in licensed premises, but that the liquor is taken into the barracks. The complaint of the military is that the men get so very drunk that the liquor must be very bad. They do not drink much of it, they say, and yet they get very drunk.

Yet, notwithstanding that, you say that in your opinion the liquor is not very bad judging from the analysis ?-I do not say so. I say only that so far as I am aware the analyses have not proved the presence of deleterious qualities. It may not be rotten drink, but raw spirit. It may be sound. New spirit is extremely intoxicating, I believe.

That is just what I wanted to get at. There were a great many complaints by

the "Rifles" here ?—Yes.

Colonel NORCOTT himself spoke to me about it.-I am given to understand the "Rifles" principally got drunk on samshu. I am told they drank a good deal of samshu.

And there is no control over the sale of samshu in Hongkong whatever ?--Yes. A man must have a licence to sell Chinese spirits and he is not allowed to sell to a European either directly or indirectly.

He is not allowed to sell sumshu to a European ?---No.

Mr. MCCALLUM-Is that provided for in the licence? In his licence.

Dr. HARTIGAN-How do you suppose these men were able to obtain it if these spirits licence people are not allowed to sell to a European? Do they sell to a middle man? -The Europeans would send a boy to buy a bottle for them.

So that although they are not allowed to sell to Europeans there is no control over them? There have been several prosecutions.

My boy can go and get it ?---Of course, the law can be evaded like any other law.

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The " Rifles were here a year while that was going on?—Prosecutions were going on during the year. There is a flaw in the Ordinance and most of the prosecutions failed. I think some of them came before you (The Chairman). The conditions of a Chinese spirit shop licence are not in the schedule of the Ordinance, and therefore you cannot get a conviction. That is being altered now.

You spoke just now about constantly analysing liquor. Do you think that would be sufficient control ?-Suppose you gave the police carte blanche and had a laboratory here? I am speaking from the police point of view, not scientifically.-From the police point of view the only mode I can suggest is systematic action under Ordinance, 18 of 1896. I do not know whether the present analyst and his staff have the time to do it. For that purpose you would require a good deal of time for the analyst. That is my view as a policeman.

Would it not be more easily controlled by preventing the sale, suppose we say it is inferior potato whiskey ?-How preventing the sale?

I am asking the question.-If it was possible absolutely to prevent the sale of bad liquor that would be much the best of all, but I do not see how you are to do it.

Get the liquor here in bulk and it would be better than getting it from the shop. -But cheap liquor would always find its way into shops.

But if it was analysed in bonded warehouses. It is much better to analyse it in bulk than one bottle from every case?-You might issue it to the houses sound, but you would still have to go on analysing.

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Dr. HARTIGAN. Even supposing the liquor was good it could be adulterated after- wards. I was merely wishing to bring out the fact for the moment that a large quantity of this liquor was being brought into the Colony.-Lagree with you. I do not say so as Chief of the Police, because it is outside my province, but I consider there ought to be an excise here on liquor.