Sessional_Paper_1898 — Page 611

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Thursday, 20th January, 1898.

THE SALE OF INJURIOUS LIQUORS IN HONGKONG.

MEETING OF JUSTICES.

Yesterday afternoon a general meeting of the Justices of the Peace was held in the City Hall for the purpose of considering a communication from the Government on the subject of the resolutions recently submitted to them in regard to the sale of injurious liquors in Hongkong.

Hon. H. E. Wodehouse (Police Magistrate) presided and there were also present--Messrs. W. M. B. Arthur. J. A. de Carvalho, N. J. Ede, Dr. Hartigan, A. Shelton Hooper, G. C. Cox, W. Danby, A. Findlay Smith, C. Palmer, A. J, May, H. C. Nicolle, D. R. Crawford, Gershom Stewart, C. S. Sharp, D. E. Brown, J. H. Lewis, F. Dodwell, J. B. Coughtrie, R. M. Gray, H. M. Mehta, T. H. Reid, Dr. Clark, H. McCallum, Dr. Stedman, Rev. R. F. Cobbold, T. Jackson, R. C. Wilcox, Dr. Bateson Wright, H. L. Dalrymple, G. Sharp, E. W. Mitchell, H. Smith, C. Inchbald, A. W. Brewin, B. Layton, W. H. Percival, G. T. Veitch, J. Thurburn, G. C. Anderson, G. B. Dodwell, R. M. Moses, and Hon. T. H. Whitehead.

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The Chairman-Gentlemen, before commencing the proceedings I should like to know whether it your wish that the meeting should be public. The reporters are here and they will take notes if you will permit them.

Mr. Ede-Certainly. I propose that reporters be admitted.

Dr. Hartigan seconded.

Carried.

The Chairman, after reading the notice convening the meeting, said-Before declaring the meeting open I should like briefly to explain the circumstances under which this meeting has been called. At a meeting of Justices held in November last for the purpose of considering applications for licences, the question of the sale of injurious liquors was brought forward and a strong wish was expressed that some means should be taken to control or suppress what was styled the pernicious traffic in poisonous liquors which is believed to exist in the Colony. The traffic was pronounced to be injurious not only to our soldiers and sailors at large but also to many other individuals who partake of these liquors, intending to do so moderately and at last succumbing to their influence with loss of credit to themselves, a loss to their purses, and a loss of promotion in the service generally. The meeting was followed up by an informal meeting of gentlemen consisting not only of Justices of the Peace but of officers of the Navy and Army, when the question was again considered, and the result was that certain resolutions were drawn up and afterwards circulated for the consideration of the Justices of the Peace. I will now read those resolutions. There were present at the meeting-Mr. H. E. Wodehouse, c.M.G., Colonel Gordon, W. Y. Regt., the Honourable T. H. Whitehead, Lt.-Colonel Clarke, o.D., Mr. C. S. Sharp, Mr. N. J. Ede, Dr. Clark, and Mr. J. J. Francis, q.c., and it was resolved:-

(1.)

That there was no evidence to show that the wines and spirits sold in the Colony were adulterated to any serious extent, that the existing law sufficiently provided for any such cases, but that there was good reason to believe great harm and injury was being done by the sale in licensed taverus of crude (imported) liquors of very inferior quality and by the supply of deleterious inferior Chinese spirits in brothels.

(2.)—That in the interests of soldiers and sailors and of the community generally some steps ought to be taken to check the importation and sale of crude spirits of all kinds and to place some restrictions on the sale of Chinese spirits and liquors.

(3.)-That the most effective means of checking the importation and sale of crude spirits would in our opinion be that the Government should establish a standard as to the maximum percentage of fusel oil (amylic alcohol) or other crude products of distillation to be allowed in any spirit, and that the possession by any licensed person of spirits not in accordance with the standard should be made a punishable offence.

(4.)—That an invariable part of the punishment should be the endorsement of the conviction on the offender's licence and that a second conviction within three years should entail a forfeiture of the licence.