Sessional_Paper_1898 — Page 616

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The Chairman--Gentlemen, by direction I have invited you to come here to ask you two questions-The Government appointed a Commission on the 14th February. Mr. Wodehouse, one of the members, bas left the Colony, Dr. Hartigau has resigned, and Mr. McCallum was not able to serve when he came out of hospital. I am going to ask you two questions--Whether you wish the Commission to be dissolved or go on, or if you do wish the enquiry to go ou, will you, nominate members who are willing to serve, or will you leave the nomination of the members to the Government?

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Mr. Francis said-Gentlemen, to some extent I am responsible for the present meeting and for placing you in your present position, and I have asked the Chairman for permission to explain it. After the Committee was appointed, Mr. Wodehouse was very active, and we had two or three preliminary meetings before the Commission was actually appointed at his house at which we exchanged our views on the subject, and endeavoured to ascertain, as far as we could, what lines the examination of witnesses and the investigation generally should take. As soon as the Commission was issued we met again and prepared a lengthy series of questious to be addressed to the different interests in the Colony--the wine merchants, importers of wines and spirits, the licensed dealers and the naval and military medical authorities. The answers to some of these have been received and the result of our preliminary enquiries and investigation was this, that so far as we could see there was nothing very serious the matter, there was nothing really substantial to enquire into. From Mr. McCallum and Mr. Browne we ascertained that so far as their knowledge and experience went there was nothing in the shape of adulteration practised in the Colony. They had never had any proof of it, and so far as their experience went they believed adulteration was not prevalent. The very most that was done was that the liquor was weakened, and if there was anything wrong it was in connection with the liquor imported; perhaps a good deal of the liquor was too crude and not of the very best quality. The Captain Superintendent of Police was the only witness examined by the Commission at the sittings it held. Mr. May had nothing to complain of either as to the conduct of the keepers of public-houses generally, or the quality or quantities of the liquors sold, and in fact said there was no reason to complain of drunkenness in the Colony. They had received answers from the naval and military medical officers and they had no serious complaint against the quality of the liquors supplied to the men. They had nothing to suggest, and, broadly, we came to the conclusion that there was little or nothing substantial to enquire into. One point with reference to which amendment was possible could only be tackled by interfering with the trade of the port, and imposing restriction on the import of liquors of different descriptions, and imposing tests and calling for examinations and reports from the importers of liquors, which would seriously interfere with the free trade of the port, and which would be most strenuously resisted. Therefore, when Mr. Wodehouse had to go away-the meetings of the Commission were delayed in consequence of his illness,-when Dr. Hartigan was leaving the Colony for twelve months, when Mr. McCallum was taken ill and had to leave, so that it was absolutely necessary to re-constitute the Commission, I mentioned the matter to Mr. Cobbold, who was practically the only other member of the Commission besides myself, and we agreed that there was very little to enquire about, and very little use to continue the Commission, and, therefore, I informally addressed the Government on the matter. The result of that communication was that Mr. Wodehouse was asked to hold a meeting of the then members of the Committee to ascertain their views. I attended one meeting, and we were unable to get a quorum. Mr. Wodehouse called another meeting on the morning before he went away, but it was impossible to get a quorum, and this meeting was called. I, therefore, beg to move that the Commission be allowed to lapse.

The Rev. R. F. Cobbold-Gentlemen, it may be a matter of surprise to some of you, as it was to myself, when I received notice of this meeting, to learn that until five minutes ago I had no idea whatever as to what the business was. Mr. Francis will pardon me if I express my entire disapproval of what he has said. It is true that some time before Mr. Wodehouse left I had a conversation with him, but I think he must have absolutely misunderstood what I said. Mr. Francis has just said entirely on his own authority that the result of the enquiry as far as it has gone is that there is nothing very serious the matter. That, gentlemen, is a point on which I absolutely disagree with him.

I have no intention whatever of shirking the duty which, gentlemen, at your instigation and request, bas been placed upon us by the Government. We cannot possibly pre-judge this question. Whatever our opinion may be at present as to the possible result at which we may arrive, I do not think we have any right whatever at the present moment to say that this Commission ought to cease to exist. (Applause.) It has been suggested that not long ago a Commission sat at home to enquire into very much the same kind of matters we have in hand, and that the result of their enquiry was practically nothing could be done. I believe it is partly upon that ground that it has been suggested that this Commission should ccase, but, gentlemen, our conditions here are not the same as those at home. I do not say we shall