The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-09-14 00:00:00

THE LICENSING ACT IN OPERATION

A special session for the transfer of victuallers'
licences and wine and beer certificates {V IB held at
God London, on Saturday, the magistra'es Pre-
gent being Mr. Alderman Carter, Mr. Alderman
Lawrence, M.P., and Mr. Alderman Owden. The
second abuse of the 40th section of the Liceming Act
provides that any person intending to apply for the
trznsfer of his licence shall. 14 days prior to one of
the special ea salons appointed by the j ustloes for grantin g
transfms, serve a notice of his intention upon one of the
ove,s ere of the pariah, township, or place in which the
premise 3 are situate, and on the superintendent of police
of the district, sod that such notice shall be signed by
the applicant or his authorized agent, and ehall set
forth the name of the parson to whom it is intended
that the licence shall be tran.f. reed, together with the
plece of his residence and his trade or calling during
the preceding six months. In two cases of proposel
transfer in the ward of Cripplegate-without. the par-
ties themselves and the ward beadle, beiog in ignorauce
of the rew provision, had omitted to serve copies of
the notices on the p dice sup-riot' orient, and the jles•
dyes bad, consequently, no altetuative but to refuse to
gLaret the applications.

• The annual Brewster Sessions for Nottingham were
held befeere the Mayor, and borough on gietrates in the
Town.hall on Saturday. A deputation of wenki g
nice, which had been appointed at a meeting of
unionists and others on Monday, waited upon their
worships far the purpose of asking them to extend the
hours of dosing publieheinses to the full extent the Aet
allowed. The deputati,n pointed out how needful
some refreshment after leaving work was to those of
the woiking classes who were employed until late
hours. It WAS ale urged as a hardship that benefit
and trades societies should not be permitted to conduct
their binsiness in publichouses after eleven o'clock at
night. The magistrates, however, had previously de.
elated ths the closing boors in the borough should be
thoe., spevined in the Act, and they did not consider
the arguments advanced by the deputation sufficiently
conclusive to warrant them in altering that decision.

On Thursday afternoon in last week, a conference of
clergy and others was held at the Attlenmum, Bristol, in
order to elicit an expression of opinion which rniztt
be submitted to the local magistrates prior to their
fi sing the hours of closing of publichouses in Bristol.
Bishop Anderson' vicar or Clifton, presided. Mr. B.
Fry moved and Mr. Alderman Adams seconded:-
1 hat the licensing justices be respectfully requested to
direct that the times of closing all places where intoxicating
liquors are sold shall be at the hour of ten at night on inn
-
days, Christmas-day, and Good Friday, and that on all other
days such places shall he close before the hour of six in the
morning and after eleven at night, in accordance with the
provisions of the Licensing Act, 1872."

Contending that intemperance was very much in
ratio to the facilities for obtaining dude, Mr. Fry said
as to free trade in the sale of liquors, they had tried it
at Liverpool, and in a short One the state of the town
Was almast unbearable, lie had taken SOMA pains to
ascertain how the new Act had worked in Bristol, and
testimony of the police and other persons was that
since the henrys had been closed at eleven o'clock the
streets were much quieter.
Dr. Davies, the medical officer of the Bosrd of Health,
had expressed his belief that the indirect effect of the
Act would be to leaser' debauchery and licentiousness
and to prolong life.
The Rev. Dr. Waddy supported the resolution.
. _

The Rev. Dr. Thomas terns.; ked that the city had
been more tranquil, and there had been lees midnight
revelry and leas immorality since the houses had been
shut at eleven o'clock.

The reaolution waa carried with only one disentient,
Dlr. WAlie, who pressed for ten o'clock as the hour of
cooing, but the opinion of the meeting was agaiubt
. .

It wee unanimnusly resolved to transmit the re-
irdution to the li,ensing jititices as the judgment and
wish of the conference.