The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-08-31 00:00:00

THE LICENSING ACT IN OPERATION.

At Chatham and Rochester the new Act meets with
little favour from the "trade." They have held a meet-
ing to take measure. to apply to the in ietrates to allow
taverns to open at five o'clock, and close at twelve
o'cla I r weekdays, as they allege that opening at six
and closing at eleven will cause inconvenience to the
public and loss to the publicans. The county magis-
trates for the Rochester and Madam district, on the
application of Mr. G. Winch, solicitor to the Licensed
Victuallers' Association for the district, have promised
to consider the matter and give their decision here-
after; nd a similar application will be made to the
Rochester city magistrates at the approaching Licensing
Sessions.

At the annual Brewster Sessions for the county of
Dorset, held at Dorchester on Saturuay, Mr. Herbert
Williams, the chairman, stated that it was not intended
to strictly enforce the Act until licence-holders had had
an opportunity of studying its provisions • but they
would, of course, abide by it as regarded the hours of
opening and closing their houses. NO six day licences
were applied for. A similat course will be adopted by
the borough magistracy.

From the many manifestations of disapproval
evinced in Leicester durimr the past week by the
issuing of a magisterial ordsr requiring that all public-
houses be closed, in accordance with the provisions of
the Liceesing Act, by eleven o'clock at night, it WllB
generally anticipated that Saturday night would have
witiaessed * very serious tumult. Accordingly, every
precaution was adopted by the local authorities to
guard against a disturbance, a considerable number of
the county police being drafted into the town and held
in reserve, while all the available borough force was out
on duty. In their efforts to preserve the peace the ma-
gistrates were well aided by the publicans, moot of
whom, especially the occupiers of vaults, took the pre-
caution of putting up their shutters by half-past ten
o'clock, and intimating to their customers the desire-
ableness of vrithdrkwing quietly at the appointed hour.
As eleven o' Jock drew near a large concourse of persons
had assembled at she Old Haymarket, the principal
thoroughfare, and shortly afterwards the crowd was
considerably augmented, until it numbered several
thousands, by those who had been turned out of the
vaults, Atc.. in the neighbourhood. Most of these
appeared to have assembled out of sheer curiosity to
see a " row " which had been talked about, while
others seemed evidently ready to join in a disturbance
If one were started, and began to assemble in groups.
discussing and denouncing the new law. A large
body of police, under the charge of Chief Constable
Faagedale, however, kept them molting for some time. :
until at length a few of the more turbulent seemed de-
termined to " make a stand," which led to cheers from
their partisans and groans for the police. The latter,
however, acted with great forbearance, until at length
one of the mob, who was the worse for liquor, declined
to move on and struck one of the police. He was at
once taken into custody, when an attempt was made to
rescue him. A large number of policemen then
rushed to the aid of their comrade, when some of
the mob began to throw stones, which struck some
of the police, one of whom was also struck with a
gingerbeer bottle. For a little time it appeared
as though this slight skirmish would lead to serious
consequences, but the police obtained complete
power over their prisoner, and formed in line with their
staves drawn at the end of a street. He was then
quickly conveyed up a by-street to the police-station,
where he was charged with assaulting two of the
officers. This, coupled with the appearance of a rein-
forcement of police, seemed to act as a deterrent, and
the crowd became less dense, and the groups more
scattered. A successful effort was then made to clear
the streets, the spectators being driven before the
police, with staves drawn, up the various thorough-
fares, when the large majority, evidently having seen
enough, and being warned that they would have to
take the consequences, deemed it discreet to retire, the
town being perfectly quiet by half past twelve o'clock

THE NATIONAL UNION FOR THE SUP-
PRESSION OF INTEMPERANCE.
At a meeting of the Committee of the National
Union for the Suppression of Intemperance held on
Thursday, last week, the following resolutions were
unanimously adopted :
'

'That this Committee respectfully urges upon the magic.
testes the importance of their closing MI licensed houses at
ten o'clock in the evening, and of not permitting them to be
opened before seven o'clock in the morning."
"That the magistrates are very urgently requested to se-
ttee the issue of new licences for the sale of intoxicating
liquors in any neighbourhood or district, even though the
applicants may have speculated to a large extent in build-
ings fittings, etc., until they are satisfied that the proportion
of licensed houses may be at the most one to every MO in-
habitants, or in country districts at a distance of • mile
apart."
" That this meeting congratulates the country that the
following points of the programme are put forth by the
National Union for the Suppression of Intemperance in its
suggested amendments and proposed Lill. vie :—The magis-
trates as the sole licensing authority, earlier closing, six-
day licences, penalties against adulteration, selling to
children, rl7c. The analysis of liqueurs and occasional
licences have been included in the Licensing Act, 1872, and
are now the law of the land; and further resolves that ener-
getic steps be taken to form and educate public opinion In
favour of gradually diminishing the number of licensed
houses to a due troportion of the population and area (due
regard being had to the rights of property), the early closing
of all licensed houses, and the separation of music and
dancing licences from all premises where intoxicating liquors
are sold."

In his charge to the grand jury, at the Liverpool
Quarter Sessions on Monday, the Recorder, Mr. T. B.
Q.C., said that from the appearance of the
calendar he was inclined to think that the partialopera-
tion of the Education and Licensing Acts had already
had some effect. He sincerely hoped the magistrate
would carry out the Act firmly and stringently, but
not harshly. They might rely upon it that, as far as
the adminiitration of the Act came before his court,
they would be in every way assisted and supported.

The Timer of 'rawlay, in a leader, thus glances at the
working of the new Licensing Act
It is somewhat to be regretted that a short interval
was not allowed to eloper after the passing of the
Lie, using Act before it came into operation. No date
was mentioned in the Act as to the time when it should
come into force, and it therefore became law as soon as
it received the Royal Assent ; but it is rather um
reasonable to expect all the world to have been at once
acquainted with this fact, and to guide themselves
accordingly. /georiintia creusat is, no
doubt, a maxim of the Courts, but it may be too
strictly applied. The Licensing Act abounds with
minute regulations which are really matters of police
rather than of permanent law, ouch as is contemplated
in the maxim we have cited; and, though it could
never be permitted that sellers of intoxicating liquors
should continue to plead ignorance of its provisions for
an indefinite time to come, they might have been
allowed a week to acquaint themselves with all that it
orders or forbids. This is so far consistent with comas
mon sense that in POMO parts of the country, among
others the metropolis, a short interval of grace was
tacitly accorded ; but in other places not BO much as a
day or half a day was granted
The Licensing Act received the Royal Assent on the
day Parliament was prorogued—Saturdsy, the 10th
toot.--the Assent being signified by the same Commis-
sioners who subsequently proclaimed the Prorogation.
It will be remembered also that the day of Pror gation
mai at the lad somewhat suddenly advanced, and
members were released on Saturday afternoon who ex-
pected to be detained till the Tuesday following. The
Act had remained under discussion almost up to the
last man cot, and it was of course impossible that copies
of it should be obtainable as soon as it was passed, even
if the uncertainty as to the tine when it would
receive the Royal Assent had not existed. Those
also were in London on the following day, Sunday, are
Aware that in the great thoroughfares of the Strand
And Oxford-street more than half the publichouses
.opened as usual at has o'clock in the afternoon, those
which remained shut till six constituting a small minoi ity
of the whole. We do not know whether the keepers of
the houses which opened were visited by the police, and
it he certain that they. were not subject to any legal
proceedings for having neglected to conform to the
new law. ,
„ , It may be properly observed that the Licensing
Act ie a statite above all others requiring discretion
on the part of those who see that it is put into opera-
tion. Ihe act compels a considerable change in the
-usages of large numbers of people, and although we are
Mearly of opinion that it does not go too far, and we would
hAveiteuforced with firmness, it is unneemsary and in-
judicious to pleas for its penalties in every instance, or
to insist upon prosecutions when its provisions have
been neglected through pore ignorance. If anything
:mulct justify the disturbances which have occurred at
Exeter and have been threatened at Leicester—if any.
Oeing could lead the most sober-minded to sympathize
5w1.,..1:1 those who object to the restrictions put upon
thetif—it would be an indiscriminating desire to pro-
secute on the part of Magistrates and police. A
little co.firtoomsense in this, as in so many other rela-
tions of lite. is an invaluable commodity. The
Act itself is framed with a certain degree of elas-
ticity, and local authorities are allowed to modify
within defined limits some of its provisions—such,
for example, as the hours of closing—so as to suit
the cob venience of each locality. It is part of the
design of the measure that Magistrates should pay
attention to the circumstances of each neighbourhood.
It does wit follow that they should defer to what the
keepers of publichouses may address to them
as self.constituted representatives of local wants.
The " tracts" in Chatham and Rochester appear to
have applied to the Magistrates of the district to
5210 w taverns to be kept open till twelve o'clock on
weAc-days instead of eleven, on the ground that the
chan,Je would cause inconvenience to the public and
loss to the publicans. Without epeeial knowledge
we may avow that we are very sceptical as to the
alleged ' insonvenience," while the "lo " deprecated
is not a circuro:dance that can, by it-elf, justify an ex-
tension of the hours. When, however, the came
publicans ask for permission Li open at five instead of
at six we may fairly presume that some public con-
venience prompts the request. It seems certain that
the home of opening and closing which the National
Union urge uon the Magistrates for universal adop-
tion— seven o'clock in the morning and ten o'clock at
night—could not be sanctioned in towns without in-
flicting great inconvenience upon many classes, and
could not be enforced if formally sanctioned.
We hope we have heard the last of the silly street
aernonstrations at Exeter alld Leicester, and that we
stall have no imitations of them elsewhere. The
,tablere-
spo. inhabitants of the capital of the West teem
to have grime promptly forward to whit in repressing
disorder, and, indeed, although there were some noisy
gatherings both there and at Leicester on Saturday,
they appear to have been little more than Saturday
-
night crowds come out to see, the fon. Persons who
are sometimes thoughtlessly disposed to assist in affairs
of this kind ought to remember that they easily
grow until they become of unmanageable dimensions.
A crowd may consist of good-natured idlers, and the
accidental presence of some half-drunken, unreason-
able men among them may serve an a match to kindle
passions not soon allayed. This wan the explanation of
such tumults as happened at Exeter and Leicester on
Saturday. A drufiken man was arrestod at Exeter,
and thascrowd saw at ones an opportunity of jostling
Os polies until, by pushing one another upon them,
=3Oll to =is tsplimilesa!assitiss ev:z

acoompliahad, a arowd proceeded to march up High.
street, but, being confronted by a line of ice
and special constablee, it was dispersed with no
greater damage than may result from some use
of the truncheon. The transaction at Leicester was
much the same, except that there the police retained
possession of their intoxicated captive, and the crowd,
finding their efforts at a rescue unsuccessful, melted
away. Occurrences of this kind are such as might
happen in any busy town after a. Saturday-night's
market, and it would be foolish to magnify their im-
portance. Care must be taken to provide, as far as
puesible, against their repetition, and to insure that, if
repeated, they shall prove as harmless as in the first
instance; and this is all that need be done. Tha
excitement which has arisen will rapidly burn itself
out if left alone. There is no public opinion among
any class in favour of long hoof's for publichenees nor
against the restrictions of the Licensing Bill. Men who
fiiel them-elves for the that time turned out at eleven
where they were fertilely allowed to sit and drink until
twelve will, not unnaturally, give vent to angry feeling
at the moment; but the mat eity of their "matea,"
who are quietly at home with air wives and familiee,
are against them, and they themselves, after a few
days' interval, will acquiesce in the friendly restrictions
put utxm their indulgence. A quiet and firm deter-
eduatiein to maintain the law will soon tell upon the
keepers of publichouses themselves, and with themthe
last spark of opposition to the Act will die away.