The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-01-27 00:00:00

t

y 1,

which they could have no cooing ; and ha should
not have stow. or trot that d f ir limo %indica-
(Wl. If be was ,t prepared to make out sods *Wee
relents in proof of hip asarrtMus, as should *hew
the brewers were um deseevitor the blame this
precipitately cast ma therm He would, th re.
froe, state, that although the brewer's price of
porter. tei...slat--cousuraer ri emplace per pot, the
whole price the brewer remitted was brit four-pence.
beillpentiv. There will • ditty of 10.. per barrel
prod ors the beer. which amounted to 124. per pot.
then the malt duty amounted to 7- Wilts of a penny
per put. There was Aso a Itritty duty. on foreign
hops, a inch oireisunted to* farthing ou each pot of
lwer, all whieli deducted from the price received by
the brewer from the publican. lift him bat three-
pence per pus. Hut beside the taxes on malt
amt
the brewer hisd a variety of other taxes to pay,
which greatly diminished his profit.--as the Wehrle
for Iris Ines trio-pan, and various other tharges tine
der the head of luxe' ; and although the iwolit ale
lowed by the brewer to the victualler was 515 per
ern,. On hits retail pricer, yet, -great as that might
item. *o. was convinced that victUallers, who were a
most industrious body of mess. could acirrcely stake
a livelihood from this peril!. when dl their other
heavy espenses were deducted. He hod thus shewis,
he hoped. that the high price of beerdid not arise
from what was called a monopoly of the brewers,l
brit from the high price of their materials, and the
wet hat of taxes under which they laboured. lit the
erode of foreign hops, to which they were obliged
to resort from the grids scarcity, Mid extreme high
prior of the home commodity, there was an addi-
riorad.duty of Is. 6.1. per pound, which added a fare
thing per pot to the price of beer; so that the
brewer was rooter the necessity of charging his pre-
seat price tor the commodity he sold, or of alien-
dotting a business which otherwise would yield no
itectir. Ile wished also toset right sume ittaccuracies
a huh had fallen• from the Chair respecting the re-
iltre.ion iu the prices of malt. Previous to the fir*
rise on porter the malt was raised front 34e. tad. to
6.35. the quark r ; trwl now the average price is from
ors. as ell-. the quarter : so that so far from a redac-
tion there was an evident increase on the price.. tt
was observed, also, that Government had taken the
war ditty off the malt. merely to put the amount
iritothe pockets of the brewers; whereas the fact
war, that though the reduction of the wit duty
'brought the 'Mee of malt dowse to 635. the quar-
ter on the 1(1.1, January, when it ended, yet the
malt had since risen to 5!. per quarter ; so that the
h'gh 'triers Or material, sod heavy taxes, were the
true visor of the rise on beer, and not any fault
• f the lnewer.. It was also stated, that the great
fort ones vested by the brewers was another means of
It: ; hut experience bas proved that the
business .5,11141 lint he carried on by small capitirls.
The great capitalist. by working cheaper, and tak.
jog a 'inhaler profit in proportion, benefited, in-
strait of ',jilting the public.
The CHAIRMAN said there was one point the
worthy G •roleinan had not rept:Mired, and that
eels. how it happened that potter should be at a
mooch higher peter. when malt and frops.trete lower
than last year. a herr titey were notch diastet..-
Mr. BEAUMONT said, that as the Gentlerisan who
just oath' !e.t.a the areiernbly had crmcluded
ottliont a mutton, he should bring forward one for
their whop . Ile had acquainted hinted f a ith
the history of !newer* and their prices fur twenty
years, but par!icularly for the last few years; and
he could prove, that the business, as slow carried
on. cps a complete poly. to the exclusion of
that fair competo ton which took place for the public
isi every other article of consumption.
Ile contended, that from a fair comp orison of the
priers of the prewitt period compared with this
trine twelvemonth, there a fah of Is. 2d. per
barrel tit the expense of materials, and the come.
qui rice was, the brew er, i iist rod of lowering, increated
•.v.•11 iniatity hie shillings' iser barrel.
With respect to the question of monopoly. no.
shine iambi be more clear than that the brewers
enjoys 11 trite, at least in the general *crew of the
a ord. At preset there was plenty of capital in
the market, MIA if donned men had any room
fur the tinployineut of it, they would be glad to
do .0. They would very a contribute their
capital if they could he allowed to share the pro-
4ii• of the breorts, or they would be disposed to
troll it to minor brewers, but there could he no ad.
vantage its doing so. Sopposing that men wee,
stow so lay out their capital in a brewery, bow wets
the 'nitrite to get their beer ? Retailers of the a$
side were accessary, 'tool where were they to .
f I ? All the shops for retailing beer were 1
tire hands of the present brewers—(Hear)--q
they were at least under their influence. Could
any new speculators in Such a business open new
Shop.?—No, the law was spinet it. They must
obtain licenses, and that could be done only upon
one certain day of the year. If the Magistrates
were organist it, anti thought proper to krill the
brewers*. they could effectually tie up the hands
of all other speculators in the butanes*. Bat ereo
wit tang that petiole; commencing the business
could oletainiug licenses, they would not be able
to procure people to sena tire article. About 14
years back. 'then the brewers of the metropolis
Ili.covercil a greater spirit of rapacity than at pre..
sera. their conduct drew down upon them the rit-
to execrator's. They raised the price of the or-
tick from 5.1. per pot to 6.1. The circumstance
merle much unite at the time. and an attempt was
made, in consequence, to establish several new
l.r.ssrflr 3,, es
ti:e test am. the Golden-Lite Brewery. The effect
to reduce the price from 6.1. to sd. The
holden-lour Brewery then went on fur some tone,
lA. Ille osiv..ologr of the public; but the great dm
iien..y the proprietors found war, as route of theta
tnuts,to procure persons to sell their beer.
I het rippled ter liceitsee, but in vain. Though
they had he n the cause of reducing the price of the
article to the I,o,l'e—though they hail c pelted
the brewers to snake it tit a much better quality,
soil th.y icier were permitted to open a huuse.—
le :roe, ilvit they tonight three houses; but in
.16 se.y shunt time they lost the licesista or two.--
hr hasoryartegeil by the publicans fur not draping
with the.Golirreolasie establishment. was, that the
proprieties reithl out protect tlwm, and therefore
stet moos ite..ll, sly with incSirtll who had the power
oh.erfesillg •hem, whet. their leense was us (linger.
fir kr ea cow reritoti woo iwinaied to deal with the
Li wet, .1 In; but Ile was told by our who ni
a: would' not be lit to lame, that If lie %cut to deal

• pryer _ prepared,,
this subject.—Mr. Beaumont then read the follow.
ibg statement :
•4 I hove et various period* heard the brewers say
That their teethe was nut worth following. Now. I
atu doomed to *neck every reasonable credit to the
eleclaratiosis of gentleineri of such eteinence in so.
ciety. I will therefore admit what they ray to be
trot.. thus far, that at certifin time., when the market
has run high. they (in their humane consideration
tor the condition of the poor) forbore to raise the
price of beer, as they might justifiably have done;
they ramie no profit; they. even suffered loss; and
that their trade at those times was not worth fol.
lowing; but when they slid determine ou the step,
at all bones so reluctantly taken by them, of rais-
ing the price. they would not themselves fix a
losing price—for • loss of a shilling or tao per
barrel, continued for years upon their great returns,
*oeld be ruinous—would be too great a sacrifice to
expect frau the public spirit of soy men. I re-
quest my hearers to consoler well the fairness, or
of this conclusion, because much of the
silbsequent reasoning is built npou it. Referring
back, therefore, to the prices per b art!, just
quoted, sod which are seen to be, in one case. a
little under the market price, of the nominal quan-
tity of the 'minimh material, and, in other cases,
a little above it, we 'nay come to an inference,
that the market price of the nominal ittiotitier,
and of the dirty, is sufficient for the selling price
of 'the inanufactnretl articles, as it has been made

of late years. I think this is fair reasoning upon
their town data ; but let one, two, or three shillings
be added to the market price of the professed mate-
rials, as a necessary surplus of charge per barrel.—
I have °outlier:burr to it. Let them have 3s. and
they will then have more than they had in several
yews, vie. in 1799, in 1800, in 1810, in 1812, and
1818. It will then follow that the surplus dif-
ference beyond such 3*. will be an extra profit to
the brewer, artless indeed he has proportionably
added to the strength of this bee; but the surplus
difference of the selling price of • the beer over that
of the material has been in smile years imnieuse,
18s. and 200. and upwards. If the atrengthesiing
of the quality hod followed such au increase, we
should have had an extract of malt so strung that
it would have glued our hpos together—in which
case mine would now be sealed. But there has
been nothing of the kind : beer, gehtrally speak-
iag, for the last Mires. or twenty years, has run on
in a limpid arid vapid abeam. without any material
variation. The excess of purples then has been au
excess of profit to the brewer ; and when we corisi.
der the immense returns in this trade, that 100,000
barrels its a year io by no 'swami equal to the quasi.
City brewed by the pi incited pauses—that in such a
thole an advance of only ss. a barrel is equal to
25.000/. and that the advisory.. in some years has been
as much to yowl what. according tot& ir own etwwisig
and prices of their owes tieing, is a sufficient
prafit, we may readily account for the princely for.
turns which have been made in this trade i.e a short
time. aced the justice of the complaints of the la.
INMetog chases, at whose extrema ! such fortunes are
made. Let us now examine the alterat iiiii s in the
price i.e a successive order, with a view of discover-
ing the occult causes of torn changes. Fur a year
reir.ottli _o Cyr _ mode by the brewers
ir Ofieduce.
to 1799, 4w till. irer bored was the nominal surplus
above the material. Upon its milisequelit advance
ice 1804. the surplus appeared Punk to 2s. lii an-
other. in 1802, the difference was 7.1. minus, that
is, the professed materials cost Inure by 7.1. per
barrel, than the beer when made was sold for.
The materials then because cheaper 25 per cent.
upon which the brewers, his 1802, lowered their
price 11 per cent. and made their surplus 74.91 :
this was taken ass kindly by the peblic, that is lets
than four month* (she material all this while lower.
log from 27 to 23). upon the reduction of ei. in the
material., 11w brewers vaned their prices 54. Tlw
materials sunk from 27a. to 235. Nod the beer was
raised from 25..10 40..: but a climax as yet want-
ing. lo July. 1903. there was a rive of Is. in the
niatetials, they still being 3s. under the last price,
when the barrel was at 355. and under the price in
1799, when the barrel was 30s. Under these cir.
cumstances of cheapness in materials, the price to
the public was raised to 45ii. pet barrel—in other
worth, beer was raised 341. per pat, while the malt.
hops, and duty. collectively, were less than they
were in 1799. when beer was sold for 31. d. per pot.
as excess of three-halfpence tier pot over former
profits ; mid be it always bore in mutt!. thin au ad-
vance of a sinule halfpenny gives 50,000% to the
brewers of 200,000 barrel*. At this period the
brewers were fur snore insatiable than now. Tlwy
found by experience that they had only to lix a
price, and the public must pay it. Upon a small
advance in the materials, therefore. tiny raised
their price two steps at mice—from sd. to 6d. per
pot. the beer at the same tone bring most wretch.
ed ; upon this the Golden.laiw brewery was pro.
jetted. when the brewers drew in their horns, cud
went back instantly from eal. to 511. This competi-
tion did the public greet service ; it caused the qua-
lity of the beer to be mended. and the prices to be
kept down while the material roar ; nor did the brew-
ers then venture to raise their prices for eight years.
This eateblisliment throve fur smut time ; but, as
um told, owing to sinsinanageme.d, to many di..
advantages miring from the humility and newer of
the brewers, to their regimers in low neighbour.
hooch leaving them for other breweries where they
might expect a better protection in their licenses,
and. above all, to their being obliged, from the
public nature of their accouirts, to adhere to malt
and bops only, they have not been prosperous. The
next increase was made its 1813. It only left a
surplus difference of 1/. so. 00. between the price
of the materiels and of beer when made. The
value of the inaleisols incremstil still higher. and
the brewers f I it necessary to make a still far-
ther increase in January. 1814. The price was
now raised to its highest pitch, TM. to the price we
ate now called up to pay, brut the increased
!nice only left the brewers a surplus of two
shillings anal stxp.euce abuse the mai Let ;ice

of the tosterial. Soon, however, the material'
dropped in price ;lust na the price or beer. The
brands were net now desirolis of disturbing the
settled order of things. Their surplus rose to near-
ly 20r. per barrel. Mr. Tsushima (I think it was
hereupon complained in the House of Commons of
the unreloiiiiable pricer of the brewers, when Mr.
Whitbread replied that they (the brewers) had cots-
ferret!, and bail determined not to lower the price,
but to increase the quality. Before the next sit-
ting of Parliament. however, they thought proper
to take off a halfpenny per loot, reducing their sur-
plus, which had been tee. lid. to the yet large fire-
plug of 14a, sJtl. The next year they took off on.
other halfpenny. la the succeeding year, 106,
the price of the materials rose, and atom this,
,strange to say, they reduced their beer another id.
The reason that could induce these gentlemen,
after eolith 11l i l their price at 4l'. fora year and g
half, upon the rise of their materials, to lower their
price to 404. is quite inexplicable ; tiniest, indeed,
the investigations of the Police Committee. then be.
coming public, hastened the decision. Since then
there has been two steps of increase of prices, both
in materials and in beer; but, since the rise in Jan.
last year, the price of materials has lessened ; the
amount of malt, holm, and duty is Is. 2d. per bar-
rel less than it was last year. Now what it done
upon this decrease of expense? The barrel of beer
is raised 54., the quart is raised from 51d. to dd.
The materials now amount to no sitore than
45-.51d. per barrel, and the price to the consumer
is raised equal to the highest price charged during
the war, when the war malt tax was on, and the
price of the materials was 5/11. 6d. seven shillings
more than at present. But let us view the effect
of this rise in the aggregate ; not that the profit
now exacted is half so excessive as others in former
years, to 1803, 1813. and 1814, for instance.
First, I think we may fairly assume, that the
brewers last year did nut fix a price to carry on a
losing trade. and the expenses have since been less-
ening. 1 know that large sums were given by
tlit btewers during that year for terms in licensed
houses. that is. tor the privilege of selling beer-
-8001. fur tine station, 1.0004 fur soother, 1,5001. for
a third, sod so un-.-pretty strong symptoms that
brewing then cotnitinuded • profit worth having.—.
The 6.. 2d. per barrel surplus above last year's
prices of materials given by the last rise, may there-
fore be considered its an extra profit. We will first
examine the effect of this on the trade of a single
house. One house, deservedly popillsr. brewed
330,201 barrels its 1816. The extra profits to that
house upon one year's trade, therefore, will give a
blita 4101.8141. 194. but the whole amount brew.
ed by the eleven breweries, in the same year, was
1,446,038 barrels, upon which the extra profit
gives 445,5611. IP. 4d. by far the greater part of
which is extracted from the pocket* of the tabooi-
n; pour of the metropolis. A fine harvest truly
Without coy penicilliar exertion of intellect, with-
out any risk, a few 'gentlemen. the heads of the
eleven breweries, meet together, combine, and give
the word for nearly half a million sterling to be
Transferred front the pockets or the poor!"—(Laud
applause.)
Mr. IteACMONT the,. proceeded to address the
company. It appeared, most clearly, from what he
had stated, that fur over .20 years the psi bite bend
heel' subjected to a continued series of wrongs fruits
the brewers ; who. at Mote times when the public
voice was raised against theM. lowered their pric. a ;
and afterwards, when their fears were dispelled, yeti-
lured to raise their prices to a magnitude unknown
in former times--a conduct which no anal WOW
contemplate in any other light except that of coin-
piety monopoly. Ile wished it to Ike understood,
that he did not make oily charge against the
brewers personally—wary of them were st re-
spectable men. end so was the Kennesaw' then at the
head of the table (Mr. Drury. who leieljust addressed
the company). It was the system he complsined
he meant the system of arbitrary licensing, which
gave a set of Magistrates ismilege to say who
should,aod who should not, have licensee to sell freer.
Nor did he meets to say any thing against tne Ma-
gistrates; but against the system a Inch gave them
the unjust power which they possessed ; and he
hoped to see the time soots arrive when that s, stens
woutd be completely corrected.—(4pp/anses.).-
Mr, B. then ',unveiled to read abstracts from •the
ilitlitent Acts of Parliament, which had been pawed
tin different periods of our history, on the subject of
Wetting; and it would lie writ shut all these Acts
were first in favour or air liberty of die people,
but that the Acts punted its iamb-rig times were di-
reedy of a contrary tendency. An Act of Henry
fixed the price of beer recording to the price
of barley. An Act sr the 9.3.1 of Edward 111.
fixed the assiwt of beer. In the reign of ['Award iVt
an Act was passed fur granting letters patent in
favour of brewers, who them squired a monopoly
so offensive to the subjects, am! by which the
extortions of brewers because so great. that it was
found necessary to abolish the patents that gotined
these monopolies. In the reign of Henry VIII.
anti Edward Vi. Acts were passed egiiiiist brewers
found conspiring to raise the price of beer ; and for
such offences they were to be punished by standing
in the pillory, having one ear cut off, and to be
subject to perpetual infamy. In the reign of Ell.
ward VI. an Act was passed to empower
Miegns-
trates to gent licenses to publicans; but that was
done only for the purpose of preventing the bad
and disorderly behaviour alkali prevailed en public.
Junes I. afterwards granted letters patent
rite brewers. His son Charles did the same ; and
.made them pay large sums of money for the
; but his object in doing this was only to
put the money into his own exchequer. In those
letters it was stated, us one of the reasons for issuing
them, that the beer was too strong and heady, and
rause.' intoxication.—(Latighter.)—lt seemed that
this King, its his paternal solicitude for the betide of
his sithiects—a solicitude. which they did not "her.
wards *Hew f.r his head-.-( Laughter awl applutese)-..
thought proper to ussios this as the reason for MM.
mg his patents. A lier this, io 1664. thy Inuit lir-
cattle completely bee and nitres ; because the op..
pressions of former tinier 01111111 no longer be en-
dured ; and it was out until ihr reign of George 11.
that the present sysleill of liceissiog was adapted.
The intention and atowed object was, to ',heck the
disorderly prof:tiers that prevailed in imbibe-houses,
mud it was enmeted that licenses shoilld Its 14r.ssitel)
only for one )rar, at the expilation of winch time
the licenses site to be renewed. It wan ibis Act
*lnch laid ilie foundation of that monopoly which

now existed, and rendered the fabric of it complete.
It gave Justices the power of deciding without ap-
peal, what persous should obtain brewers' houses; and
Constituted little parcels of Justices in every district
the absolute masters of the licensing trade. It was
not, hoWever, until many years after that the injury
of this monopoly was frit by the public, and its
value felt by the brewers. A free trade existed at
that Issue ; the brewers were very numerous ; vest
capitals were slot accumulated by individuals, owl
the growing evils of mouopoly were not perceived.
But during the last thirty years, there being a vast
increase of new houses in the metropolis, the
brewers were able to get possession of almost all the
public-houses, and then the present monopoly
begets to be completed : so that, at the preseut
went, the whole trade of brewing NOS concentrated
ise the hands of eleven great brewers. It was not his
object now to go into a detail of all the oppressions
which had arisen of late years out of the present sys-
tem ; because these were to be found in the Pulice
Reports, and in reports of proceedings in Courts of
Justice, all which were already before the politic.
It appeared by one proceeding in a Court of Law,
that a license had been taken away f a publi-
eau, because he had voted fur a particular candidate
at an electron, in opposition to the will of the li-
ceturiug Magistrate ; and it would appear that
others had lost their houses only for changiug their
brewers, and others for selling beer at au under
price. Such circumstances were detailed in the
Police Reports ; and at this moment persoos
might be found, in prisons and in workhouses, who
were ruined, and obliged to take shelter there, in
conaettoence of having been unjustly deprived of
their licenses. He had himself been in foreign coon.
tries, and conversed with several Magistrates and vic-
tuallers ies those countries, where lie found that no
such arbitrary power as was now exercised in Fag-
land existed. Any man who had a sufficient capital
and a good character, might brew and cell beer.—
Such was the potence at this moment in France,
Holland, and Germany. He had conversed with
several Members of Parliament as to the mode of
getting rid of this system of licensing ; but the
whole appeared to be so bad, that it could not
be mended, fur it would be necessary to change
the whole system in principle. Licenses in-
deed were granted fur many iatiocent purposes—
such as a license to flour one's hair, a license
to be married, &c.—and all these were easily
obtained : hut the licenses for *elfin beer were
not to be had, except at the arbitrary will of • set
of Magistrates. Alive as they all roust be to the
injuriousness of this system, they insist not pa-
tiently sit down under it ; particularly so, when if
they knew what he had stele, that hers of men
had been ruined, and driven to workhouses in con-
sequence of it. WAS it to be endured, that a
power should exist at this day which had been for-
bidden in the %elopes of Edward, of James, and
Charles ? But lee would *ether submit to the ty-
lamey of one King, theft to the arbitrary despotism
of some hundreds of petty tyrants.. The only use
he had ever known in the present system of liCetts-
ing was, that it exhibited a disgusting, picture of
arbitrary power.
On a proposition fur taking awry the discr.tionary
power, they were called oleo' to cuissider the !no-
perty which was at stake ; with this property, he
submitted, they had nothing to do. Every farthing
of the capital which was laid out, was so expcialcd
solely with a view to commanding trade, right or
wrong.--(i-kar.)7-11 the brewer laid nut a laths
dyed thousand 'minds in houses, and another hien-
dred thousand in trade, his object was to gain profit
by both; and thus the 'eolith: paid, not alone lA.
a decoction of malt mid hops, but for an infusion
of licenses.—(Cheers.)— I t was naturally asked, how
redress of these abuses was to be obtained ?
lie admitted that the task would be an arduous
one ; but at the saute time lie was satisfied it was
not a hopeless one. It was true, that there was a
great phalanx of power and interest against them,
hut the power of the public was great also. They
had also a free press in their favour; and it oas
but .jost to remark, dust all the 'newspapers, of
whatever political principles, advocated zealously
and ably the cause of the public on this subject ;
and joined its deprecating the system or the brewers.
Their system had hero attacked by the toast re-
els* aable Papers, by The British Press, The
Woke, The Morning Post, The Afar, mot he
believed he might add The Tunes.—(Load and
repeated cheers.)—Under all the tire stances, he
reewated, that he thought their case far I hope-
less, awl trusted that by one common zeal, and
by determined perseverance. they would have old
beer and old prices.—/Cheery.)
In condos.' tttt the Hon. Gentlemen declared his
intention to moire the string of Resolutions winch
Ise hail already published w some of the public
papers, in order that it might nut be supposrd leis
intention was of an underhand or unfair description.
lie then moved the first Resolution :
" That high least authorities have declared all monopo-
lies to he against the ancient and fundamental laws of the
resist, mad injurious tic the publm—first Icy liaising tie price
of commodities—second, by diminishing their quality—
third, by impoverishing pour maisufncturers."
Mr. TILLOCII rose to second this Resolini,
It was a truism upon which no difference of opiailua
could arise. He had listened with attention to all
that had fallen, as well from the gentlemais who
had last spoken, as front the gentleman sit the other
end of the table (Mr. Drury). Oslo or two obvious
facts naturally presented themselves to his lulled.
They had been told that the brewers were a re-
spectable and honourable vet of men ; he believed
they were; but those who knew huanau nature
would agree with him in thinkiiig, that sill men who
acted in a body would oppress their fellow-num.--
lie would not say that brewers were more liable to
this deposit than others ; but such was the nes
tine of human society. It was the evident object
of all capitalists, acting collectively or individually,
to make us much profit as they could. 'r.vo objec-
tions hail been urged, isi his opinion very justly, by
ha H 0,,. Friend (Mr. Ile on this occasion.
First to the mouutioly which existed—end secondly
to the licensing system—which. conjointly. had the
effect of 'traducing a t eisjursous robbery on the
public., He hull tio snore Intrieelltni to confide in
the honour and integrtty of brewers than to the
honour and integrity of any other set of men ; but
upon a basis constituted as their monopoly was,
there was no security whatever.—(Hear,)—Tire
only security for the public was a fair, open, nod
manly competition in the Market. Front hot he

\`k`\

ball heard, be collected that the p?t,fits to we pub.
Item' was 25 per cent. and to the brewers 30 per
cent.

Mr. Dimly here beggvil to explain.

The CHAIRMAN isisi•tetl that the Gentleman on
his legs should out be interrupted.--( Hear.)

Mr. Tit.t.ocK begged that he might not be miss
underituod. The proposition which he had to sub-
mit did nut rest UpIIII the accuracy or fallacy of cal-
Matrons. But supposing these calculations to be
cotrect, the brewer paid 455. for that which cost the
public 100 s. The 'malt, therefore, was 554. or
which the publican took ins. and the brewer 30..
(Ilear.)—The general principle for which he coo.
trialed was, that there ought to he nu monopoly
( Heor)—he meant that sort of monopoly which
capital commanded. What were the go-ovoids of
defence urged in favour of the brewers? First, that
they had rtniankril great capitals. Every malt
who emliarked to t aple did the same thing, and,
therefore they were as little entitled to exclusive
prisileges as any ether subjects.--(Hear, /oar./—
But besides beatig capitalists, they assumed the
right of dictating who should have licenses, and
who 'druid nut ; thus becoming the Censure instead
of the Magistrates.—( I lear.)—The effect of get-
tiog poowasion of pliblic.houses was to enable the
brewers to get rid of beverage which would not
otherwise he drank. Would ally man pretend, that,
if the trade was free and open, they should he
obliged to drink the saute poisonous stuff which was
vow vended in what were called brewers' houses
(f.'heers,atul cries if" No !")—With respect to the
abase. {practised to licensing, he read an extract
from Clement's Police Jetports, in which the Cum.
matter of the Ilouse of Commons dstinctly stated,
toi the authority of evidence, that the power
ed by the Magistrates of refusing licenses wa• not
authorised iu express words by any statute whatever;
earl yet those who referred to the Reports in fine,—
lion, would see the numberless instances in whielt
that power had been exercised.

If a good case could he made out and brought
before Parliament, he had no doubt hut the public
would there meet with plenty of friends. The high
price of beer was injurious not only to the public,
but it diminished even the duties arising from it.
The higher the price was to the consumer, the less
lie used of the article, and a consequent decrease
took place in the receipt of duties. Mr. Tilluch
concluded amidst loud applause.
The question being called for, it was recom-
tneuded that the Resolutions might be read al-
together, that a distinct view might be given of their
object.
The CHAIRMAN wished to know whether there
was any other person disposed to addrees the Nleet-
ing, previous to the reading of the Resolution..
Mr. BEAUMONT then rn:w. and read the Resolu-
tions, wind) ore as follow :

4. That the Legislature has passed numerous Statutes to
punish 'nth as are guilty of creating numupolies--pai
lady monopolies of the u . les of life: and so eat ly as
the C..d and fid of Edward IV. very heavy penalties were
imposed on victuallers who combined together to r• cc the
mice of witinals,extrodinz upon a second repent' of
offence to the pilloryolw luus of an ear, and perin•tust
to-
fasny.

3 That, notaillislanding the illegality of such conduer
and its ii,jus y to thy public, a ttttt Majoilly 10 the Fupply of
beer has of hue )ears hi en raised in vas ,was parts of Lag •
land, and particularly in the inctialailis, itssumurlt that the
Woole custom of its pwpisliswo i. s ligrossed by abwor
shown great breweries abuse principals act in nimbi:tat
—meeting together like tb. rutin is af one concerti, and
Gasug the price at which beer shall be Fuld.
4. Thai when the reduced prier of malt and hope, of
horses, proveuder, and labour, the lessening, the I.lx 011
111:111, and the sti'vra quent abolition of the Prop.,. ty Tux,
enabled the brewrs. to 'liaise peat reductions os their as,
cuss . d charges. they Illst nut make such reductions, hut
kept up their priers, until after their fuel had excited
anstnadeersimis in the Hawse of C,,mmuns, allegoig as a
reason fur their doing su, that their stock in baud must he
first disposed of.
f. That so soon as the failure of the harvest in 1916
caused the price of malt to look up, and while their stock
Was wholly unaffected by the rise in the materials, they rs •
vired the high prices ot beer to the e.stisumer, which paces
they have lately still further advanced.
1 hat the beer as now made is so void of the nourishing
and invigorating qualities which it formerly possessed, 1114
is 0M1111:ties so ungrateful and even iiijuriiiits to the stomach,
(mom to the dclett•rtiout ingrediesits a/which it is composed,
that rowanners are frequently driven to use a mixture of
gin with it, to give it the semblance of strength and spirit,
or still woes prejudicially to the drtukiug of gut 111$14`ait ni
beer.

7. That these and numerous other evils are justly attri-
butable to the muuopuly which the great brewers have
established.
N. 'That this monopoly is produced and upheld by the
miconstitutional power given to Justices of the Peace in
their respective localities to preveut any persons from
reading beer, excepting such persons and in such houses us
they plrase; a power which, being subject to no human con-
trol, and being exercised iu many Instr.:lees by needy or
avaricious men, is naturally applied by them in preventiug
competition in trades in which they ur their friends or
patrons are interested.
O That a desire to prevent an unnecessary tier of
houses, the reason generally assigned for refusing permis-
sion to open houses, built fur public ►ouses, where the rea-
sonable walo of the public require than, is evid.ntly in-
sincere; because the same licensers grant betimes to public
houses in clusters, where the interest of their friends is
thereby upheld, although such houses can ouly be supported
by allowing and encouragiog bad practices.
10. That the similar pretence, that competition is pre-
vented, in eider that the landlords of the favoured houses
may Boorish, and not be indneed, through necessity, to
suffer disorderly conduct on their premises, is equally fal-
lacious; because the owners of the favoured houses, who
are generally brewers or spirit dealers, always require pre-
miums of their truants, equal to the value of the mono-
poly to them, or an additional rent ; thus keeping the ie.
omits' profits 'luso, however valuable the monopoly may be
to the principal.
11. That the supposition of correcting the licentiousness
encouraged at some public houses, by denying licenses ("l-
athers, is only cakutated to benefit the Monopoly Systeni ;
it being evident, in principle, that men will not drink let..
Of be leas disorderly when drawn together in one house, [trio
they would be if divided among two or three; and It is no.
tenons in practice, that some of the must profitable houses
are among tbuse which are most mini isms to the public
health and UMW.

12. That such is the value, however, of the proltihition
of competition, that thousands of pomols are frigoently
even for the euneeekration u 1 a license to a house, nn other
words, fur permission to trade, shalt expense, together with
the retie profits ercureil by the unworn,. fall upon lit •
cooatutt, vs, sad become a grievous burden to the losee
Masses of the community.
13. That it a snressonsble to invest Justices of the Peace
with the iight of loaning exclusive powers for 0.141,2
vietwals, wheat the Uniiine of such powers by Ow ti:oirtreiet;
Immicli is declared to he void tit law.
14. That it is equally toiresoninhie to antherise the said
Justices to dissente wen of then. Ills-flies natal nee ens/ ~,,,
at their own will sod pleasure, 0111.0ut Wog scimantal.',
to sal holll4ll brine, while tfo.&•.g, on his Throne, n< ie •
terJiitta fretn " liortive Qr mg" the 'acmes; ,

there, he must tile care of his license...-(Hear.)—
From what he hail just staled. it milk be tilde*
to army person. dad the a►lvertieelttent did not so
too tar its milli* the busi►►ess of brewers, alit stood
et
prepent. a Monopoly. He had tams ompidara-
Me pine w►th this subject ;. bet. wishing to he aa
securer as possible. hr had written down the mutt
of his instairiessi—aud he hoped the Harting would
pardon he took the liberty of reeding. from
▪ paper wl►ich he had prepared, the statement upon