The Sun.
London, England, 1839-10-18 00:00:00

THE BEER TRADE.

A Meeting of Brewers and Retailers of Beer of the
Metropolis, took place yesterday at the Mechanics'
Institute, Southampton buildings, Chancery-lane, to
receive from the Committee of the Metropolitan New
Publican's Protection Society a report of their proceed-
ings during the past year, particularly in defence of the
trade in the last Session of Parliament, and a financial
statement of the funds of the Society.
The object of the Society, as appeared from the
circular distributed among the persons present, " Is to
protect the Beer-seller from the attacks of the powerful
and interested opponents of a Free Trade in Beer, as
well as to defend him in the lawful exercise of his busi-
ness from the many difficulties with which he has to con-
tend, particularly the vexatious annoyances by the com-
mon informer—to furnish information upon any point
connected with the trade—and to secure his property
from petty depredators.
At four o'clock, the Chair was taken by Mr. KYN-
NERSLEY, who said he felt much pleasure in presiding
over so respectable a meeting of his fellow tradesmen,
and he only regretted that it was not more numerously
attended. The object of the present meeting was to
receive the Report of the Committee for the past year.
When Lord Brougham, in the last Session, vauntingly
promised to introduce a measure which would annihi-
late the Beer Trade, he (Mr. K.) on that occasion
thought differently from others, and prognosticated that
the attempts that were making to injure them would
ultimately tend to their benefit. He trusted the
Committee would be able to satisfy them that
such had been the result.—(Hear, hear, hear.)
He believed that attempt bad produced a good deal of
information as to the real working of the trade in which
they were all embarked ; it had enabled the Committee
to refute the accusations and calumnies that had been
heaped upon them, and to prove to the public that they
were utterly unfounded. It was shown that the oppo-
sition which they had met with was that of opponents
and parties interested, and the result has been that the
Government took the matter up ; a Bill was introduced
by Mr. Baring, the present Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, in lieu of the Bill proposed by Mr. Pakington,
which received very general support in the House, and
was ultimately carried with the sanction of Mr. Puking-
ton himself.—(Hear, hear.) He would now proceed
to the business of the evening, the first portion of which
was the election of officers in the room of those who re-
tired.

Mr. DYKE was unanimously elected a Trustee in the
room of one of the Trustees who had retired.

Mr. Pangs Er. moved the re-election of Mr. Bishop
as Secretary.
Mr. O'KEEFE, in seconding the re-election of Mr.
Bishop as Secretary, said, that Lord Brougham had had
the audacity to say that beershop-keepers devoted their
houses to the prostitution of their daughters.—(Cries
of " Shame.") In answer to such a calumny he would
state to Lord Brougham, and he hoped the statement
would go forth to the world, that his Lordship's house
was quite as likely to be a brothel as his (Mr.
O'Keefe's).—(Cheers.) He would fearlessly assert that
both his daughters, in point of morality, were the equals
of the daughter of Lord Brougham, his Lady, or him-
self.—(Cheers.) 'The time was not far distant when the
morality of the beer sellers and the licensed victuallers
would be decided ; but in the meantime he might say that
it was not in a beer-house that a certain Noble Marquis
got drunk, when he drove through Piccadilly in the
shameful state he did.—(Cheers.) Nor was it in a
beer house that a Noble Lord had played at cards and
cheated every body.—(Cheers.) It was his belief that
scenes had taken place in the houses of licensed victual-
lers that would eclipse ten thousand times any thing
that bad ever taken place in beer shops. He was glad
that the Society, through its Secretary, had been able
to defeat the machinations of Lord Brougham, and he
therefore most gladly seconded his re-election.—
(Cheers.)
The question was then put by the Chairman, who de-
clared Mr. Bishop to be unanimously re-elected.
Mr. BISHOP returned thanks.
Nine Members of the Association were then elected
to serve on the Committee, and one to serve the office
of Auditor for the ensuing year.
Mr. STALLWOOD was unanimously re-appointed Col-
lector for the year ensuing.
A discussion arose as to the propriety of appointing
an additional or assistant collector, which was eventually
put an end to by the Secretary, Mr. Bishop, stating,
that according to the rules of the Society, they could
not appoint a second collector.

The SECRETARY then read the Report, which, after
commenting strongly on the conduct of Lord Brougham,
stated the proceedings which the Committee had adopted
to defeat the attack made on the beer-sellers in the last
Session of Parliament. It then eulogised the late
Chancellor of the Exchequer for his defence of their
interests,,wild gave a summary.of the clauses of the
Bill proposea to be introduced by him. It also eulo-
gized the condaCt of the' 'Marquis of Westminster—
every' beer-seller ought to feel grateful to him for the
pains he took in exposing the erroneous statements
made by Lord Brougham, and putting the House of
Lords in possession of the opinions entertained on'the
beer question by the Noble and Learned Lord in 1833.
The funds were now larger than at any former period,
notwithstanding the extra expenses the Committee
had been put to during the past year.—(Loud
cheers.) The Committee congratulated the trade
generally upon the principle laid down in the New
Police Acts, wherein the beer houses were placed upon
a footing with licensed houses, and it was their duty to
do all in their power to extend those benefits to their
friends in the country.
On the motion of Mr. PENNERY, and seconded by
Mr. CLARK, the report was received and adopted.
The annual account of receipts and expenditure was
then read by the Secretary, from which it appeared that
a sum of nearly 4001. had been received in the course of
the last year. The statement was received with loud
cheering, and on the motion of Mr. West, seconded by
Mr. Cox, was received and adopted.
fol-
lowing Mr. A
resolutionPT E n
(o f:
madeSessoion of
beer-house and the beer-sellers in the thne
thepa measuret dictated
Parliament can only be viewed
Reigate,Tha St
hue. r eaYt);ackmoav ed
those who
equally discreditable to its aut 1,
by interest and pursued by palarstiaalitathat it was
as its object was
sought to carry it into effect, inasmuchrstor.e
.all the” evils of
to take away competition,
seconded the resolution, which was
Mr. MARDEN
the old system of monopoly andvn favouritism.
carried unanimously.
Mr. BISHOP moved the next resolution—" That the
grateful thanks of this meeting and of every individual
interested in or connected with the Beer Trade are
eminently due, and are hereby given to those
of her Majesty's Ministers, and those Members
of the Legislature whose discriminating and dis•
interested conduct when the Beer question was
before them prevented the Beer-laws from being
andsaved the Beer Trade from confiscation
a
He thought the meeting were bound
repealed,
annihilation."ale d
to adopt this resolution when they recollected thatseveral
Alembers of Parliament had been threatened by the
licensed victuallers with the loss of their seats if they
supported the beer-sellers.—(Cheers.) He thought the
conduct which had been pursued by the licensed vic-
tuallers towards the beer-sellers most unworthy of them,
and he felt proud that notwithstanding their threats the