The Sun.
London, England, 1830-04-10 00:00:00

COMMITTEE ROOM, LONDON TAVERN.'
Aram 8, 1830.
AT a Special Meeting of the LICENSED
VICTUALLERS, held this day, it was Resolved
that the following Petition be pre ented :
TO THE HONOURABLE THE COMMONS OF THE
UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND
IRELAND, IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED.
THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE UNDERSIGNED
PROPRIETORS AND OCCUPIERS OF PUBLIC
HOUSES IN LONDON AND ITS VICINITY,
SIiEWETII,
That your Petitioners have learnt with surprise and
alarm, that a Bill has recently been introduced into your
Ronourable House for the purpose of removing all restric-
tions on the Sale of Beer by retail, which Bill, your Peti-
tioners humbly conceive, to be as unjust in principle, as it
will prove to be injurious to them, and mischievous to
the Public in its operation, if passed into a Law, whilst it
is unnecessary for the attainment of the object proposed.
Tlat your Petitioners are members of a large body of
the Community, who have embarked their Money in pro-
perty affected by this Bill. That the Money so employed
h 37 a great number of your Petitioners, constitutes the
Whole earnings of their industry and economy for a series
°I Years, and that the entire Capital invested in Public
}louses and the requisite Furniture, amounts to no less a
~.Ksum'than Thirty Millions.
4. That until the last few weeks your Petitioners had
every reason to believe, that the property thus acquired
teas as perfectly secure to them as that belonging to any
other members of the community, and that the same Laws,
tinder which they had been enabled to obtain it, would
have been continued, so as to preserve to them the fruits
of their labour.
That relying upon the continuance of such Laws—Laws
which have existed without interruption for Four Cen-
turies—the far greater number of your Petitioners have
entered into engagements which they will be wholly unable
to perform, whereby many will be reduced to a state of
pauperism, whilst numerous Orphans and others, whose
sole subsistence depends upon Annuities charged upon this
description of property, will find themselves wholly desti-
tute, and be compelled to resort to their several parishes
for relief.

That your Petitioners who are Publicans, trust that
their conduct as a body will be found to have been such as
to render them not undeserving of the attention and sup-
port of your Honourable House. That it has been their
constant endeavour to merit the approbation of the Public,
and so far as their means would allow, of preventing any
of their Members from becoming burthensome to the rest
of the community; and with this view they have, under
the fostering care of an Illustrious Duke, from time to
• time subscribed such sums of money as in the result, has
enabled them to provide for the support of their neces-
sitous and unfortunate Members and their Families, and
for the education of their Children.
That your Petitioners feel convinced, that your Honour-
able House will not proceed to alter Laws materially affect-
ing . Thirty Millions of Property, without the fullest enquiry
and the most mature deliberation, more especially as it
cannot fail to be remembered, that those Laws having had
their origin, at all events, as early as the fifteenth century,
the principle established by them has not only been in-
variably adhered to, but has been confirmed and fortified
by successive Parliaments from that time to the present;
and that no attempt was ever made to interfere with that
system until the year 1822, when propositions submitted
for limiting the controul of the Magistracy in granting
Licences for the retail of Beer, were rejected by your
Honourable House, upon the ground that the measure
was pregnant with the most pernicious tendencies, and
that if the power and controul theretofore exercised by
Magistrates were withdrawn, or in any manner restricted,
great disorder and immorality would necessarily ensue.
That your Petitioners conceived, that by the Statute
9th Geo. IV., chap. 61. (commonly called Mr. Estcour ti's
Act), every evil and abuse that was supposed to have cr pt
into the system of licensing Public Houses was effectually
checked or destroyed.
That by the existing law, Magistrates are empowered to
license any number of houses they may think fit :—that
111 the exercise of their discretion it is their duty to be
guided by a due regard to the population, and the neces-
sities of that population, on the one hand, and to the moral
habits and dispositions of the people on the other, and
that such discretionary power has been wisely confided to
those, who, as a body, have exercised it with integrity
and judgment,--the natural conservators of the public peace.
That your Petitioners collect from the provisions of the
Bill, that it is intended to withdraw this wholesome con-
troul from the Magistracy—to enable any individual to
obtain a license at his own mere will and pleasure, and
open a Public House for the Sale of Beer wherever and
Whenever he may think fit,--under the impression that
by augmenting the number of Public Houses the con-
sumption of the article will be increased, the price
diminished, and the public derive a corresponding benefit.
That your Petitioners are duly sensible of the advantage
that must result to the community at large, from the abo-
lition of the Duty, and that a considerable increase in
the consumption of Beer will necessarily follow :—your
Petitioners however respectfully submit, that the expecta-
tion of any further increase, by reason of an unlimited
and uncontrouled licensing of Public Houses, will not be
realised, hut on the contrary, as your Petitioners if per-
mitted so to do, are prepared to prove, that the quality of
the article will be deteriorated, the price augmented, and
consequently, that the consumption will not be increased,
nor the public benefited.
That in the year 1824, being the first after the passing
of the Act authorising the sale by retail of Beer of an in-
termediate quality, the number of licensed public Victuallers
in England and Wales was 48,804, of which number
2235'73 brewed their own Beer ; and there were also at
the same period 25 intermediate Brewers. That the total
quantity of Beer brewed by the public Brewers in the year
ending July 1824 was 3,744,243 barrels, by the Victuallers
2,345,738, and by the intermediate Brewers 15,9573
Making together a total of 6,105,938 barrels. That in the
same year, 1824, another Act was passed, with the view
of increasing the consumption, by which Brewers were
enabled for the first time to sell Beer by retail; and thus
as the demand might from time to time arise, the public
!tete provided with the means of obtaining a supply of
.Beer to an unlimited extent throughout every part of the
country, and wholly independent of the Licensed Victuallers.
of That since the year 1824, and in addition to the means
auPPIY provided by the two Statutes referred to, a pro-
gressive increase has taken place in the number of Licensed
_Victuallers, and that in the year ending sth January
1830, the total number amounted to 50,442, of which
23,304 brewed their own Beer. There were also at this
Period 22 intermediate Brewers and 1,269 retail Brewers,
tran:ittie
irng an increase within the last five years and a half,
.?°umber of houses licensed for the sale of Beer, of
exclusive of the numerous retailers of intermediate
e„,r; for the sale of which no license was requisite.
seat at the last mentioned period, the quantity of Beer
mewed
the vs the public Brewers was 3,569,363 barrels ;by
a , Ictuallers 2,166,096, by the retail Brewers 213,831,
n by the intermediate Brewers 55,498, making a total
of a
°nly 6,004,788 barrels, and thus your Honourable
House will perceive, that notwithstanding the great in-
crease in the number of licensed houses, and of the facili-
-Ika afforded for an unlimited supply of the article, there
!'4l been a falling off in the entire quantity of Beer brewed
la England and Wales, of upwards of 100,000 barrels.
That your Honourable House will be aware, that in all
cases where the supply is fully equal to the demand, (and
amtatttehe ehmentto
present instance
it has been proved by the foregoing
be more than equivalent to it,) every addition
anumber of retailers is, as regards the price of the
barrels the number
detrimental to the public; for if by vending 200
barrel, of Beer per annum at a profit of ten shillings per
and
Publican can obtain a moderate subsistence for
Bartels family, it is evident, that if he can sell only 100
(which exceeds the average quantity sold by
c','-'a.31:81 Licensed Victuallers in the country.) he must
charge an extra price to the public, to enable him to live.
That your Petitioners also beg to represent to your Ho-
.,,nour,a.ble House, that Beer is an article liable to be ma-
-7r:l try injured b
respects of y changes of temperature,—is in other
stantattentaio nperishable nature, and requires not only con-
to enable the
but a competent knowledge of the article, That it h a vender of it to deliver it out in good order.
.*
from it also this peculiarity attached to and inseparable
'I.Z. That he flavour and goodness (be its original
qualities ever so excellent,) depend upon the quickness
with which it is drawn from the cask, and that on this
account
the
also,
that it is materially for the benefit of the commu-
nity,yenders of Beer should not be extended be-
yon_diawhat is necessary to supply the demand.
sTI t it has hitherto been the constant aim of the Le-
genuerre,ito protect the public against any adulteration of
humbly 4s
and important a beverage ; and your Petitioners
prevent itarnit, that it will he morally impracticable to
. the offence of adulteration if the Trade be extended
in the maunnoeur.ep.ropTosed by the Bill now before your Ho-
nourable
Laws in that res
would desire that the being
That so far from any relaxation in the
creased, by subjectinge g permitted, your Petitioners
pralties now in force should be in-
not only to the dept: Patotfy
hguilty of such an offence,
should be rendered ever aftel°rnw,:cit-,-iins
Your Petitioners there.fkor_e_ resa aLpiaceb
!nee
oe e butnjo y
itnhga
ot
nhee.
Honourable House, that pectfully submit to your
tare to
contemplation is iii." 7! %.41 'hewn that the inert-
". Pruiciple unjust, and in its

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