The Sun.
London, England, 1822-05-07 00:00:00

- 47
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PUBLICANS' LICENSES.

Mr. HUSKISSON had a Petition to present, which, if the
party from whom it came had taken his allvice, would have
been handed over to some one more connected with the place
to which it referred ; but as the Petitioner had persevered in
requesting:him to present it, he had thought it was his duty to
bring it before the House.. The Petitioner stated himself to
have built 4 or 500 houses near Iklil&end, and in a part where
there was no public house. 'After 100 or more of these houses
were inhabited, much inconvenience was felt from the want of
a public house, and the tenants had to fetch their beer from a
publican who lived at a considerable distance. Upon this the
Petitiotier built a house fit for a public
.house, intending to
keep it as a free.house. Oh finishing it in 1817 he applied for
a licence. The application was supported by all the inhabitants,
but was refused by'the Magistrates, and this refusal on inquiry
he was told was conclusive. In 1818, 200 of the houses being
inhabited; he renewed his • application, but with no' better suc-
cess. • In 1818, finding (to use the PetitioneiN own words)
" that he had not interest enough with the. Magistrates to pro-
cure a licence; he treated with a publican of the name of
Brown, then residing at Bermondsey, and dealing with Bar-
clay and Co.•forthe sale of the house.'? The house was sold,
and no sooner had Brown got the house conveyed to him, and
transferred his custom to Truman,•• Hanbury, and Co. than a
:licence was granted for the house. The Petitioner continued
building till 400 houses had been erected,when he builtanother
house for a public house as remote as possible from the one
which had been licensed for Brown. In 1821 he applied for
' a license for this new house, but it was refused. In the same
year a house was built on a contiguous spot of gronnd. Very
few•houses were near it, but on this being let to the respect-
able Brewers he had already mentioned, a license . had
been granted .for this also. He (Mr. Huskisson) had sug-
gested to: the Petitioner, that if he had sustained any injury,
from improper conduct on the part of the Magistrates, he had
"his remedies in a Court of law. This he had stated a fortnight
ago, lust the Petitioner had returned to him within this few
days, and told him that a professional man whom he had con-
sulted had informed him that he had no legal redress to hope
for. The Petitioner stated that the house, which he had held at
aloss for three years, • through not getting it licensed, and
which he had sold to Brown for 1,1001., on . being licensed-had
become worth 3;0001. which sum Mr. Brown might have got
for it had•he•been disposed to take it. It was clear, if these
facts could be substantiated, that much inconvenience was
sustained under the present system. , if the metropolis were
divided into districts for the supply of beer, as it had been
by certain companies for the supply of that which was of still
greater importance to the public—water, it was necessary
to do, something to 'Correct the evil. If, too, the value of a
honSe %%lei affected in the way described by the grant of a
license, the subject would be entitled to serious consideration.
But he was aware that many difficulties were in the way of a
change of system. This arose from the various ways in which
the sane law applied .under different circumstances. The factS
. which he had broUght before the Honsethe stated on the autho-
rity of the Petitioner, having no personal 1..-.owledge,on the sub-
ject hithself. Seeing an. Hon: Gentleman in his place, Who
had stated a short .time back that the time for lowering the
beer would soon arrive, he begged to ask if it were now at
hand? The duty on malt having ceased, if it had not yet ar-
rived, means must be taken. to hasten it; and he thought it
right to remind the lion. Gentleman that - this was the third
time of asking. .

. Nlr. BITYPON. agreed with the Right Hon. Gentle:nail that,
if the allegations contained in thiS Petition were true, great
abuses had. taken place, to which a remedy ought to be sup-
plied._ He was glad that the Petition had been shewn to him
by the night llon. Gentleman before he presented it, as it had
Inabled him to refute almost all that it stated. In 1817 the
.Petitioner had taken-a piece of land, and in the same year he
had applied for a licence for a public-house. This application,
the house being unfinished, the ',Magistrates regarded as pre-
mature. In 1818 he had again applied for a licence, but the
house being then untenanted, it had been refused a second
time.. In the following year they were inhabited, anti thus An
application being made, .a 'licence was granted. What the
Petitioner charged . against the Nlagistrates was, that they had
done what was right, but from corrupt motives. The ground
on Which he drew this inference was this—that the publican
Brown had transferred his custom from. the house of Barclay
and Co. to that of NI essrs;Truman and Co. This, however,
every body in that House connected with the brewing trade
of 'that Firm, must know was a thing so very com Mon,