The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-21 00:00:00

THE SALE OF LQUORS ON SUNDAY BILL.

The draft of special report of the committee on
this bill has been placed in the hands of the mem-
bers. It was prepared by Mr. Hugessen, M.P. A
lengthy document was also prepared by Mr. J. A.
Smith, M.P., but the committee threw it out. In
Mr. llugessen's report " the committee refer to the
movements in favour of the measure in certain dis-
tricts, and to the canvasses which have been made
regarding it. They Say great caution must be exer-
cised in affixing a value to the results of any such
canvass. Although no imputations of dishonesty rest
upon the canvassers, it has been proved to your
committee that in many instances the canvass has
been of a partial nature, and does not adequately
convey the real sense of the community whose opi-
nions it professes to represent. They further say
it has been proved to your committee that a very
large number of persons make use of public-houses
on Sunday against whom no complaint whatever is
alleged, and to whom further restriction in the
direction contemplated by the bill would be pro-
ductive of serious inconvenience. Those who drink

to excess form a very small percentage of the
whole number of persons who make use of public-
houses upon a Sunday, and it is probable that
many of these persons, if deprived of their present
facilities for obtaining liquor, would have recourse
to drinking in private houses and to other methods
of evading the law. It is, moreover, clear to your
committee that there would be great difficulty in
enforcing the restrictions proposed in the bill. The
committee go on to say, although it cannot be de-
nied that drunkenness, to a considerable extent,
both on Sundays and other days, is to be found
in this country, yet the admission appears to be
general that the present law is working well,
and that under its operation a diminution of
drunkenness has taken place. From this fact, it
has been argued that further restrictions would
lead to further diminution ; but having re-
gard to the experience of the past, and to the agita-
tion consequent upon the passing of a less stringent
measure than the present in 1854, which measure
was repealed in the following year, your com-
mittee are inclined to believe that the safe limit
of restrictive legislation has been reached, and
that further measures in the same direction
would be unwise and injudicious. The praiseworthy
exertions of the advocates of temperance must not
be undervalued. These have, no doubt, materially
contributed to the diminution of drunkenness, and
simultaneously with these exertions, and the salu-
tary influence exercised by the ministers of re-
ligion, the opening,
in several of our large towns,
of parks and other places wherein fresh air and in
nocent recreation may be obtained by the working
classes on Sunday, has drawn many of them from
publichouse associations, and induced them to spend
their only leisure day in a manner more advan-
tageous to themselves and to their families. The
committee conclude as follows : The concurrent
testimony of all the witnesses proves that for
many years past there has been a steady, de-
cided, and progressive improvement in the
morals, habits, tastes, and manners of the
people. The advance of education, the wider
diffusion of knowledge, and the moral influ-
ences which have been brought to bear upon them,
have doubtless all combine]. to produce this katiS,
factory result. Regarding, then, this general. im-
provement, and at the same time bearing in mind
the fact that the habits of the upper and middle
classes of society are far more temperate at the
present day than was the case in the early part
of the century, your committee are of opinion
that it is not too mach to hope that as the
working classes also advance in self-improve-
ment, and are actuated by that self-respect
which is engendered by improved education, the
vice of drunkenness will gradually disappear with-
out the necessity of coercive measures on the part
of the Legislature. In this view your committee
cannot [recommend the Passing of the bill referred
to their consideration, and would rather trust to
the progressive improvement discernible under the
present law, and to the further development of those
moral influences to which they have already re-
ferred.—Licensed Victuallers' Guardian.

THE NEW BISHOP FOR NATAL.—The Bishop of
Capetown has notified that " the Convocation of
Canterbury having declared that the Church as a
spiritual body may rightly accept the validity' of
the sentence pronounced against Dr. Coleus), and,
the Government having, after an undue interfe-
rence with our liberties admitted our perfect right
to consecrate an orthodox bishop for the faithful
clergy and laity in Natal, there is no further legi-
timate hindrance to the consecration of Mr. Ma-
crorie who has been elected to the office of bishop
by. the Bishop of Grahamstown and myself, as
proxies for the Church, in communion with the
Church of England in Natal. The consecration,
therefore, will be proceeded with at the earliest
possible period. This matter settled, there is no
further call for me to remain in England, and I
propose now to return to my diocese." The
Bishop of Capetown has guaranteed an income of
£6OO a year to the bishop, and this amount has al-
ready been promised by subscribers for five years.
An association is about to be formed to secure a
continuance of the income for fiye or ten years
morn,