The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-08-21

II ne H2Hor1jic the SPeaher
Your Committee 20 whom was r~eferrcl the s. act to
license the manufacture Of spiriruous liquors, beg
leave 70 report a. follows:
Tie act sets forth in its preamble that . Whereas
the SUBJECTS o! TINS kingdom have by the law Of ma
:urr.' t'ransat-i in the native version by =. the kqr
az co., the right Of requiring and pos-es-inZ pro-
perry, Sc SC, and IN corrob0ration q that law,
the Constitution % this kioglom. article first. guar
anfees that right. and declares His Majesty subjects
free and equal and endowed with certain inaljenable
rights &c &c, land whereas, AL prohibitions
agIins; the subjects Of this kingdom in the acquiring
and possessing property, are in contrnyention Of the
established principles OF the Declaration Of Rights,
\ suicidal blow against the organic Law II the realm,
and the Development If the resources Cf the country.
Therefore lie u enacted" and - fIrtL,
The act then provides in It's SIX sections. that the
AiIni-ter Of the Interior may grant licenses 20 manu-
fIcture brandy, rum. or other spiTituOus liquors, %
any person or persons applying therefore; thar the
ai't person or persOns before receiving such license
shall hie 4 bond with the Minister, the condition Of
which shall! 6e that the license shall each year furnish
20 The Minister 4 statement on oath If the quantity
Of spIrItuOus liquors manufactured; that he -hall not
rel IN less than quantity. nor TO any other per-
son than = wholesale or retail spirit dealer, or 10 any
person for export, under the usual penalties Of for
fixture, sc. The Minister to receive for each license
dollars. The 9th section, providing penalties
By line and imprisonment for the Grst aud second
offences Of distiIIiug without license.
Touching the preamble, your Committee have been
unaCie 10 discover IN what manner either the Inv Of
Of nature or the law Of God hears upon the right TO
dIstil spirituous liquors. neither have they been able
20 discover after a careful examination o: the Cous,i-
tuition any clause ia that Instrument, by which the
manufacture Of spirits can be citssei a a privilege
with . life AMI liberty But IL appears TO YOUR
COMMITTED that the Supreme Court i competent 70
HiJudic"ie on the consritutIOnnlity Of the question,
when raised, they will, therefore, only direct their
attention 20 the merits OF the bill itself, after shortly
referring 10 tie Custom House statistics relating to
the home consumption Of ardent spirits.
BY these statistics IL appears That there has been
consumed in the year 1861 within the kingdom. SOP
gallons Of ardent spirits. aud the duty collected az
80 OO a gallon, would amount to S2j, JJ6. \ hir
valuation as your Committee believe Of the spirits in
bond, would be about $1,000.
In the proposed Bill, 1t Is not contemplated to levy
an excise duty on the liquor manufactured and con-
sumei within the kingdom. and the only revenue
purpOsed to lie derived from IL, would be derived
from the licenses sold.
Your Committee do not imagine that the promoters
0f this bill contemplate or desire an increased home
consumption OF ardent spirits. and your Committee =
are Of opinion md have reason to hope, that the con-
sumption will considerably decrease, along with the
diminishing number Of whaleships visiting our ports.
Your Committee in view o. these statistics anil premises a-
should The ls-n.e b, Gsri 4" nh a a. Ei III at @"u Tlr N %s I.+.
thu revenue from suffering for by their means our marlsac-
tureT w ID h. unable 20 compete in the foreign market with
di,Iilers Who haze no such heavy license To- Tay-
The only other method posshI. to obtain revenue from the
SHr = 49, 80 y ~ ~ a. ar, = -, Hi'y, am your t@mmitee are
aHy % "fWi1H' mar thIt dHiy c"ui not te collected. ~It!
issued as proposed IN this art- without a large force 81;
re expense q this force would not he less than the whole ryye-
aue now derived from spirits
It has hern suggested that an excise duty could be levied bv
placing the drsuHers under bon = to make correct returns Of
-pirits entered for home consumption. Your Committee IN oF /.
opinion that di-tll-Ts a- neither more honest nor honorable 4
than importing merchants, who IN a Ike principle mfgtt he
allowed O. import As they Pleased make returns. aud Day duties
into the Treasury direct and thereby save the country ali
Charges for Custom House officers and guards. Wi-re The duty
on spirits IS 20 high. and our necessities 20 great. YOUR Commit
tee do not think it would be well to trust the revenue to such d
chance.
Your Committee also object to the bill on the ground. thai;
there appears to th"m to b. no necessity for its passage. At the
present time there is No lack 81 other channels in which capiraI
Can be prDhtably used without danger or detrimeut to the rrye-
nue. Of The Kingdom True It IL alleged as a reason for the lass
age ii this act, that there - now considerable waste on some ,s
the sugar plantations, which would BE- avUlded II the privilege
TO di.tl was granted.
Your Committee are 81 opinion. that the sugar planters them
selves would move in this matter Il such were The case. and to
th- personal knowledge # several members Of Your Committee.
shr owner q several ol Thu largest plantations Oh the group de-
sire no such privilege
The Only other reason your Committee has heard advanced
in favor "i The measure -, ;iay Their. - q large quantity OF the
" ii" plant growing throughout the group. which could be pro-
ttabiy U--d II di~tIIauou were allowed. Your Committee think
thar this source Of wealth has been very much oyer-eStimated.
tn tine hr-t place a Inpierlt--slz-i distllery would use un ali
the ~ root within miles of Il in a short time. Tie plant
takes years 10 sr!V" NJ maturity, ami The roots are very buiAy
- carry
Your Committee have vet another. aud to them perhaps the
strongest reason against the passage u this bin. which j.. that
~ their opinion LICENCES to distl spirits. granted generally
throughout she kingdom. would not fail to promote drunkenness.
Generalization. crime and death among til people, even - the
business j. placed umt r all the checks and guards possible To
lc maintained
FOR these reasons your Committee leg leave respectfully %
recommend that sEc bill b. laid On II. able
~. 4. WIpF.AS~.
u y. BAIuwN.
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