, 1882-01-18

discussion on the Draft.
2nd Member for Frederiksted's Country
District (Junghans) would now merely
add a few words to express the conviction
at which the proponents had arrived after
the Draft had been submitted, namely
that if a clause were added to 5 l, provid-
ing that the half Of the fines should go to
the informer, that would be of very great
benefit in carrying out the law; and also
in this respect he hoped that the Govern
ment and the Council as well as the Com
mittee. which he trusted the Council
would appoint on this Draft, and which
Committee he would suggest should CON
siSt of 5 Members, would a the matter
under full consideration.
LIST Member for Frederiksted (BrocnJ
regretted to have something to say not SO
much against this draft, aS......-.-...-.
The 1~CHajymanJ stated that after the
proposal for a Committee, made by the
2nd Member for Frederiksted's Country
District %(Junghans) the discussions on the
Draft would be interrupted, n confined
merely to the question of the appointment
Of a Committee.
2nd Member for Frederiksted's Country
District (J1Ngh0Ns) had not meant just
now to make a proposal for a Committee,
but merely to express the hope that the
Draft would be referred to a Committee.
The Chairman then gave the word to:
1st Member for Frederi1sted (BrO1cnI
who begged to say, that from his expert
ence, and he had an experience OF Is to II
years in the Rumbusiness-,he knew that
a great evil in the carrying on OF that
business was the way in which the fnea
under the existing law are distributed,
namely to the Bumtund or some other
Fund, instead Of the intOrmer belngTallOt-
ted a portion Of the fines levied in cases Of
tranagrossion Of the Prohibition against
the sale OF rum by unlicensed parties. t1he
present system has been q great proven
tive to detection now, even the P0llce
themselves are not scrupUl0uSly mindful
to observe and bring under notice cases
OF Illegal sale Of spirits or SpirituouS
LIQUORS. lie was aware, and could almost
prove, that in Westand nearly two thirds
OF the merchants and shOpkceperS with
ont License sell brandy and other spiritu-
GUS liquors. not only in bottles, but in
drinks, brandy at 10 cents and gin at
) cents a snap; this is Of course an
encr0aclmpnt on those, Wh0 alone should
have this right in virtue Of their licenses,
for which they pay so heavily The
Policeman viii certainly not take much
trouble in detecting these Illegal transac-
tons, for he gets no extra remuneration;
he is satisfied with his salary and rather
be GOOD friends with merchants and
shopkaepers who may otherwise be
yerv kind to him. If now, the half
ct the fines fell to those men, they
might not care for the kind will they
might Get from merchants or others, but
they might even spend q few dollars to
secure evidences, and thus some protection
be afforded to the poor license holder,
whose Sales for a whole day at times go
to pay the tax laid on him.-AS for the
country, what individual is there who
would report against q manager or pro
p|rietor? None OF their own class would
scarcely ever do it, and as for the lab0urer,
he knows but too well that he would be
the sufferer. But if the fines were divided,
half to the Fund and half to the inf0rmer,
things would be otherwise; whereas If the
fines were to be made as high as even 5000
or $1,000 and the whole goes to the Fund,
there would be no benefit derived out OF
il in the direction where it is needed. 1t
is certainly the duty OF the Government to
protect the tax payer, the man who pays d
heavy daily tax for having the right to
sell Rum. and who has to work very hard
indeed to make as much as to pay the tax
and defray his first expenses, but without
any protection at all from entertainments
on hat right by parties having no right
whatever to deal with the article by retail;
the Government should therefore use all
means to protect the taxpayer and prevent
illegal sale of rum etc. Without some pro-
vision in the direction he alluded to, this
0@I1nn no n On