The Hawaiian gazette., 1882-02-22

A BILL which will occupy a considerable
amount of attention during the next
Legislature, is that of doing away with
certain present restrictions on the
sale of liquor: again and again has
this matter been brought forward,
and again and again has it been
cast aside. Last session it passed the
House and then failed to receive the
Kings assent: this session it is bound to
come up again, and it will undoubtedly
continue to do so until it does become
law. 1t will be well at the present mo-
ment to review the present state of affairs
under the old law The law, as it at pres
ent stands, is almost a dead letter here:
the authorities arrest a man here and
there, but for one arrest that is made there
are probably five hundred cases of Illicit
selling which are never found ont The
sale of liquor upon the islands is very
large; person has only to examine the
freight lists of our inter-island steamers
and schooners to learn how large it is.
Cases upon cases are being constantly
larded at one port or another 1t must
be very evident that the large quantities
Of liquor, which are shipped weekly, can
not possibly be for private consumption,
they must be for distribution in the various
districts. Not only in the country dis
tricts, but here in town, under the very
nose of the authorities, is this trade
carried on. Take a walk through the
Kikihale or Cape Horn and estimate the
number of gin bottles that you will see
stacked around the houses, you may count
them by thousands: very evidently the
police are either totally unable TO cope
with the evasion of the law, or a number
of them are content to wink at it.
Since such is the condition of affairs, it
would be decidedly advisable to look well
at the law and consider whether it had
not better be revised in some way. A
change, coming as a government meas
ure, would be far better, than one
wrung from the executive by an oppo-
sition. 1t would be less likely to con
tain Objectionable features, it would have
to back it the approval of the sovereign
and Of the more conservative thinkers of
the population.
The object of the law, in past time, has
been TO protect the native against himself,
and the law undoubtedly had the approval
Of the native chiefs who had the interest
of their countrymen at heart. But how
ever eXcellently the law may have worked
in that past time, it has ceased to do so
now; it is really no prohibition.
1t may be as well to see what course Ia
hiti has taken in this matter. The license
law there permits all classes to buy alco-
holic liquors at the properly licensed
houses but 1t is most strict in the matter
Of drunkenness. When a man is drunk it
is very evident that he obtained his liquor
from some licensed place, and the estab-
ishment which supplied him with the
overdose of liquor is at once shut up.
The proceedings are summary, the punish
ment swift. The government will tolerate
the use; but the abuse of liquor, it Furnishes
with a strong hand
Licensed houses the authorities have
always a wholesome check upon, they are
open to their officers at all times for in
spectiOn: moreover licensed houses in a
great measure do their own police; man
who pays a heavy license is not going to
allow another to be running his trade by
underselling him at the same business be-
cause he pays no license: he will search
out and denounce the unlicensed man to
the authorities: and he will not then
appear in the unpleasant light of an in
former or a spy, he will be simply protect
ing his own interests.
#4*
But far better method than the mere
indiscriminate licensing of houses might
be adopted. At Gothenburg, in Sweden,
crusade in favor of temperance has been
undertaken, upon a totally different plan
from what has been done in any other part
of the world. The evils of drunkenness
have been fully recognized, but Just as
fully has it been recognized that they can
not be eradicated by penal enactments:
that You cannot make men sober. any
more than you can make them virtuous,
by act of parliament A company of
phIanthroplsts have come together, al, q
subscribing a very lange sum of money.
have bought up the whole of the licensed
houses in the city. Once having become
possessed of this property, hey proceeded
TO shut up certain number, ouly allowing
given area to have one house of refresh
ment; arguing that if mai needed
alcoholic stimulant, it was justNas well
that he should walk some short distance
for 1t. The houses are supplied witkonly
the best OF liquor, which is furnished bv
the company: the man in charge of Ae
house Is on a salary and can make nothins
out OF the lquor he sells; but he is allowed
to make as much profit as he pleases upon
the sale of coffee, tea and other temner-
ance beverages, as well as upon all articles
of food. The consequence is that every
retail liquor store becomes really a tenn
perance centre: it is to the interest of the
dealer to sell the temperance drinks, upop
which he makes profit: when thirsty
man cones in, he will rather press him to
take cup of tea or coffee than glass of
beer The system has worked a9.airably:
the number of cases of drunkenness has
been almost reduced p nil, and a town
which W. ''s on1e famed for its IL, ,,eeorlety has
,ecome one of the soberest in the kingdom. /,
If, as is quite possible, measure
owl g the sale of liquor to all classes
the population should pass the next
some such system as that of
might well be adopted. Here,