The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-15
SUNDAY OPENING IN ENGLAND.
The Law Seems Satisfactory and Is
Enforced with Structures.


New York Sun.
Sunday opening of liquor saloons is per-
mtted in Great Britain under regulations
which have remained the same for dozen
years or more, and which seem to be pretty
generally satisfactory all round. The regu-
lations are, strict and the penalties heavy.
open are different for London. for the large
cities, and for the country places, but under
these three -classificatiops the law the
same. In London saloons may be open
on week days from 5 in the morning until
l2;So midnight, except on Saturday night,
oWns Of feS ess an tbe
weekday hours are from in the morning
until IL at night In the country saloons
may only be open from a. m. to 10 .. m.
on week days.
On Sundays London saloons NAY be open
at night. Elsewhere the hours of Sunday
opening are IN the afternoon from ESQ to
2:50 O'clock, or l to 3, as the local author
tiles may determine, and from to 10 in
the evening.
New York liquor deale<s say the very
best of Sunday trade is the early morning
tain in London as here, but there is no Sun
day morning selling in London or elsewhere
In Great Britain: 1t is an. interesting sight
all over England to see the crowds slowly
twenty-five minutes after T. on sundays.
BY twenty-five minutes of ] the saloons are
full. This is not so in the evening There
is not such a rush for a drink in the even
Ing ing But But there IS peculiar exception to
thirsty soul to get drink if he Is only will
ing 10 take a little trouble for the drinks
sake. A bona fide" traveller may 90 into
any public house and demand refresh
ments" and the keeper must serve him.
Under the law. as interpreted, a man who
makes bona fide journey of four miles is
a bona fide traveller" or course this provis-
ion was at first greatly abused, until it was
made plain, through convictions, that
man must be traveller for some other pur-
pose than to get a drink in order to be
bona fide traveller" Still, a man may take
drink at the end of. it. In that case he
can get it. But, as a matter of fact, this
feature of the law is not abused much. The
saloons where liquor is sold to travellers
out of hours on Sundays are usually in the
suburbs of big towns and the business is,
as rule, entirely legitimate If a man is
out walking or driving on Sunday morning
he may stop at q country inn and get q
glass of ale without any trouble or ques-
ton.
The exception as regards travellers also
applies to all persons arriving at or de-
parting from a railway station by rail- To
accommodate such people the buffets the
station platforms are opened at the times of
arrival and departure of trains, but a mali
must show his railway ticket in order to
get drink. OF course, if man is diving
- link he can take a train to a place
four miles out of town and get drink at
day selling law is that liquor may be sold
to persons actually lodging in the hotel or
Still, these exceptions do not cut much Of
a figure in the matter of Sunday opening
in Great Britain. The law is interpreted
in the spirit we'll as the letter. and the
result is that practically all liquor saloons
IN Great Britain are closed on Sundays I'M
til 1880 midday and between 8 and in the
afternoon. The penalty for keeping open
cut of hours, or for allowing liquor to be
consumed on licensed premises out of
hours, is f10 for the first offense and EGO
for the second. If saloon keeper IS con
vcted a third time he is liable to lose his
license.
There is little or no business done behind
dark shades or by side doors. AT about
five minutes before IL at nightsSthe head
bartender sings out in loud voice: Five
minutes of closing time, gentlemen
Promptly at H. to the second almost, the
doors are closed, and no one is thereaf-e r
permitted to enter. The courts have decided
that three minutes is sufficient time for
nan to rink anything he may have left a;
II, and If any persons remain in the saloon
at five minutes after ii the keeper is liable
to arrest.
The licensing laws as a whole are pretty
strict in Great Britain II holder OF a
lie ense permits drunkenness or riotous con-
duct on his premises, or sells liquor to a
drunken person, or harbors a policeman on
duty, attempts to tribe a policeman,
permits gambling in any FORM he is liable
to a heavy pecuniary penalty and the
viction is ipdorsed on his license. third
conviction causes the forfeiture, of his
licei Sc and II ay disqualify him from get
ting another for five