, 1898-02-02

IncIeGse our evils. Those men can and Will
tell you Of the results visible among I'll
that class OF people from excess of use Of rum,
The Governor would beg 10 say, that
honourblt Members ale no doubt AWAKE Of
this fact, that the tax on the licensed rum.
shops does not in the last instance, fail on
the rumshOpkeepers; il is the customers or
consumers v hu pay it; II the tax be raised on
the rumshops the IumsLopkee us would
not be amy worse n, but laise il tLIUugu
those who yisiJ Ire shops and who buy the
rum. Notubtne provided the [, unciI lDised
the tax enough. Ii is therefore that while
by the OIdinurce Of 1856 the highest rate
of taxes is fixed at SC60, aud while it is
supposed that II would not le enough. when
the public houses are abolished. only 70 raise
the rum tax to 5000, because il is supposed
that more customers would visit the shops,
the way is now opened ly s 3 foS The
Council to iucl ease the tax up to for instance
%. 900. bat even then The lumshUpkeeper
would not pay a single cent VI 1t; Tie price
will rise, and those who want, must pay he
higher price. 1t seemed to him hat HE
purpose ia view would lie obtained if, in the
first place, a stop is put to the illegal sale
Of Ium-und III this respect sections ] and :
Of The daft should be suficieut-n the
second place, Iun is made q more expensive
article; this last Object could be gained in
kNO ways INV ~ CUAlHS tlC EIOONC"
tiun fol local consumption, Of by taxing HE
sale. The public has a good hold Oh the
rumshopkecpers, and it is known where they
ale to be found, whan the taxes become due.
and they will be- made 10 pay certainly
then, hey must look tor compsnsation,a and
how TO do that, except by Increasing The
price of the mtcle they have Tor sale ?
TheI eby we also secure that which is desired.
less consumption. AS regards the honour.
able Members remarks On the sub amend
ment about 'cask' and 'puncheon' he would
beg to say that while "cask' might be np-
plicable to a package containing 80 gallons.
the wold 'puncheon" IS the night tenn for
Il package containing 10 gallons, and if YOU
use "eosk'' to such a package, You use a
false name; and he reason why it is proposed
to say about no gallons is because an
honorable Member showed that a puncheon
might contain as little as lU7 gallons. and
Ly selling this quantity or below ITO gallons,
although it is really a puncheon, he might
become amcnuble to the law. He would
again recommend to take what can be got
now, and leave the rest till later as already
said If Wo prevent the illegal sale and an
increase OF business in the rumslops results
from that. then the increase Of the tax
will cause nn increase Of the price of the
liquor, and our object for the present 50 far
be gained.
The Chairman said, he would have to
interrupt the discussions and confne them
to the question Of a new postpOnement for
2 months.
3rd Member for FIederiksted's Country
District (Blockwood) said he Withdrew the
proposal, in view Of His ExcelIeuoy's OBJ
~ieotions to it,
The Chairman then placed 81 with items,
and Sub .amendments under discussion.
End Member for Cristiansted Country
District (Stakemann) said, that as Speaker
of the Majority, he would beg to recommend
the eub.amendments from Government and
the adoption of 81.
3rd Member for Fredeliksted's Country
District (Blackwood) said that in The manner
81 would be drawn up after the sub-amend-
ment it would not be possible for ii planter
10 sell his rum in smaller parcels, if he can
only do so to I~umshopkeepers, and 10 rum
shopkeeper generally buys less rum than u
puncheon at a time, then there will be no
one to whom the planter is at liberty to
sell any portion less than a puncheon, but
this should not lie so. He could not look
upon such il measure as an amendment or
an improvement.
The Governor begged 10 point out, that
the honorable Members own Daft pro-
nosad that no one but rumsh pkeepers should