PUBLIC-HOUSE LICENSES.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—The giving of the License-duty to relieve local taxation was a great error. The giving of licenses by mere patronage is tending seriously to tempt men into public life for their own interests. The devolution of powers to local bodies is essential. All parties are forced to do this. It is therefore of the utmost consequence that the powers of Magistrates to give or refuse licenses worth thousands of pounds on no principle whatever should cease. A reasonable time should be given to the trade to set their house in order. At the end of that time the public should fix the number of licenses, and the Excise should sell the right to deal in liquor to the highest bidder for a limited and definite time. The offers, if taken, as in Norway, on the number of gallons sold, would do no injustice to the smaller houses. The insuper- able obstacle to local option is the impossibility of any Licensing Bench selecting the licenses to be taken away, and giving a diminished number of licenses of greatly increased value to their favourites. For this reason alone local option is totally unworkable. The licenses should, if the people desire licenses, be granted only to the highest bidder, and all temptation to give valuable monopolies worth thousands of pounds to the friends of the Magistrates by mere favour be taken for ever away.—I am, Sir, &c., DAVID H. SAUNDERS.
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