Final report of Her Majesty's Commissioners appointed to inquire into the operation and administration of the laws relating to the sale of intoxicating liquors.

  • Great Britain. Royal Commission on the Liquor Licensing Laws.
Date:
1899
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Final report of Her Majesty's Commissioners appointed to inquire into the operation and administration of the laws relating to the sale of intoxicating liquors. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    24? should not be allowed to get it, and whether they have three hours or five hours in 61,974. which to do it, I do not think makes the smallest difference. Mr. John Simmons, secretary of the Dublin United Trades Council, in giving evidence on their behalf, said that they had always been opposed to Sunday closing and early Saturday closing, as likely to demoralize the people, who were now content 63,233, with the present hours of opening. Restrictions would only encourage bogus clubs 63,241. and shebeens. Mr. O'Brien, secretary to the Cork United Trades Council, expresses 65,849. similar views. Representatives of the publicans object to the change, and Alderman Dempsey, of 65,175, Belfast, says that Belfast would be a very desolate place on Sundays, if it were not that the public-houses are open. On the other hand, Sir F. Falkiner, Recorder of Dublin, presented a resolution of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland in favour of the Sale of Intoxicating Liquors 61,624. (Ireland) Bill; he is inclined to think that complete closing all at once might be too great a wrench, and would rather curtail the hours at first. Judge Curran and Judge Orr are in favour of a restriction of hours. 61,448, Mr. Wilkinson says that while all the Protestant and Nonconformist clergy in Belfast 62,373, are in favour of complete Sunday closing, some of the Roman Catholic clergy are 64,006. afraid of shebeening and bogus clubs, and prefer to shorten the hours. Mr. Grambell, County Inspector of Cork, is personally in favour of shortening the hours of opening. He took steps to ascertain the opinion of 23 representative men, and 230 artizans, labourers, &c. 13 representative men were in favour of complete 58,165, Sunday closing, 7 of shortening the hours, 3 of the present hours ; of the artizans, 51 58,174. per cent, were in favour of the present hours, 29 per cent, of complete closing, 20 per cent, of shortening the hours. Mr. Gambell, though only in favour of shortening the hours, expresses himself as 58,320. confident that the police can enforce the law in case of complete Sunday closing, and he does not believe that it would result in home drinking. Mr. T. W. Russell, M.P., speaks of the public opinion in favour of the Bill as shown 59,788. by plebiscites in the five cities. Agitation against the Sunday Closing Bill has been 59,838. uniformly small and unsuccessful. Mr. Wilkinson also bears witness to the strength of feeling, especially in Belfast. 64,229. Mr. Taylor, secretary of the Belfast United Trades Council, though not appearing on behalf of that body, says that a majority of working men would be in favour of Sunday closing. Resolutions have been passed in favour of it in all the Protestant churches, 62,618. and he has never known a meeting convened against it. The Recorder of Belfast is strongly in favour of complete Sunday closing, and thinks 56,572. the police would be quite capable of dealing with any shebeening there might be. 56,629. Mr. Morell says that the police officers in Belfast advocate shortening the hours as 57,203. against total closing, but his own opinion is in favour of total closing, and so he 57227 believes is the general public opinion in Belfast. Arrests for Sunday drunkenness in Belfast average about eight per Sunday, week- day arrests about 19. It must be remembered, however, that public-houses are open for 16 hours on week-days as against five on Sundays. Mr. Swifte, divisional justice in Dublin, would like complete Sunday closing tried, 59,683. and some other Dublin witnesses agree with him. Mr. M. Healy, M.P. for Cork, speaks very strongly in favour of complete closing, 62,109. which he thinks would be most beneficial. It would be wrong, in his opinion, to say that there was a strong feeling in its favour, for there is little feeling either way, but there was no strong feeling against it. The Trades Council and the Corporation of Cork 62,199. had passed resolutions against it, but these meant little, and were chiefly electioneering devices. The Rev. P. O'Leary, of St. Finbarr's, Cork, says that though Sunday closing might 61,559, Cause inconvenience to a few, its advantages would more than compensate for this. 61,613 Some people have misgivings about shebeens and bogus clubs ; but no tendency in that 61,616. direction exists among respectable working men. The police have and will have shebeening well in hand. Sunday is a great day for women drinking in Cork. He, i 08549. K k