Denbighshire Free Press

-=-- The St. Asaphall conference. thos™°"d ?* Corwen rid i ^'ocesan Conference iiitr ° vc ROW pleasure in deal- and. panpr-j' n-i some ot"tho speeches Previousiss^e' to "}e curtailed in our THE REFORM OF ECCLESIASTICAL SPEECH BY THE COURTS ¡ KEV CHANCELLOR BUL.1ELEY JONES. The eloquent speech by Mr lOldon Bankes on the above subject has already been reported. At the close of his remarks, The Kev Chancellor Bulkeley Jones continued At the close of his remarks, The Kev Chancellor Bulkeley Jones continued the- discussion, and at the ou.set remarked, ^fc&hatever differences might prevail upon j' question of the Ecclesiastic; 1 Courts and 1 their r(,forii)- he felt perfectly cle n U1.P t, ^°uld agree on one point, a.id rli it \tas, m a [ of gratitude to Mr jBankes for his ad- ^irable address. Such an add res was to be uPected from a lawyer who traced I is descent 'ne 9^e ^rom an K'don ami upon the (thSr ^roiu a "forvis. fa his early bo hood, he CK;%8Pea'cer) had the pleasure of hearing a tn justice Jervis, and he recollectei him as 2*lr K f°le advocate- Moreover, not c niv was nkesJfu11 of hereditary law, but lie had oiost fiaC,advail^a"e of bein2 hi the coirts al- ^imse1^1. taerefore a clergyman like, li'j H-oui./o1^ H1 at a, Sient disadvantage But 11 Sv^Pathv «n'in^ he,y°3uld even clain their i ,the,r. ^ly recept.on of the ciever u 1 make in followi so! r a lawyer as Mr Bankes. He felt hirwif' J-^ortof Outlander—the Boers-Sit hi ^wye-s possessed all the wiles and subtil of the courts both civil and ecclesmstWl u' not speak as an or JStt He Onornamental—dignitary of the Diocese of Q? Asaph, obviously for t-hi« ce?e of St question of the Ecclesiastic-il the .ifeco» lantabit lacunas coram V" Cr *nci! t^eelv translated me?". r;itr0nen' "&ch enaptv noekpf-^ aat :l man with °uldL at a thief." II, ^ydikhe So^rS 4 b:J'tericed clergyman, an 1 legi8iati0n 'Vitf38 ? BeM recent ^pinst the Lfn^mP, C! legislation had been «f beneficed clergy of the Church ? £ ?ra»t inL He Z?nldr>gl^ ib,im one 7 Waa^nat'ance' The Bewetices Bill of ?upp0rt f at Rhvl. It received it i r°'jla very intluential quarters, and the*- ^cked, he was sorry to nay, t>y tW}anj s°n of the Prime Min ster of the r>fn '• they all respected. One of •Hiti Tls|°n3 of that Bill was that a clei'M-y- housg 'j P°wers should be turned out of •&i8erabl* ^c°me' psnsi°ned oil on a ^at Bill Per an,lllm- The draftsman of he Dn^aVQ been ashamed of his work that pounds in italics, what- r':nnitari mean- And yet the endowed j-jjjii 68 every grade were untouched by j ^herena 1 forsooth could do no wrorifr, tale. Wh8t017 and exPerience told a different j ^ftda of however> the Bill got into the! I*fAs Verw of course, that provision Sef°re tLnPeedUy struck aut- subject ^rts an(j .i"?8 that of the Ecclesiastical! that th«^eir re^orm- It would appear at jurisdirtf* courts had supreme and com- ^h the ch^'T °%xfr a11 matters connected; ?0t only p„ iCthat was not so, and1 foisted th gland but oth«r countries had he Rr;pi .e attempt to confine jurisdictien to Modern •" Courts. He would give two f riCes' -Archdeacon Denison was "oly q".u for unorthodox views about the ^ePrive4rni:Quil:'on ani^ Tvas sentenced co be ^!l'i Ha appealed to a civil corrt and that the proceedings were "•Hnc-^p' historically likewise, h^ »ead that MrTe{yn a"d Bishop Anian, St Asaph, l"Jle differeuoe of opinion upon that ^vnecei>c.t that they could -.ee that these k^oni -opinion not of modern tif 'onnd it n came to study this subject vast aT-.i intricate, and he ,'n?" 8 hp could do was to p ''j an"f from thorn certain r>N and t r, 'lHd alluded to the he" ^.•' Ptuou,s M?u 1 P'raps appear a very It I Zt uhiil« him to say that eSL^ f!Ce of them/ The ™ v., '^k the dior^ Courts were the pro- ») 1,1 former f;esa"' and the archi-diaeonal l^Qa! Court. even a Ku.i JiowjCry c°nsideraKi Archidiaoom>l Courts Tw^to Rqm, e powers. They had the 'n8 the Chur-K6 C!iUrchw'ardpns for not ao<j t; All that hn an co'ui,oIling them to Afchidi^iiWrh« passed away, °,u>" rooo-' Courts now, so far as he er to trv'a presentments, and had Uiejv. Pr°perlv n 9'erk if he did nob caL( 07"nbfcer)- There was within coll'} diocese r^' bein" tpied in derine the r*t important point in 6 reforia of the Ecclo»iastical Courts was, who were to preside over these courts. The report of the Commission of 1883 was a very instructive one, and he would advise any gentleman or lady present who took an interest in these matters to read that report. Lord Penzance contended that the Archbishops and Bishops should not preside over these courts, and he gave his reasons. First of all he quoted a statute of Henry VIII, which had never been repealed, and which provided that laymen may preside in these courts. But the question arose—why should the Archbishops and Bishops not preside ? He was going to quote Lord Penzance's opinion, in which he might say he concurred, and he hoped that it would not be thought he was speaking disrespectfully of his Ecclesiastical superiors, whom he held in the highest reverence. He (Lerd Penzance) said that the Archbishops and Bishops should not preside over the courts, because, first of all, they were not trained lawyers. That could not be denied. He said also that they might, and did have, a strong theological bias, the result of which would be that different decisions would be given in the different courts. But it was said, that they might be supported on either side by an assessor—a theological assessor, I sup- pose, on the right and a legal assessor on the left. Now he said that this was putting a Bishop or an Archbishop in a very humiliating' of position. What would be thought of a judge of assize if he was to have a man stuck all either side of him ? (laughter). It would be thought I that he was no capable of discharging nis duty. Let them go back to history. He was old enough to remember the Bishop of Exeter, yho was a very clever and a very litigious man. He was commonly and profanely called Henry of Exeter he hoped no such profanity had crept into the Welsh dioceses (laughter). Henry of Exeter did some very strange things. Upon one occasion, at a confirmation, a Oergy man put a flower vase upon the communion table. The Bishop promptly put it under the table, cited the clergyman before his court, and fined him very heavily (laughter). Then came the famous case in which he refused to institute a clergyman because he did not agree with him as to his views about baptism (re- newed laughter). There was an appeal to the Court of the Archbishop, who decided in favour the clergyman. Then Bishop Philpott excom- municated the Archbishop. He did not know whether the Archbishop was greatly distressed at the ex-communication, but it was a matter of fact that the Bishop did ex-communicate his superior (laughter). But Lord Penzance, n» discussing this question, said he would not have the Archbishops and Bishops to sit in SnnC3 argued in favour of each' Km The" morS°p a forum dome3" ticum. the moral influence of a resDected Prelate it would be very difficlf f v man to resist. He would nolatt^ f I tF' ilr B^s with refereace L fill- prmcipal point wae thisV The Archbishops proposals provide that there shall be no decision upon questions of doctrine or ritual until the opinion of the assembly of Archbishops and Bishops has been received bv the Court of Appeal. He did not think that provision would ever be accepted by Parlia- ment, and he doubted very much whetker Lord Halifax and his friends would fall very readily into that arrangement. He would ask in con- clusion this questioa- What has been the cause of this stir about the Ecclesiastical Courts ? No doubt the cause was the Ritual crisio (hear, hear). He likened a crisis in an institution to an illness in an individual—some illnesses are fatal, others temporary and re- presented a successful effort of nature to get rid of something which obstructed its healthy *on", There was a crisis in the early part of issS'saar rr unconsecrated places. The preachlnS ln been that Nonconformitv eq°eHC^ haa land. Then there was ihe crisiTof^V^ Church movement. If that had fche High handled they would not hav« lo better finest intellects, not only of the nrBBo0^16 fc^e but almost of'all Sme in ^Ch^7' alluded to Newman. LikewL V,, UrCh~he inol hnve been lost teld that Gur chui^ches fn f<iii » ♦ Then t,« Bit.1 ™»t crisis it is. He hud, however, the fu!ie?fc con- jfKJencein the wisdom of the two Archbishops tic hrmiy believed that in the good providon™ ,,f Ood thocvimcb »f from this last crisis strengthened more and more, not to contend about Ritual forms, but to contend against sin and vice, which so largely prevailed in the world (applause).

THE ADVANTAGES Op THE PUPIL TEACHER SYSTEM. THE DEAN OF ST. ASAPH'S VIEWS, A diacussion upon the Pupil Teacher Sytem; its abolishment or improvement," was I opened by the Dean of St Adaph. Ihe pupil, teacher system, be said, was as old M the, scheme of the Committee of Council on educa- tion for the instruction, examination and maintenance of elementary schools receiving annual Parliamentary grants for this purpose. At the first, pupil teachers as well as certifi- cated teachers, were paid by direct grants made by the Committee of Council on education, now known as the Education Department. This was changed many years ago all teachers are now paid by the school managers, the Education Department, so far as pupil teacbcrs are concerned, confining itself to as- certaining whether the prescribed certificates are produced, and the prescribed examination is passed. The weak point in the pupil teacher system, reg-mling it theoretically, is that 'he pupil er is over burdened with work. He ha- to teach and attend to his own studies but looking at it from a practical point of view the system has hitherto worked well and new regulations have been introduced into the code to guard the pupil teacher from over- work. I never found, during many years experience, any evil eileets nor over-pressure resulting from the pupil teacher system. 1 am aware that the cry at the present day is to do away with the system, and lo employ assistant teachers instead, and this view is favoured by educationists whose opinion I have a! way. very highly valued. But I have the courage 01 my opinion, and I cannot help differing from them on this point. All the helter class ot assistants owe their proritienev to the practice and experience they have had as pupil teachers-to their having taaght, when young, the art of teaching. 0 In these days head knowledge and examination results are too often substituted for experience and practical skill Tiiis substitution of theoretical knowledge seems of late years to have found favour at the Education Department. In old times only an ex-pupil teacher could act as an assistant, but now it, is enacted that graduates in arts or sciences of any university in the United Kingdom, and persons over 13 years of age who have passed university and other ex- aminations recogiiise(kb y the department, may be recognised as assistant teachers. There is not a word said about their aptitude for teach- ing. Would you. advise the abolition of the pupil teachers, and the substitution of these raw new assistants ? There is another point which will commend itself to managers of Voluntary Schools, which is, that with the aid of pupil teachers a school can be conducted much more economically than through assistant teachers. I shall be glad to find the rate of pay raised, for the present stipends of some teachers in National Schools are not what they ought to be when the arduous work of the schoolmaster is taken into account. At the same time I should regret to see this brought about through the demand exceeding the supply. We have also to bear in mind that increased expenditure will add to the financial difficulties in many a struggling National School. I am hence of opinion that we should retain the pupil teacher system, but at the same time that we should improve upon the old system by doing what we can to lessen the work of both pupil teacher and master, and that this should be done on the lines laid down in recent codes. But first as to the deficiency in the supply of candidates for the office. My remedy is a very simple one, but I believe it to be effective. We must increase the pay. Hitherto pupil teachers, especially in the last two years of their apprenticeship have been scandalously underpaid. Compare the pit- tances doled out to them with the wages received by young people in other occupations of life. Is it any wonder, now that increased pay is the rule of the day, that the service should have become unpopular ? I am aware of the common reply to this—that the educa- tion they receive, and the future prospects opened out to them should be taken into account. As to relieving the pressure of over- work, advantage should be taken of the various suggestions made by the Education Depart- ment. Pupil teachers when young should be allowed to pursue their private studies during some portion of the school hours. In mixed schools I have seepi this done without any inconvenience on sewing afternoons, when their services could be dispensed with. Then I attach very great importance to central classes. They are most advantageous to the pupil teachers and afford a real and much needed relief to the masters; indeed it is impossible to exaggerate the benefit of central classes. What we require in our elementary schools are efficient practical teachers, such as have been and now are reared under the pupil teacher* system, and not mere clever scholars who have received no training in the practice of teaehing. Do not misunderstand me; sound knowledge we require and the higher the attainments of a teachfer the better, but in a schoolmaster all this must be combined with practical skill in teaching, and the art of managing classes of children, and of maintain- ing good tone and discipline in the school. SIR ROBERT CUNLIFFE ON TEMPERANCE LEGISLATION THE REPORT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION. A PLEA FOR COMMON SENSE. Sir Robert Cunliffe read a very able paper upon Temperance Legislation, in which he dealt at length with the report of the Royal Commission. Sir Robert's paper contained so much valuable information that we have de- cided to reproduce it in extenso :-In bringing before the Conference this deeply important subject I can only hope within the limits of time open to me to touch upon some of its most salient features but I have this advantage that since it was chosen by our selection committee for discussion to-day the final report of H.M.'s committee on the operation and administration of the laws relating to the sale of intoxicating liquors has within the last few weeks been presented to Parliament. It is a long and most valuable report, and I, of course, make it the basis of the remarks which I have to offer to you. Looking at the question of temperance legislation generally one thing strikes one forcibly at the outset—the immense amount of effort that has been"made within this century, both by the legislature and the public to arrive at some sound and definite principles on which to deal with the terrible evils of drink, and the comparative failure hitherto of that effort. One difficulty that meets us on the threshold is that Parliament for the last 70 years has (in the words of the report) been -1 multiplying amending Acts without any serious attempt at consolidation," and the committee are strengly of opinion that the passing of a Consolidation Act should precede any attempt to amend the law, the first condition of which seems to be a clear state- ment of what the law is. Another thing that can not fail to strike us is that this question has been, and continues to be, "a highly contentious" one; and that the advocates of extreme views on either side must bear their share of the responsibility for the compara- tively little progress made. If I may refer for a moment to my own experience I recall that when I first entered Parliament in 1873 men so moderate in their views and yet so earnest to carry some remedial legislation as Sir John Lubbock, Sir Harcourt Johnstone, and the late' Mr Tom Hughes found it impossible to effect their objects and looking at the acknowledged' greatness of the evil, the amount of public feeling in favour of reasonable reform, the zealous labour of countless workers in the temperance cause, and the constant effort of Parliament to help its advance, is it too much to say that no question of equal importance in the last 30 or 40 years has so little gone forward towards a satisfactory solution? When we pass in review all th«' many self-sacrificing agencies at work, all that* has been done and that is doing towards reach- ing this solution one is almost tempted to say as Prince Henry did when he looked over I Falstaff's Tavern Bill. "What! only one ha'porth of bread to all this intolerable deal of sack If legislation haa hitherto failed with all this eifort behind it, what is the reason ? I remember once seeing a striking passage in a P.Tvate ^et'er a distinguished writer, 1 he art of statesmanship," he said, "is the art of getting things doije," bv which pregnant expiession I take it he meant that to propose a merely excellent symmetrical theory of reform is not sufficient in a country like ours, bur, that our statesmen must know how w> arouse and carry public opinion with them and I avwi. by not outrunning it, to provoke a mis- chievous reaction. If temperance legislation has hitherto met with so many obstacles is it

I MUSTARD MAKERS BY ROYAL APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. i I If you want to purchase a Tin of I I SY SP-ECJAL WARRAN'T 01 I BEST MUSTARD MAknCTERUM3 10 THE QU= ell I I e sure the name of COLMAN and the HEAD are on the label. Accept on no pretence whatever any Tin which does not bear tbese distinctive Marks. SUPP-RMS (Double Superfine) is the name of the best idw TBI IjAIIGHBST MANU:FACTUNIERS IEN T IH:B RLI> I

THE SANITARY INSTITUTE CONGRESS AT SOUTHAMPTON. [CONTRIBUTED.] Inaugural address by Sir William Henry Preece, F.R.S., K.C.B., President Institute, C.E., &c. Below we give some extracts from his address:— The human frame is a little world in itself, inhabited by different nations and by different races, born, living and dying in us as we do on this earth, perhaps in peace, generally in war, and fortunately for us not yet free from the abuses of cannibalism. There are many millions of living micro-organisms flourishing in every body in this hall. As long as we are in health they live in peace, and we remain unconscious of their existence; but let some external enemy, some mute, inglorious, in- visible bacterium force the ramparts, and enter the fort, then there is bitter war, and either the invader is destroyed by our friends, or we ourselves succumb to cholera, typhoid, diphtheria, or to the growth of some other inimical but victorious bacterial race. Our chief diseases are due to the invasion of these merciless foes. The principal object of modern sanitary science is to develop this new empire of bacteria, and to discover its races and their peculiarities. The chief function of the sanitary inspector is to defend the human frame from its invisible and insidious external foes. Protection from disease is the act of defence. We must know our enemy, detect his presence, defeat his movements, and destroy him as he would destroy us. The greatest sanitary inspector the world has ever known was Moses. The Book of Leviticus is a treatise on hygiene. For 3,400 years the world stood still, and only one race followed the doctrines and teachings of that great master. The Christian threw his tenets to the wind, the Mahometan, to his great benefit, has con. tinued to practise some of his principles to the present day. The Jew remains faithful, and is the healthiest and longest-lived type of humanity. The doctrines of Moses can be summed up as the objects of sanitation to-day 1, Pure air ii, pure water iii, pure food iv, pure soil; v, pure dwellings vi, pure bodies. While the practice of his preaching made the days of our years three score years and ten," there is no reason why we should not,, now make the days of our years five score. But we leave undone the things we ought to have done, and the world in general thinks that lite would be veiy miserable if we did only what we ought to do. Heuoe we are no better off than David was. Vvhile research and discovery are abroad, whde the practise and science of sanitation are a stat6 of transition, while bacteria are regarued by some as a passing phase of fashion, and by others as a ^icrtT. come to stay, it is clear that we cannot have reached ( finality. I. Pure Air.-The supply of pure air to those who breathe it is the object of ventilation. Moses did not legislate for ventilation. The Israelites dwelt in tents, but. he showed how to prevent the pollution of air by the decomposi- tion of refuse, for he ordered it to be carried out without the camp into a clean place, and there be burnt. We are only now learning to follow lead, for refuse destructors are quite a modern a ad up-to-date inventien." IAir which has passed through the lunge becomes charged with water vapour, carbomc dioxide, perhaps with some other organic matters, and even with bacteria. It is ({ten polluted by smoke and charged with fog. U becomes vitiated, and is really Air Sewage." The British legislature has taken care that lunatic asylums, hospitals, workhouses and: gaols shall be well provided with proper air space per person, and shall be supplied with effective means for ventilation, but churches, chapels, theatres, meeting halls, assembly rooms, railway carriages, and other places where healthy, honest, and well-to-do people most do congregate are totally neglected anik remain sinks of discomfort. Can we not train ourselves to endure draughts ? Ladies and children sit witk pleasure and impunity facing the locomotive in a railway carriage with the full blast of a gale of wind upon their delicate frames. 11 the air is pure, the temperature and dryness normal, the winds may crack their cheek? against the healthy frame; but when the difference of temperature is considerable and the skin active, it requires courage, if not temerity, to resist the temptation to close the window. II. Pure Water.—It is a most question whether absolutely pure water is healthy, and hence we have not yet secured a universally accepted definition of practical purity. I purity to be determined by the quantity oi organic matter in suspension or in solution, by its hardness by the amount of micro-organisms it contains, or by the amount of injury it? inflicts on human life ? The supply of water, prior to this beneficient victorian age, was from wells, local rivers and rains. Sir Edward. Frankland, our most recent scientific loss, found in the Thames water 160,000 bacteria per cubic centimetre, a small thimbleful, about in fact, twenty drops. Good drinking water should, however, contain not more than twenty bacteria per cubic centimetre. Its hardness will depend upon the geological strata which it is drawn, and its pollution upon its source of supply. It would be well if every water supply could have its own protected area free from the contamination of man. Getting good water and maintaining it good is the chief work of the Sanitary Engineer. Polluted water is now purified and softened mechanically by sand filiation, an imitation of nature chemically by precipitation and by action of vegetation and biologically by the chemical activities and cannibal habits of living organisms. III. Pure Food.—It was in the regulation oi the food supply of the Israelites that Moses displayed his profound knowledge of the hygiene requirements of eastern nations. Parliament does not prescribe our daily food but is does legislate against impure food. The most important and the most general form of food supplied is milk, for it effects all ages and both sexes, especially young childreru The danger from milk is infinitely greater than from meat. It is unfortunately a great medium for the transmission of the germs of disease, especially of the bacillus of typhoid fever and tuberculosis. IV. Pure Soil.—Moses in prescribing Ic s, place without the camp, whither thou shall go abroad" enjoined the covering up of all excreta with earth. This was the first known disposal of sewage and was a natural and effective system. It has required modification because the growth of people, their distribution in defterent climates, and their concentration in great town has rendered the system im- practicable. The Romans, 2,400 years ago. constructed great sewers, and discharged their sewage into the Tiber. How our ancestors in the middle dark and dirty ages existed at all, puzzles the mind. V. Pure Dwellings.—The legislation of recent years by which local authorities call improve the dwellings of the working classes* and inspect and control common lodging houses has had a beneficial influence upon the community by clearing away slums, preventing overcrowding, building well designed, con- veniently arranged houses, and constructing new streets. The responsibility of maintain* ing pure dwellings rests now very much witk the sanitary authorities. The effects of rigid inspection and thorougfc application of the powers of legislation are -pp I shown by the fact that- the death rate io Surrey is 14, while in North Wales it is 20 per 1,000. Three thousand souls per annum ought not to die in North Wales if sanitary matter! were duly looked after."

I Byeing at your Seor /Qrfjwl (137 PaReI POEL) ■ DISCOUNT Ific/o to esver postage. B 1 BELLS | SEII ■ Fanous Dyeworks, lOT I PAISLEY, jaggj slid PlttIlE LIlTS PUB, jgSbk STAR? fl V/JL ^BeYefE WOLVERHAMPTON. LOW CASH PRICE, from £ 9 10s. HIRE PURCHASE, 12 monthly at T' ]-I& SEND FOR LIST AND FORMS Or apply to 0 NEAREST AGENT

not partly due to the fact that its mos t advanced advocates have been unwilling to accept anything short of a standard, which the general opinion of this country is not yet prepared to endorse and on the other hand that the defenders of trade interest have been unduly reluctant to part, for the public welfare, with any portion of what they deem their right and privileges? Surely both sides might bear in mind the homely saying that half a loaf is better than no bread." The temperance reformers might remember that they have done a good deal to check what still remains in the words of the report a gigantic evil," but by these -very efforts have alarmed a. trade which is now standing closely on thenefensive, and which, owing to the tied-house system, can show, according to Mr E N Buxton, that £80,000,000 of brewers' securities are now quoted on the stock exchange. But great as are the resources and the influence of the trade, there is a power still greater, viz., public opinion as expressed in Parliament and in the Press and though our people as a whole are essentially moderate and fair minded, and by no means prepared to accept extreme measures, yet the representatives of the trade would do well to recollect that a long and bitter struggle in which their private interests were upheld against the demands of the public welfare, could only end in their receiving terms from Parliament less favourable than might now be secured by a more conciliatory attitude. In dealing with the report I should premise that the Committee were 26 in number, but that owing to certain differences as to the methods of procedure, two separate reports are given, that of the majority signed by Lord de Vera and sixteen other members that of the minority by Lord Peel, the Archbishop of Canterbury and seven other members. I will mention a few points on which both amemKet°Il<lg0!n8 inf° ofchers in more detail. (1) That the law should be consoli- dated and simplified. (2) That the number of licensed houses should be largely reduced (I will refer to this point aeain later on). (3) Notice to the licensing authority itself of all applications for new licenses should now be ] necessary. It is not right that they should be required to gather such information from advertisements in the newspapers. (4) A pro- per interval should be left (one report suggest a mouth) between the grant and the confirma- tion of a license, so that the second hearing should be a reality some of the evidence going to show that this was sometimes, owing to the shortness of interval allowed, a mere formality, (5) There being a strong local desire in Mon- mouthshire to be associated with Wales in the matter of Sunday closing, they consider that this wish should be acceded to. The Royal Commission of 1890 reported in favour of the continuance of the Act in Wales. They say "They had some doubts as to the wholly salutary effect of the Act in Cardiff and the mining districts of Glamorganshire, but they did not recommend a change nor had they any doubt of the success of the Act in the rural districts, where its provisions were in entire harmony with the opinion of the vast majority of the people." (6) No license should be renewed to a public house of under twelve pounds annual rateable value. Some time notice might be, required. (7) There should be a general power of arrest for simple drunkenness apart from disorder. (8) No Constable shall be served in a public- j house when in uniform, and the practise of testimonials to retiring Inspectors should be completely discontinued. (9) Habitual drunk- enness should be treated as cruelty within the meaning of the Summary Jurisdiction (Married Women) Act, 1895, and entitle the wife to separation and protection for herself and her children. (10) Habitual drunkards (to be de- fined by the number of convictions) should be placed on a black list, and the publicans should be warned by the police not to serve persons so notified. A penalty should attach to any publican knowingly serving such persons. All these recommendations come with the united weight of both reports, and will, no doubt, receive very careful consideration from Parlia- ment when embodied in the Bill. There are only two other recommendations which time will permit of my, submitting to you but I think you will agree with me that they are of the first importance. One is the reconstitution of the Licensing Authority, and the other the question of the amount of compensation in connection with the reduction of the number of licensed houses. Any Bill to be really effective must deal satisfactorily with these two points. And first as regards the licensing authority. But before referring in detail to the two reports on this head, I ougat, perhaps, to premise for the benefit of any gentlemen present who may not have had an opportunity of referring to them that the first majority report is characterised throughout by less advanced views than that of the minority, who, headed by Lord Peel and the Primate, go further in the direction of popular control than their colleagues. As regards the licensing authoritv both agree, though in different degrees, that it should be reconstituted with greater powar and larger responsibility. Both recognise by their recommendations that the original granting of licenses is undoubtedly one that affects the interests of the ratepayers. When we consider how large a proportion of povertv, crime and general misery is directly traceable to excessive drinking (according to Manchester Guardian's specially investigating the subject in 1884 over 50 per cent of pauperism was directly caused h- intemperance), we may well concur with the majority report in thinking that in the composition of the licensing authority there might fairly be associated with the justices a limited number of members of the County Councils or other representative Body This you will see, recognises in some degree the principle of popular control. As regards the Court of Appeal they differ from the minority, inasmuch as they consider it should consist of' Justices only, of whom a select body should be' cuosen annually. I will refer to this again in dealing with the other report. The majority. suggest that the new Licensing Authority: I should bo: (A) For Divisions of Counties and' I County Boroughs the number should consist of J 3, 6, or 9 selected triennially two-thirds of the number to be justices nominated by the justices of the Petty Sessional Division (or in the case of Boroughs having a separate Commission of the Peace by the Borough justices), and the other third to be nominated by the County Council out of their body at the first statutory meeting of the County Council after each triennial election and in the care of Boroughs with a separate Commission by the Town Council out of their own body, and for a similar period. (B) For County Boroughs a fixed number of 3, 6 or 9 elected triennially; two-thirds to be justices nominated by the Borough justices, and one-third by the Town Council, out of their respective bodies. The number in each case should be fixed by the Secretary of State. The proposal of the minority report is based on the same principle t more liberally applied. They recommend that the licensing authority should consist of a committee of from 6 to 10 members, 7 for each division, with a permanent chairman elected by themselves. Half of the members should be chosen by the justices of the division from their own number; the other half by the County Council or Town Council. Such a committee should be elected for three years, and all local bodies from Parish Councils upwards should have a foews standi in pre- ferring objections. When we come to the court of appeal objections have been taken in many quarters to the present body-the County Quarter Sessions. On this point the majority say, "We do not concur with those who think that the justices, by their action at Quarter Sessions, have thwarted the due administration of 'the licensing laws." But," they add, there is a strong and reasonable objection on the part of great boroughs to an appeal to County Quarter Sessions. There have been objectionable instances of the court being packed by justices who do not usually attend." They propose that the justices in counties and in county boroughs should nominate triennially from their own body a number to be deter- mined in each case by the Secretary of State and that where a county borough has a separate quarter sessions the recorder should be ex-officio a chairman of such body. The minority report after naming some 16 great boroughs which have protested against the appeal to quarter sessions, and referring to two deputations to the Home Secretary in 1883 and 1889, each of which were favourably re- ceived, suggest that the only satisfactory solution of a difficult question is to make the original licensing authority a part of the appellate body, in the same manner that the licensing committees in the boroughs, under the present law, form part of the confirming authority but that the new element should exceed the old in the proportion of three to two-say nine new members to six old ones- in boroughs, to be selected, half by the town council and half by the borough justices; in counties half by the county council and half by the county justices and in cases of appeal for any particular division sitting along with the licensing committee cf that division in the same proportion of 6 to 2. There remains the very important question of compensation. Upon this the minority report, which as I have •aid, represents the views of the more advanced reformers, states that a elaim might beurged by reformers, states that. a elaim might beurged by those who lose their licenses, as a matter of grace and expediency, though not of right. No | money compensation, they think, should be paid from the public rates or taxes, but, if allowed, should be raised from the trade itself. On this last point the majority report is of the same opinion but in it are some arguments in favour of compensation which, I think, de- serve to be carefully weighed by Parliament and the public. In the view of the majority the compensation fund should be raised from the trade itself. Four proposals were put before them for doing this :—(1) By taxation upon liquor; (2) Taxation on the basis of rate- able value (3) Taxation on the basis of annual profits; (4) Taxation on the basis of the de- clared value. For reasons which it would take me too long to go into, the Commissioners reject the first three proposals and support the last. They suggest that "every owner and occupier of licensed premises should be re- quired jointly to declare the separate value of the premises, and also of the license and good- will attached to them." In answer to the objection that an owner expecting suppression would value high and vice versa, the licensing authority might have the option of taking the declaratory value, or if dissatisfied with it, of resorting to the Lands Clauses Consolidation Act. On this basis for a fund they propose that a charge should be levied of say 6s 8d per cent per annum upon the declared or ascer- tained value of the licenses and good-will and that all new licenses should in future pay' an annual license rent. In this connection they suggest that the initiative for new licenses should rest solely with the licensing authority, and that before granting such the authority should give notice publicly of their intention to consider the grant of a new license or licenses within an area defined by them. License rents should ran for a period of seven years; all claims of any kind for renewal should at the end of the period absolutely terminate and should the authority decide to continue the license, fresh tenders should I be invited for another period of seven years, The same process would take place at the ead of each succeeding septennial period until j Parliament otherwise determined and in the event of no more funds being required for, compensation the annual license would be available for purposes to be determined by Parliament." The xdvantages of this proposal are (1) that a capital sum having been bor- rowed on the- security of the seven years charges Parliament would be able to review the working of the system at the end of each period and introduce such changes as might be necessary. (2) That an immediate and sub- stantial reduction of licenses would take place without waiting for seven years To carry this i out- the county or county borough committee having decided on the amount of reduction in ) each division and the licensing authority (having decided on the particular licenses to be suppressed, the committee would pioceeu to pay in each case according to the values pre- viously ascertained. To give an idea of how the scheme would work, the committees give a calculation of the fund for the county of London according to the above plan. The annual value of the contribution they estimate to be £ 145,000 and seven years of this contri- bution would amount to 1-1,015,000 upon which the necessary funds could be borrowed. In giving their reasons in favour of compensation the majority lay especial emphasis on the following considerations. To suppress a proportion of the licenses without compensation or for a fractional compensation, is to inflict very material loss on one set of licenses, arbitarily selected, and to benefit the remainder by the elimination of their rivals. It is difficult to believe any such measure would receive the assent of Parliament, or if it did, that a licensing authority could be found willingly to undertake the invidious duty of selection." Such very briefly given are some of the principal points in the very valuable report just issued. Time will not permit of my alluding to several others of great interest; but one can not but hope, that after so many years of discussion, and of more or less inadequate attempts at legislation, the Covernment may before long see its way, with the support of a well-informed public opinion, to introduce and carry a Bill which shall deal on moderate lines I with this very difficult subject. If we can get a new and stronger licensing authority, which by means of some such compensation fund as has been suggested may, without injustice to individuals, make immediate a substantial reduction in the number of licensed houses, we shall surely have made a very great step forward on the road of progress. In a matter which touches the daily habits of the people it is most important that we should not outrun opinion but carry it with us, and if at the end of 7 years (or some similar period) we are able to show both that a substantial diminution in the number of houses has been made, and that this has been accompanied by corresponding de- crease in the evils arising from intemperance, then surely Parliament would be in a very strong position to carry the process still further with the full approval and support of the public, and we might begin to look forward to the day when this national degradation (as the Commission term it), which weighs so heavily on the happiness, health and prosperity of our people, might be greatly lessened, if not altogether removed.