ee

Chartres Brew. 89

been in the habit of granting yearly spirit licences and of receiving the
duty on them in quarterly instalments. It was intimated to me that
this practice was permitted by His Excellency the Governor, and as I
could not discover by any papers in this office that it had been prohibited
by His Excellency, I was slow to interfere with an arrangement which
to me appeared to work satisfactorily until 1 should receive His Excel-
lency’s orders on the question, and I continued to issue licences as
Mr. Hicks had done, with this exception: that instead of granting the
licences for the full year and taking the duty in quarterly payments, I
granted the licences for the quarter, to be extended on each additional
payment in advance. I adopted this course in order that the licences
should become void in case the payments in advance were not punctually
made.”

His Excellency the Governor has given his decision in this matter.
I therefore cannot presume to argue on the opposite position, but I
hope I may be pardoned for making bold to say that I am yet advisidly
of opinion that the issue of quarterly licences to spirit dealers would
increase the revenue and tend to check the illicit retailing of spirits,
while at the same time the practice would not be more extensively
productive of vicious effects upon the community.

With regard to the law as it now is by Proclamation, I beg leave
to request some instruction. What is the penalty attached to the
breach or evasion of the law? And in what way must proceedings
against offenders against the law be taken? I believe, as the English
law stands, Magistrates must be authorised by special statute to try
any particular description of case, and in offences against the revenue
laws, unless a special mode of proceeding be laid down, the cases must
be brought into the Court of Exchequer. I may be wrong in this
view. I only ask for instruction lest the question may be some day
raised by a lawyer.

I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
(Signed) C. Brew,
Chief Inspector of Police,
Ass. Chief Gold Commissioner.

W. A. G. Young, Esq., Colonial Secretary.

(57) By Proclamation, February 8, 1859, the license fees were fixed at £100 per year for
wholesale and £120 per year for retail liquor dealers. Hicks’s plan was improper, as endangering
the revenue, but Brew’s plan was quite illegal.

ST ae,

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