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The kst way of dealing with tho liquor trado mould be to
hand Over t.he matter to the hands of a st.rong executivo commission
framed somewl~nt on tho lines of the Poor Law
Commission. This body should have tho power of nuthorising ,
schemes proposed by local authorities, and should supervise
tile working of such schcmcs, and collect minuto information
as to the results. They would work entirely through local
nutllorities, whether the corporations of cities and boroughs, or
the benclles of Liccnsing lfngistratcs. Bcforo allowing any
very serious experiments, such ns tho abolition of the public
sale, the local authority would have to present cvidcnca that
tile UlnSs of the inhnbitnnts mns in favour of such a measure,
a11d tile Cum~nissinnc~s wonltl then probably assign R suitrrblc
district, nrrti autllurisc police I.cgu1:ttion.s suitnblc for tile most
ndoarltagcous trial of tho cxpcrimcnt. This mcthod would
carry ont to the fullcst point tllc iden of n “1oc:d option.”
Frcc licensing might bc tried in Liverpool, nnd such other
boroughs as liked to vcnturc on such a hozrrctous cxpcriment.
The Gothenburg scluxnc would be adopted by Ilirmingham
and a few other towns. JItlnchestcr might prefer the slighter
mc:rsure of n rigid restriction and srlpervision of tho publichoascs.
It is to bo hoped tbat Suuday closing and n lessening
of the meck-day hours would bc voted by many local nuthorities,
and tllc experiment of remodelling the trade, as suggested
above, mght cert:lirlly to be tried. I sbould also much like to
see some trial made of the important suggestion put forward
by Dr. John Wlltts, at the last meeting of the Social Scicnco
kssociatiou. IIc suggests that in each town or district a
limited number of licenses should be sold by public auction or
tender. IIis purpose apparently is to limit t’he number of
licenses, and yet to secure the profits of the monopoly to the
community.
After the expiration of ten or fifteen years, Parliament
would be in possession of a great amount of really practical
information, but tho probability is that it would not be found
necessary to pass any great Ace for the subsequent regulation
of the tm5~. The scheme which waB found to work beet
would by degrees be imitated in the districts of corresponding