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272 AfETffODS OF SOCIAL REFORM.
circumstances, just as the Gothenburg scheme is being imitated
in other Swedish towns. I do not think that in a matt.er of
this sort the final law need be exactly uniform. In the
Licensing Act of 1872, it waa found undesirable to fix a uniform
hour of closing public-houses all over the country. Owing to
the difference of habits, the metropolitan area was allowed one
hour later at night, and considerable latitude was left to the
Licensing Magistrates to vary tho hours of closing. Surely
sucll matters approximate more in chnracter to hackney cab
regtllnt.ions or nratters of police, which have long been left, to
the borough authorities. It is only tho political quest,ion
looming behind thc Rocial or legislative question, which could
warrnnt l’cbrliurnent in deciding that people shall go to bed one
hour earlier in the country than in London. But parliamentary
experience concerning t.he Licensing Act of the late Cabinet,
and the now defunct Permissive Bill, cannot encourage any
party to press for a further great general mensure of licensing
reform. As to the present state of things, it could not be
much wurse nor more absurd. What, wit11 the great variety of
kinds of Iiconscs, tho doubts and fears of the magistrates as to
their power of withdrawing licenses or restraining extension of
premises, the remissness-to use a mild expression-of the
police in prosecuting the offences of publicans, and the
universal facility of obtaining any amount of drink at the
nearest grocer’s shop-I say things really cannot be much
worsc than they arc. Under the vigorous exertion of local
option the state of affairs would undoubtedly improve in some
parts of the country ; the pressure of public opinion, of the
proposed Comtnissioners, or, in t,he last resort, of Parliament,
would eventually force the negligent localities to follow the
exnmplo of the most successful I‘ local option schemes.’,
Let it be understood that I do not for a moment suppose
that there is much, if any, novelty in the proposals made above.
In one place or another almost every suggestion, except, perhaps,
that of a superintending Commission, has been made and
discussed. The Lords’ Commit-tee hare themselves rwommended
“ that logislative facilities should be afforded for the
local adoption of the Gothenburg and of Mr. Chamberlain’s