The Marquess of Westmeathtook the liberty of directing the attention of the noble Viscount to the concluding paragraphs of the Report made by the Commons' Committee of 1832, on the evils arising from the want of proper powers being vested in the Magistrates of Ireland to grant or refuse licences, and from the abuse of the use of ardent spirits in that country. This was a subject of considerable importance. The Bill which now regulated these matters in Ireland had been passed at a late period of the session, and the effect of the measure was to take from the Magistracy the right of licensing, and to place it elsewhere, so that the consumption of ardent spirits was now indefinitely increased, and unless something was done to prevent the consumption of them in remote parts of the country, where the police had little or no control, the results might be fatal. It was in vain to legislate to prevent crime if something was not done on this subject, for most of the crimes now committed arose from those sinks of iniquity over which the Magistrates had now no control.
§ Viscount Duncannonwas sorry to believe that the Bill which had been passed upon this subject had not produced the good effects which were anticipated from it. He thought, however, that in the Corporation Reform Bill for Ireland, of which notice had already been given in the other House, some Clause would be found to meet the evil. As there was something of the sort in the English Bill so he thought there would be in the Irish Bill. It was most desirable that something should be done, for the Magistrates had now no proper control over these places.
Lord Farnhamsaid, that as to the Irish Municipal Corporations' Bill he hoped that their Lordships would not consent to entertain it during the present Session. They had not the documents on their Table which would enable them thoroughly to inform themselves on the subject, and they could not go into it without a lengthened inquiry which the advanced state of the Session rendered quite impossible. He should certainly oppose their entering on that measure at all during the present Session.
The Earl of Wicklowsaid, it had given him much pleasure to hear the noble Viscount state that the Bill now regulating the licences in Ireland, had not worked well, and must be altered; but at the same time, he wished to observe, that there were some of the provisions of the Bill not at all objectionable, and he should like to see them continued. He trusted that such would be the view of the noble Viscount on further consideration.
§ Subject dropped.