§ Lord Granville Somersetwished to know whether it was the intention of the noble Lord to bring in a Bill, in the course of the present Session, to remedy the evils complained of in the Beer Bill?
§ Lord Althorpsaid, that at present he was not prepared to bring in any measure of the kind, and he did hope, that whenever the House should take that subject up again, in any measure which it might think it right to adopt, it would not depart from the principle of the existing Beer Bill. That, bill deserved a longer trial, and he was not, therefore, prepared at present, as he had already said, to propose any alteration in it.
§ Lord Granville Somersetsaid, that if no member of the Government would take the matter up, he should think it his duty to propose that some inquiry should be instituted into the working of the measure.
§ Mr. Robinsonsaid, if the noble Lord when he talked of the "principle" of the Bill, alluded to the license to drink beer on the premises, he could assure him nothing could be more mischievous than the operation of that "principle," particularly in the rural districts.
Mr. Humeobserved, that he had no doubt that magistrates, who felt their consequence somewhat abated, and monopolists, who found their profits decreased, made loud complaints, and probably also the liberty given to the poorer classes, might in some instances have been abused, but he knew, generally, that the Act had operated in a most beneficial manner.