FROM THE ARCHIVES:Within a couple of years of independence, the Free State had a liquor trade commission, mainly composed of TDs and Senators and a Catholic priest, looking into the pub trade. Among the issues under scrutiny was the "bona fide" rule, which allowed genuine travellers to get drink outside normal opening hours in pubs at a certain distance from their homes. This district justice made it clear in his evidence that the bona fide was largely a fraud.
MR JOHN J Troy, District Justice, South Tipperary, said that to his mind there were too many public houses and that that tended to lower the status of the trade and create illegitimate traffic. There was a large body of the licensed trade that did not want to do business outside the specified hours, but unreasonable competition made some houses prepared to trade at all hours. He thought that a reduction of licences would be good for the general trade, apart altogether from the public, and would certainly raise the standard.
Chairman [JJ Horgan]: Have you formed any opinion on efficient police supervision taking place in the country at the present time? It is almost impossible for the police to supervise. The witness expressed the view that the so-called bona fide travelling was a bona fide fraud, and said that the numbers of those who drank to travel were very few, while the numbers who travelled to drink were very large.
On the subject of Sunday opening, the witness said that he did not think that there was any reason for public houses being open on Sundays at all. In his opinion, it was a great temptation to have them open on Sundays, especially in country districts. He would prefer however, to have a restricted period of opening on Sundays than the quasi-bona fide traffic that was going on. It would be better both for the publican and the police. He would prefer to see the bona fide traffic abolished and he would not like to see the public houses open, if they were to open, before 2pm – certainly not much before 3pm – on Sundays in the country districts.
Mr Troy said that he regarded habitual drunkenness as more of a disease than anything else. He was always more anxious to get at the publican who supplied the drink than at the consumer.
Chairman: You look upon it as being in a different category from stealing, for instance?
I am afraid I do.
The witness, speaking on the subject of structural alteration, said that he had always had a strong objection to any trade except the licensed trade being carried on in one building.
It was a great pity that women and children should have access to a house where drink was sold. He knew very many cases of women having been led into drinking habits by going to buy articles in a house where mixed trading was in force. Most of the houses in his district carried on mixed trading. If he had his way he would have some structural alteration. In reply to Sir James Craig , Mr Troy said that there was no necessity for the small village or crossroads public house. He would like to see them done away with, as it was impossible to supervise them, and they had a deteriorating effect morally in the district. If bona fide travelling were done away with, he would be in favour of some sort of hotel licence whereby those who were really travellers would be able to get some drink with food. There was practically no shebeening in the part of the country in which he operated. He regarded it as a lesser evil for a man to get in drink to his house for Sundays than that he should be going about looking for it on Sundays.
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