And your petitioners humbly pray ...
150 years of petitions in Victoria
Spirit Merchants (1857)
Transcription
To the Honorable the Legislative Assembly
of the Colony of Victoria in Parliament assembled
The Humble Petition of Henry Thompson
Respectfully Sheweth
That your Petitioner is a Licensed victualler residing upon the Township of Rushworth. in the Colony of Victoria, where in accordance with the Act in Council. In that case made and provided he has erected premises suitable for an Inn.
That your Petitioner previous to his receiving his License, had strictly to comply to the very letter of the before recited Act, even to the furnishing of the premises, and has paid into the Treasury. the sum of One Hundred Pounds sterling per annum for his License.
That at present and for some time past under the guise of Stores, Restaurants &c. Tents have been erected within a short distance of Petitioner’s residence, where Spirits and Liquors are vended in the most open manner, even in the presence of Police in their uniform,
That Petitioner has brought the same under the notice of the Police authorities, both here and in Melbourne, hoping that redress would be afforded him. but to his complaint, the uniform answer has been “Judges Polhman and Forbes invariably quash all “convictions proved or sustained by Police, consequently it is useless “our laying any, but if you can get two respectable witnesses, not connected “with the Police, to prove a case the Police will then obtain a conviction”, in other words, your Petitioner. who pays the State for protection in his business, and who moreover has been subjected to a very considerable outlay for Buildings for the accommodation of the Public, must still go further, and pay Police_ for Men hired expressly to enforce a Law, your Petitioner humbly submits cannot be viewed in any other light to protect him in what he most respectfully submits are his just rights.
That Petitioner humbly submits, that his case is the type of his
class residing upon or near to a Gold Field, and presses upon some
to so great an extent as to cause their total ruin,
That Petitioner most humbly submits that having at a very considerable
cost complied with the Law regarding suitable premises for his Trade,
and now having to compete with parties vending Spirits and Liquors
in Tents upon Crown Land the expences [sic] of which upon an average
would not be Twenty Pounds. totally incapable of affording other
than
the most temporary and rough accommodation _ in plain terms an open
Bar or Tap _ paying no License nor compelled to to [sic] keep servants
as legitimate Tradesmen are, and if they think proper completely
beyond the survillance [sic] of the Police, whereas Publicans are
subjected to very stringent Laws _ he has no alternative / the Police
being incapable although most willing to assest [sic] him / but
to Memorialize Your Honorable Assembly to cause such amendments
to be made in the existing Act as your collective wisdom may determine
and thus compel the observance of a Law, now openly violated and
set at defiance
to the manifest injury of a class who largely contribute to the
Revenue of the Colony
That your Petitioner humbly trusts that no portion of the wording of this Memorial, may be considered otherwise than most respectful to your Honorable Assembly it being the furthest from his wish to express his grievance in other than the most humble language.
And your Petitioner as in
duty bound will ever pray
&c &c &c
Hy Thompson
Thompsons Hotel Rushworth
1st May 1857
