DUTY ON BEER 273 



1885, a similar one was agreed to. Mr. Childers's Budget 

 proposed to increase the Beer Duty, and in May the Council 

 unanimously opposed the proposed increase as detrimental 

 to agriculture. After the defeat and resignation of Mr. 

 Gladstone's Government on 8th June the attempt to increase 

 the Beer Duty was abandoned. 



The Customs and Inland Revenue Act, 1885, repealed the 

 Act, cap. 58 of 56 George III., and Section 8 prohibited the 

 adulteration of beer, or the addition to beer of anything 

 whatever (except finings for purposes of clarification) ; but, 

 while repealing a measure which gave a definition of what 

 " beer " was, the new Act made no attempt to define the 

 mixture legalised by the Act of 1880. Nor did it try to pre- 

 vent the use of any deleterious substitutes in its manufacture. 

 The sole object of this section was to prevent frauds on the 

 Revenue. 



In 1886 three Pure Beer Bills were introduced by the follow- 

 ing three members of the Chamber : Baron Dimsdale, Mr. 

 (afterwards Sir E.) Birkbeck, and Mr. (afterwards Sir) Cuthbert 

 Quilter. In March the Council discussed these Bills and 

 unanimously asked for early legislation to secure the purity 

 of beer. 



In December the Council again discussed the question, and 

 after rejecting an amendment deprecating further interfer- 

 ence with freedom in the manufacture of beer, for which only 

 two votes were given, resolved that beer brewed from other 

 ingredients than malt and hops should not be sold without 

 a written notice to that effect. 



In March, 1887, the Council passed a resolution approving 

 the two Pure Beer Bills introduced by Mr. Quilter and Sir E. 

 Birkbeck. 



In 1888 the three Bills of 1886 were merged into one, which 

 was introduced by Mr. Quilter, and in June the Council again 

 expressed their approval of it. Mr. Quilter introduced his 

 Bill in every session until 1896. 



In 1889 a proposal was made in the Budget to increase the 

 Beer Duty, and on 30th April the Council protested against 

 any increase ; asking for such a readjustment as would reduce 



