Local Option.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 503, 10 January 1906, Page 5

Local Option.

Past experience has been that after the local option poll has been taken a period of inactivity occurs during which the advocates of licensing reform on broad and equitable lines remain dormant, only to be galvanised into life ! eight or nine months prior to the taking of the next poll. In the me in time the advocates of extreme measures continue working quietly, " without haste and without rest," with the result that on polling day their forces are usually much better organised. It must be apparent to those sincerely desirous for temperance reform that their campaign must be conducted on more businesslike lines than hitherto unless the extremists are to triumph. Although the results of the last po'l did not reach the expectations formed by the no-' license leaders, the figures show that the coutinuance party would be voluntarily living in a fool's paradise if they sit down with folded hands, imagining that all is well. Like the great nations of the earth, who in times of peace prepare for war, the continuance party should, in times when the licensing question is not the subject of an immediate vote, prepare for the trien-. nial struggle by educating the voters in the direction of showing them that the panacea urged insistently, persistently and consistently by the extremists is not the only possible method by which reform can be effected. There are, we are glad to note, signs that just at present the subject is not to be allowed to be relegated to the limbo of partial torgetfulness. Already several of our contemporaries have been discussing the expediency and desirability of excising the reduction issue from the three propositions on which the electors are triennially called upon to express their opinion. The strongest argument for the excision of the reduction issue is the fact that it is, apparently, neglected by no-license voters. It is pointed out, for instance, that at the last local option poll the astonishing number of thirty' Seven electorates recorded an absolute majority for nolicense, which, with the same voting power, might have carried reduction. Thus in thirty-two electorates the no-licence party threw away their power to shut up from five to 25 per cent, of the licensed houses. We are inclined to think that those nodicense voters who did not also vote reduction showed some evidences of possessing some ideas of equity and justice. At the same time it cannot be denied that their vote was inconsistent. If nolicense ba a good thing then reduction, being a part of no-license and a step towards it is also a good thing ; and if, under no-license it be an injustice to deprive all houses of their licenses without compensation, then it must be equally unjust to deprive a moiety of houses of their licenses without compensation. It is pretty generally conceded, however, that the voter for reduction is, in the majority of electorates, an undecided person holding no definite views on the licensing question. It is also pretty generally recognised that the effect of reduction is in the direction of creating a mono-' poly. Were the issues placed before the electors continuance or reduction or continuance or norlicense, we can imagine that there would bo a certain amount of fairness in the poll. Even with the handicap of the three-fifths majority the no license party has the advantage over the continuance party in that it is possible for it to inflict great hardship and injustice by carrying reduction. To compensate matters the continuance party should have the opportunity of a partial restoration of licenses in prohibition areas when a bare majority votes in favor of restoration. Judging by the results of past local option polls the no-license party is not anxious for reduction and therefore, it appears that the issue could, without any infringement of the privileges of the electors, be eliminated, the issue then would be the straight-out one of license or no-license, which would tend to simplify matters considerably. Much speculation has been indulged in with regard to the future legislative policy of the Government, and some contend that with their large majority they should be able to carry advanced legislation. It will have been noted that the Premier, in a recent speech at Auckland, gave the impression that the Government's legislation will not be of a radical character. ■ " The Government must," he is reported to have said, " continue a moderate and progressive policy." Although licensing legislation is not lightly undertaken by any Government we think the time is ripe for a modification of the local option poll issues, and we are confident that the alteration indicated above can rightly be classed as moderate and progressive.—' Grey Argus.'