KING COUNTRY LICENSES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 210, 4 September 1900, Page 5

KING COUNTRY LICENSES.

THE MAORI DEPUTATION.

STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER,

(By Telegraph—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, this day

At the Maori depiitation to the Premier on the subject of King Country licenses Mr Isitt asked whether when the last raid was made on sly grog sellers in Waikato they were aware that three days before a chief said the people were taken by surprise, and the only effect was to make the sale of "sly grog-" brisker. (Laughter.) The Premier welcomed the deputation. The chiefs in taking this step to-day had, he said, incurred a: serious' responsibility. The Government desired to preserve the race. He (the Premier) formerly coincided with Wahanui regarding the evils of permitting the sale of liquor in the King Country, but he had changed his mind, seeing there was no other way of dealing with the question. One difficulty was that the people did not sympathise with the attempts made to suppress the traffic. He absolutely denied the canard that when he met Wahanui at Otorohanga he took grog. When spirits were placed before Wahanui and himself Wahanui said he had cha.nged his mind in favour of granting licenses, and on the subject of Government control. In 1898 the police were instructed to suppress illicit liquor traffic, as the result of his observations. On a subsequent visit he found sly grog-selling worse. The police had done their best to secure convictions, but the traffic continued. The same results werd obtained in Clutha district. They had frequent raids and convictions, b"ut they were ineffectual, and Magistrates urged that they should issue licenses.

Regarding the alleged promise of the Government to discontinue the purchase of native lands in the King Country the Premier said no record existed of such an undertaking, but the request of the chiefs to revoke the restructions on the sale of liquor exist in writing. The Government had resisted the pressure of opinion in favour of licenses, but the evils of illicit trade increased. The granting of a license at Ohingaiti caused ai discontinuance of illicit trade. The more extreme steps taken the more the evil would be intensified. The Government were unable to suppress sly grog-selling. They could not ignore all representaions in favour of licenses. It was the duty of the Government to pay respect to the views of the natives, believing them to be in the best interest of the race. Many representations by the churches were founded on hearsay. The Government were perplexed what course to take. If the Government passed an Act giving a referendum it would result in favour of licenses. Two petitions from Europeans in favour of licenses were under consideration by a Parliamentary committee, and they would receive the attention of the Government. He would n,ot allow licenses to be granted indiscriminately, and would not give authority to local bodies because interested in revenue, or through relatives -or friends. The difficulty was that the chiefs lost control of the traffic. The Government were contemplating sending a commission through the country to make inquiry prior to legislation. The views of the deputation would be considered by Cabinet, and he hoped they would find a: satisfactory solution of the difficulty.