DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 180, 30 July 1903, Page 3

DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER.

PROPOSALS BY THE "TRADE."

IHE PREMIER'S VIEWS,

fljy Telegraph.—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Jtr Seddon was interviewed this afternoon by one of the largest deputations t ver seen in the colony. It was representative of the liquor trade throughout >- e tv Zealand, and numbered close on 300, flmon» those in attendance being several members of Parliament. The deputation " urged the Government to bring in legislation this session to amend the licensing law in the following directions:— 1 National option in place of any other form of option, to be taken once in each nine years, and to be earned by three-fifths of the number of persons on the roll. . 2 The elimination of the reduction asS ue' and, failing national option, increasing' the interval between the polls. 3. Payment of compensation. 4. Discretionary power to magistrates in the endorsement of licenses. 5. Making eleven o'clock the statutory dosing hour for the colony. 6 Bringing clubs and railway refreshment rooms under the provisions of the licensing laws. —7. Providing that no lapsed licenses ' be revived for the purpose of removal. ■■;■'■ 8. Making it penal for persona to have alcoholic liquor in their possession in -.1 prohibited districts. 9. Substituting a bench of stipendiary magistrates for the present elective committees. The deputation also protested against the provisions of sections 12 and 13 in the Shops and Offices Bill, 1903. Mr Denniston, of Dunedin, said, with regard to national option, the Licensed yictuallers' Association thought it was desirable that the voice of the colony as a whole should be taken. The triennial- poll dislocated the trade and disturbed the value of property. He spoke ftrongly in favour of compensation being paid for loss of licenses, and urged that it was not in accord with British fair play to confiscate a man's property and refuse him compensation. It was true that there was no legal vested interests in a license, but he contended that with time the license became a property, and should be respected as such Any such provision should in future be made retrospective, so that it couid apply to those who had lost their livings as a result of the recent polle. Mr P. Burke, of Christchurch, pointed ' out that during the last two years, by order of the licensing committees, £88,000 had been spent in the erection and furnishings of hotels in Wellington, £109.000 in Canterbury, and £72,000 in Auckland. He thought there should be a curtailment of the powers of committees in respect to ordinary hotele to be rebuilt. Treatment of the kind meted out to the trrde in Ne;v Zealand couH . not, he believed, be witnessed in any ■ other part of the world. It was on a par with the treatment the Hebrews received at the hands of the Russians. Mr Paul, of New Plymouth, urged the total exclusion of alcoholic liquors from prohibited districts, which would carry the principle to its logical conclusion. He thought the suggestion made by the Premier on this point was a most reasonable one, and it met with the approval of the trade. Elective commit-tees-should be supplanted by a judicial bench. What was wanted wa3 not a partisan bench, but a fair and judicial bench that would adjudicate fairly on the evidence tendered. He had the authority of the aerated water manufacturers to contradict the statement that they were in favour of prohibition. Mr Martin Kennedy, of Wellington, a defended the brewers from certain ' charges that had been brought against them in the conduct of their business, and he challenged the Legislature to set up a tribunal to make the fullest inquiry. The feeling among the trade was ' that they would sooner go down as a body thon be exterminated piecemeal, and' be harassed in the way they were

at present. The law was working most unfairly to the trade, and they looked to Parliament to remedy their wrongs. Mr Seddon, in replying, said the responsibility of the head of the Government on this question was very great. He confessed of late years that the law had not been working in what he conceived to be the manner intended when ft was passed. There had. been a power assumed that was never intended by the legislature. On the question of bringing- clubs xmder the provisions of the licensing laws, both the temperance people and the trade were in agreement, find if any legislation was brought down he took it for granted that this provision would be included as a matter of course, and Tightly so. He thought it was about time action was taken in regard to the conduct of some clubs, and the hotels had been wrongly blamed for things the clubs were responsible for. The cases that had occurred of dropping ft license and renewing it in some other part of the district was a violation of the spirit of the law which should be made absolutely clear on the point. He thought every reasonable man must agree that some amendment was required in regard to compelling a licensee to rebuild without affording him any security, of tenure. He did not think the temperance party would object to something being done in this direction. The public convenience should bt the first thing considered, and here he might refer to the action of a committee in closing hotels where the accommodation for the public was good, while places were kept open which were nothing else than drinking bars. The interpretation was that the committee were leaving the drinking bars because they would be the more easy to close on another occasion. He alluded to the Dunedin Committee, and their action did not reflect any credit upon them. If the Legislature gave an extended option to tlfese houses it would be a good thing. With regard to the request for national option, to be taken once in each nine years, he woxild say at once that he was not in favour

of curtailing the will of the people by substituting national option every nine d years for local option. He did not think there was the slightest chance of the legislature altering the existing triennial poll in favoxir of national option. He told them this plainly, as he did not Want them to depart labouring under a misapprehension. He did not think there would be any change in regard to local option at the Parliamentary general elections. The main issue was becoming one of license or no license, and he believed v the feeling was growing throughout the colony that, at any rate, 'or one general election the people should have a rest from this issue. Unless some other means were devised of ■eparating the Parliamentary and local

option polls, he considered this plan might be adopted. The will of the people, should be respected, and it should riot be possible to upset it because of trivial errors of returning officers. lie had never supported compensation, but in cases like those referred to at Ashburton and Winchester, where licenses had been taken away after large sums had been expended on rebuilding, he thought the option of those houses should either be extended or limited compensation should be paid. With regard to elective committees, his view was that the magistrates would have to take the place of the committees. If the present state of affairs continued, members of committees should take a judicial view of cases as they came before them. It was a straining of the law for committees to hold back licenses because the law was not perfect. The Wellington Committee on the subject of dives was a case in point. He entirely agreed with discretionary power being given to magistrates in the endorsement of licenses. The clause of the English Act which made persons found on licensed premises after hours equally liable with the publican, should be included in our Act. He was quite prepared to recommend putting into effect an Act providing for the appointment of inspectors of hotels, so that the liquor could be examined and sanitary conditions placed under inspection. Persons only of good character and steady habits should go into hotels. He would also prohibit by law the paying of premiums, as well as rent, for going into hotels. It was almost impossible, under such conditions, for a man to make a living honestly. He believed the brewers had been wrongfully blamed, but they should not have offended the spirit of the law by buying as many hotels as they had done. He was also of opinion that where no license was carried no liquor should be manufactured or sold or imported into that district. That was the only way to stop smuggling, and he hoped a majority of the members of the House would agree with him. He hoped they would assist the Government in carrying out the laws and preventing what the records showed was going on. He wished to see less drunkenness and less liquor supplied to those who have had too much, to children, and to Maoris. In regard to the hours of closing, he was not in favour of taking away the powers of committees in this respect. In the selection of candidates for committees the trade should not be restricted any more than the other party. If they assisted in seeing legislation carried out and conducted their houses fairly, his opinion was that the moderate section of the people would see that the laws were fair and just. In answer to a question, the Premier said he could not say that legislation would be introduced this session, especially as some matters were sub judice. A vote of thanks was passed with acclamation to the Premier for bis patience in listening to the requests of the deputation.