THE LICENSING PROBLEM.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 182, 31 July 1908, Page 6

THE LICENSING PROBLEM.

ABSOLUTE MAJORITY BILL. BEFORE THE HOUSE. _ _ "fSy Beporter.) r" Z ~." _r WELLINGTON, Thursday. "" The second reading of the Licensing Polls Absolute Majority Bill was moved by Mr. Ijaurenson. The bill provides that every proposal respecting the granting of licenses submitted."set;a. poll of electors in any licensing district chall be determined by a majority of jjie voters recording valid votes, and" that the threefifths majority will be repl.xeed by an absolute majority. Mr. Laurensou said that a 50 per crart majority of votes had to-be-recorded by those in favour of pro- - -ihibrtion before they secured the advan- — tage required He characterised the pre- - '.-sent system as a monstrous injustice. "Every'-person voting for prohibition only - two-fiit-hs of a vote, and the "other side entered a full vote. He was Z~SZ Democrat, and he wanted to see the .-J'Tbare majority rule. It was said that if the bare majority were allowed prohibition would- be carried one year and lost the next. He didn't believe this. Once vested interests were out of the issue, prohibition was assured. He said that ~r~-ihe" bad received letters from all over the country urging that he should bring this matter to a head. He read a post card from Otahuhu, signed by three ladies, •objecting to the fact that their three votes were only equal to two of those who recorded in favour of prohibition. It •was not fair play or true democracy. The combined votes of the Chief Just'ce, the Minister for Lands, and the Minister for Education were only equal in value to the votes of two tap-room loafers on the licensing question. Mr. Lang said it seemed to him there ' iwas a. danger of estranging moderate men. He did not intend going into the -" question of licensing legislation, but he thought that it was possible any attempt - ' to bring about a radical ohange might be instrumental in throwing the cause of j " : the prohibitionists back. He had pledged "himself to support the Act as it stood, and, while he congratulated Mr. Laurenson on his bill, he could not go back on bis election pledges. ■ - The Hon. Mr. McNab - thought the "" whole"question" was one which had to be i settled by the people themselves. He j iwas the representative of a no-license electorate, but he felt compelled to vote against the bill. One aspect of the majority question was not .generally realised. Where No-license was carried, by a ■bhxee-firths majority, the hope of ever . :_-kfwmt» No-license re-established died for eveT; C but if those vho were conquered -""knew- they could have prohibition removed by the majority of a single vote," there would be ■ eternal warfare, and the strife and turmoil would never cease. He considered the question of the bare majority was going to be a very serious one. He "beJieved that it was far better to allow the Act to stand as it was. There was a growing sentiment all. oyer, this country,: and the time was coming when the mumiber of licensed areas would b« reduced. In the time to.com,e_he believed there! would be a "big movement in favour of i ".•"the bare-majority, but-it would not be the No-license party which would head : that movement. He was firmly of the opinion that the day was not far distant when the "trade"—he " did not use the term- offensively—would ask for the bare majority as the only hope of winning back the license. Dr. Chappie said he considered a fatal net of generalship had "heen displayed by i the No-license party in raising this ques- " tion of the bare majority. It ™ in the '' ' interests- of the prohibitionists that the fhTee-nfths majority should stand. Any " change in the present system meant that the isc-ue would never die. As an advo- i cate of No-license, he would sooner wait ten yeturs for temperance than "nave it ibrousht about prematurely. Mr. Malcolm, in supporting the bill, said that, after 15 years' fighting, only six electorates " had. no-license. If nolicense had been carried on a bare majority, then on the figures of last election there-would, have, been 40 electorates in "which prohibition would have been secured. . Messrs. James Allen, C. Hall, and .J. A. Hanan spoke against the second read4ng of the bill. The Prime Minister said it was known - -that a strong feeling prevailed. Both sides wanted amendments to the licen---sing laws, but he-had stated several " times already that there could be no licensing legislation introduced this session. He knew that the member for Lyttelton was in earnest in his desire Ifor the bare majority,, but what would happen ii this bill ever got into comittee? It would, emerge with a tail of 300 or 400 amendments. He did not - Know whether it was to be. regarded as significant that there had been no move on the part of the " trade " to circumvent this demand in favour of a bare majority. The fact remained, however, that no deputation had waited upon him or any of the Ministers to protest "' against any such legislation. Members could form" their own opinions as to whether this was significant or other- j wise. He was convinced that the right ~ thing' "to do was not to attempt to go into the licensing question until after members came to the House, after having ascertained the feelings of the electors. £ Mr. Baume said that when first re- 1 turned to. Parliament he had stated that r he would always support the three-fifths I j majority in preference to the bare majo- i xity. and' he bad repeated that intention 1 since. No one in this Dominion could f impugn tho earnestness of the Minister E for Lands, Dr. Chappie and Mr. Fisher in r their desire to see prohibition estab- ' j lisbed, but they had expressed their an- ', i taconism against any change in favour; l of the "bare majority. He was of the ! | opinion t'aat it woull not be a wise step' , to effect such a change, and he intended . to vote for the three-filth? majority on the licensing question. | A division was asked for on the bill, V and the result was 54 votes being recorded 1 against the second reading and eight only in its favour. j 'The following is the division list:— 1 , : For the second reading (8): Messrs Am-1 ' ~ old Ell, Fowlds. Laurenson, Malcolm, , - Poole, Stallworthy, Tanner. Tellers,, Messrs Laurenson and Malcolm. ; ■Win=t the second reading (54): j Messrs. Allison, J. Allen, Barber Baume, Bollard, Buddo. Carroll, Chappie, Colvin D.ivev, Dillon, Duncan, Field, fisher, "Flatman.'W. Fraser, Graham, Gray, Greensla.le, Hall, Hanan, Hardy. Heko, Hemes Ho-ran, Hornsby, Izard, Jennings, Kidd* Lanff. Lawrv, Lethbridge, Lewis, McOowan. rL McKenzie, T. Mackenzie, McNab Maepherson, Mander, Massey, Okev Parata, Poland,'Reid, Ross, Rutherford Soddon, Sidey, Sims Thompson, rWarl. Wiiford, Witty, Wood, lellers, Dr. Chappie and Mr. Fisher.