THE LICENSING BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 135, 8 June 1914, Page 7

THE LICENSING BILL.

tf £PTJTATION TO THE PREMIER

THE FLVANCI.VL ASPECT. AXD THE FOfR YEARS' LIMIT. ffi v Association.) CHRISTCIII'K'H. Saturday. Members of tV ProMiution party in (Wourv gathered :n orce to-day then a deputation waited upon the Prime M;nirter to impres* upon mm tne of having the no-l,,ense aatttion settled by an absolute majority Le of the people. f:i- deputation, A «« iotroduVed :.v Mr. 11. G. ft JLP-, advocated t!,. m-cMion ..( the three-fifths major, ty principle. n.n.i. that, a»ked that the Government siould do all in its power to push on its proposed bill to reduce the necessary majority for national prohibition to 55 per cent. Jlr Ell t,tfat t,JP deputation rejjresented all tbe prohibition bodies ol lie province. He pointed out that at last election, 53 per cent, rr the electors fcid voted for national prohibition, which showed that n very substantial majority of the people was in favour of the proposal. Mr. t. M. fcitt. M.P.. i*i.l t'.at from Trbat he know of Parltam-ent and its procedure, it would '■■■ much better if they aimed at obtaining reduction on one' Halt a loaf was hotter than no bread, lie did not think that that the bili would go through if it were too sweeping in its pro?o=al3, but if they were to confine their attention to one issue, they had far mon> <han..-e of success. PKIME MINISTER'S REPLY.

In the course of his reply, the Prime Jtiniater eaid that he wa.- not a prohibitionist, although he belonged to the Temperance party, and wae heartily in accordance with what Mr. I-itt had sail with regard to putting two before Parliament, as some of tlip speakers had advocated. If lie were to do that, he was honestly of toe opinion that both i=suc3 troul.l be rejected by a majority of ten in the Lower House. The bill would be k lied as dead a< Julius Caesar. He wanted to pive t!u? liill a .-hanr-e. iHear, hear.) So far as he -was able to judn;e, it would pa~s its secund reading. When it cam. , to the enmmittee staje, which wa- even more important, any member had the riiiht to move an amendmejit, so ion_' a- ;t re-a-nnable and relevant. It was the riir'it of every member to test the feeling of the House on such a question, so as his amendment was n"t frivolou*.

Tho question <■ • •«11■ I not be made a hasty one. Members on both sides of the House had given pledpw in different iviTS. Some wen , rertuctionii-ts and some were not. I!-- would a-sk no man to break his pledgi -ml if he did. he fas sure that no men- i<>r would do it. FtXAXCIAL CONSIDERATIONS. At prpseirt there was nothing in the bill to reduce the limit of four years left to the trade to close up their bvisine.*s after the carrying uf national prohibition. The financial ii-ptvt "f the case was worthy nf very rcrious conGideration. \i nu * ion;il proViiLiit.ioii \v<"*r<-: carried, it would make a very great difference to the financial arrangements or thf country. At tli» present time. the revenue from aleoholk liquors was about £000,000 annually. If prohibition werp carried, this amount would I not be done without; it would have to be collected somehow or other. There must be an increase in taxation, either direct or indirect. Of course it would be f'>r Parliament to say how it should be got. Then the people engaged in tiie trade had to be considered. Whatever they might think of the question, they must be fair to tho?e who had capital infested in the business, and they must give time to those pmployed in it to find other work. Surely" the people were worth considering. ■A STRAIGHT RCV He could promise that the hill would be introduced early in the session, probably in the first or second week. He did not say, however, that it would be pushed through in the early stages or tlio session. There were, many thingd to tike up the time and attention of the House, hut he would see that the bill was dealt with a. early as possible. Hear.hear., They ~0 - , id bo r , rtam that there would be no imnecessarv delay He had pledge,] himself to givlthe House the opportunity of dealm"ith the question, and the Hou=e would fit it. He did not aasociato himselr either of tin- extreme parties, aithough he »-a. on tllp ~,■'„ „, LTfw -V t!,,, - ;irr - time ' h, - <>>^ »> teat three-fourth- r,f the brewere of New Zealand were arrayed ajrain.st the jojla be gone on with, and would have a »traj ? ht run throurfi. „, Ur a h " wa.s concerned. H e believed it would a straight run there aLso.