LICENSING REFORM

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19063, 27 July 1927, Page 13

LICENSING REFORM

ASSOCIATION'S ANNUAL REPORT.

The annual report of the New Zealand Licensing Bcform Association, to be presented at the Dominion Conference in Wellington to-day, states:—

• "The expected legislation on licensing matters was introduced before the last conference met, and delegates thereat had the opportunity of examining the Bill and making proposals for its amendment and extension. The minutes record the fact that the conference expressed its keen disappointment with the provisions of the BilL It had been fully anticipated that the rceommendatious for practical reform made by the Special Parliamentary Committees, after examinations of the questions covering many years, would have been ip- 1 " d. In addition L o this the several additional sound and practical proposals made by this Association were expected to have been submitted for V 3 consideration of the House. Acting on the instructions of the last conference, the executive immediately prepared a series of amendments to bring about the incorporation in the Licensing Act of the practical reforms above referred t.o The Bill, however, had a very short life, for after its first reading the Government, yielding to the truculent demands and threats of the Prohibition Party, withdrew the measure.

"This means that we arc now in practically the same position as we were at the last conference, except at that time a Bill of sorts had actually been introduced. The Association has now the opportunity of making renewed representations to the Government to adopt the beneficial reforms embodied in our proposal, and to deal with licensing legislation in the interests of temperance as against the pernicious proposal of Prohibition. The conference will be asked to decide what steps should be taken. Parliament. "If will be remembered that in the last annual report reference was made to the rumours that the prohibitionists claimed to have a majority of members of Parliament pledged to carry out their instructions. This has now developed into an open boast on the part of the prohibitionists. At a recent deputation to the Prime Minister their speakers clearly stated that they had a majority of the members of Parliament pledged to them, and demanded that a Bill containing their proposals should be introduced at' once, and that the forms of the House should not be permitted to be used to prevent the passing of their particular brand of legislation. If the Government yields to this demand it will simply mean the yielding of the powers and authority of the people's Parliament to the control of a minority outside the House. The attention of delegates is drawn to the far-reaching possibilities of such a pernicious" system. It will be remembered that at the last general election this Association requested the various Party leaders and the individual candidates to refuse to pledge themselves to any organisation on • the subject of licensing legislation. We did not seek any plodges ourselves, and asked merely that the Members of Parliament should keep themselves free to approach licensing legislation, when it came before them in Parliament, with a free hand, and deal with it in the interests of the country as a whole. Even if the moderate section were in a minority (which they are not) the Government of the day would have a moral responsibility to protect them from such detrimental results as follow political intrigue, and the control of Parliament by an outside organisation. But seeing that the prohibitionists are and have been at election after election, in an increasing majority, it is nothing short of farcical that they should be permtted to dictate the policy of Government and the activities and procedure of Parliament. "Delegates will be asked to reconsider the question of tho attitude of this Association to candidates for Parliament in view of the recent developments above referred to. Failure of Prohibition. "Delegates will have noted that Prohibition has proved and is proving a complete failwe wherever attempted throughout the world. Since our last conference it has been abandoned in Norway, and in further Canadian provines, After seven years of trial America is now socially and morally in worse condition than before the commencement of National Prohibition. Capital is made by the prohibitionists of the apparent financial prosperity of the I United States, but every Britisher | knows that this is due, in the first ; part, to her position as a creditor nation ! in the world war. The position in Canada is that, with tho completion of the recent action of the provincial legislature of New Brunswick, there will remain only two dry provinces—-Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and the Premier of the latter has already signified his intention of fighting an election campaign this year on a Government Control platform. Perhaps the most dramatic feature of this reversion of Canada from the experiment of Prohibition to the legalised manufac- ' ture and sale of alcoholic liquors, is in the case of Ontario, where, at the end of last year Premier Ferguson's Government went to the country on a policy of substituting a system of State Control for the existing system of Prohibition,. The result was a sweeping victory over the Prohibition forces; Mr Ferguson secured 74 seats out of 112 giving him a majority of 46 in the Legislature of Ontario. At the Quebec elections held in May of this year, Mr L. A. Taschereau's Government, which instituted State Control following on an extended trial of prohibition somo years ago, swept the* province and captured 72 seats out of 85, which is an indication of the satisfaction of the people with the Quebec Liquor Law and its administration. These striking testimonies to the success of a moderate policy in regard to liquor legislation in the interests of Temperance, and the approval shown by the peoples affected, should give encouragement to the Government and Parliament of New Zealand to set aside the extreme demands of the prohibitionists and proceed to legislate fearlessly in the interests of all people in the Dominion. Prohibition has been definitely discredited; let us endeavour to do something through the legislature in the interests of true temperance."