NO=LICENSE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 206, 25 May 1908, Page 11

NO=LICENSE.

• c - MR: ISITT HOPEFUL FOR VICTORY. CLUB'S-BARE MAJORITY. .. [BY lELEGliil'll.—riiESS ASSbCIATIOir.I • ■■■■■•,• .Ash&urtan, May 22. The llevi'-Frank "W-1 Isitt,' secretary .of. the •New .Zealand -Alliance; to-day told -a repre-sentative'of-;,the': '-'"Guardian" that- the. ffoLicense , : p.krty o throughout the. Dominion were hopefu) with respect to :t-ho- corning local option : poll,- 'and were working with an energy ' that justified hopefulness.. , The!party rccog-- ' nised. that'.'it had an '.unknown..quantity -.to deal : with in'the immigrants.of. the past three years, .and -it fiilly appreciated the strength . of its opponents, but. still felt that tho present outlook was better" than that of any previous similar-occasion. .. .. .. .. , Ho.contended that there had been a steady development' of' No-License sentiment ■ throughout . ..tho, British ■ Empire and in America, ;and that this could 'not fail to carry weight .'in-the Dominiin. Ho was par-ticularly-hopeful in' regard to'-Taranaki, but feared thati! part of'Taumarunni, being attached 'to tho. Waitara electorate, might spoil ' what, miglit'iotli'e'rwiso .prove to be a : rfoLiccnso provincial' district. . Speaking ,in favour of' a.bare, majority, while:-; not.-mentioning Ashburtoii, ho said-ho did not see how democratic principles could bo reconciled with any other position,, or that anything could bo said, in favour -of - the advantages -that a - three-fifths. ma jority gavo his jtarty of holding an ..electorate by a minority Vote. Dominion option, .in addition to tho '.present local option, was required, and should bo,-determined by a . baro. majority. Candidates vat itho .ensuing', election would bo presented.-'with 'A .'of questions in this connection.";'! 1 In reply'to an -inquiry 'aS to how his party liked tho recent dpliveranco 'of-Mr; M'Gowan, Minister for Justice, in regard to clubs, Mr. Isitt said: "Of course, wo are exceedingly sorry that the .Minister for Justice should go out of his wa.y to speak of working mon's clubs, as beneficial institutions. It is within my; own knowledge that in one of the clubs the half-yearly.report showed thaf-over £5000 had been,spent on liquor and less than £10 on'literature. In that club the club charter works,havoc. While they are obliged to cloao the club bar.at 10.p.m., when the city hotel bars are closed, members can drink till tho morning.; by-taking advantage of tho- locker system, and not a few of them do." " Speaking generally of this Cabinet," Mr. Isftt "concluded, "wo hold absolutely aloof from political parties, and, I-have nothing to say of tlie present Government that I should noVexpect' to say if tho Opposition,took office. I do say,- though, that I haven't tho least fear thai; wo should bo cheated in any way by,tho.present Government, as we undoubtedly have been by..50me.".... ,