NO=LICENSE QUESTION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 261, 28 July 1908, Page 8

NO=LICENSE QUESTION.

DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER. : THE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION STATED. ■' Questions" of "concern to tho No-Licensi party woro'laid 1 before tlio Primp. Ministci yesterday-by a largo deputation, introduce! by Mr., j. G. W'. Aitkon, 31.?., niid headoc by Rev, J. Dawson, President of tlio Neil Zealand Alliance. ' .DESI RES.,OF,, 7HE NO-LICENSE PARTY, , First in importance, said Mr. Dawson, was tho . question ..oflicensing legislation which would sccurp that ..liconso issues should be settled by a bare majority rote. They were aware, of course,' that great differences of opinion existed upon this point, but they were impressed,.with the faet. that this was the only issue upon which tho law required that a-threbrfifths- majority should be secured. Tho three-fifths, from one standpoint, meant- a-50 per.,ccnt. majority, because out of .every,.loo votes they had to securo GO votes for 40. The three-fifths majority had been . law since 1893. Tlio matter of a Dominion option was also growing in importance... At. the.last poll thoro was a majority, taking' ,the whole, Dominion, of some 15,000 votes. This showed there was a very general fpoling that-,,the '.licensed traffic in liquor should no longer- exist. : Breweries and Depots. :The; laiv>..relating to breweries and depots required, alteration, in support of which tlio experience' of ■ Invercargill was quoted. It was thought that ibretyeries should come into the license vote, for it seemed that the fact that could continue in a No-License district, and could sell over the border : and arrange, for a depot there, .bringing tho liquor back.into the .prohibited area, was not .what intended. tinder-the law. Strong feeling was' also occasioned in certain small districts regarding. bottle liconsos. It, was thought, these licenses had been abolished, but; they had.continued until now. His own opinion "ivas.. that if the law had not been made effective the-wise and democratic thing to do would be , for tho districts which had those licenses-to have an opportunity of tak-ing-a vote on'them—whatever was done in regard to. other , issues. Referring to Now Zealand wine- licenses, Mr. Dawson said it seemed anyone could sell this wind in quantities not less ■ th'aii two gallons. He instanced a lie'enso that had been taken awav from a shop in Wellington, and though' many efforts had been made to hold it, tho Court had .decided otherwise, and they were now alarmed by. the fact that the place roferred to had not been closed. But supposing they wore.within-the law, a large-number of people., who.went in.the shop did not seem to bo those; who,,.would-i buy largo quantities of wine at a time. , , Electoral Act. . -,Tlie Electoral Act required that where there was no Parliamentary contest tho NoLicense poll shall bo void unless at least half those on-the roll'go to the poll. To bring lbou't.. a largo, vote the pronibitionists had »t;.various timos put up candidates and been nade to look ridiculous. (Laughter.) They iskod tliat.'the poll bo taken -irrespective of i Parliamentary election. Tomporanco Teaching. ■ ; Tl'.ey were :aware :df what was done in the school Journal regarding temperance teaohng, but 'seem to be effective. He irged the subject: should have the attention t deserved. . They-suggested that the words 'with special reference to alcohol" bo inserted'in I 'the' 1 Education-Act. ■ Other Matters.' ■ As'to'enrolment of voters, it seomed this rear that there would be a big effort to stuff 3ie.-rolls,;, and the -Temperance party had mssed "a special: resolution asking that no lalries-should be allowed to go on the roll ifter .at least three weeks before the rolls vere, issued, so .that a full opportunity might le.igiven.to scrutinise it. At one.sitting of ;ho l Court, at,Piflmerston North 600 names iad\been struck.,off.. Tho time asked for ivould enable it io'b'e seen that tho roll was i pure oiie.. In regard .to toiirist licenses, tho deputation' .urgqd 'that the' liquor busi-ness-was', qy.o iiV.whifjh tho State should have ;io -participation .in/profits. As to returning officers, the .Temperance party had many times Jfelt; injured-:.at some of the appointneiits; 'arid- they hoped that those appointed iVould bo m'cn.m'whom they had every confilonee. " " - '. 1 -

Remaftd-'by Mr. 'Atkinson. .;.Mr.7A.':H.''Atkinson urged that it had obviously, ;bcen;tho intention of Parliament to ab.olish,'bottle licenses, yet it had been held by the Court that llio section of tho Act was i'mrianinglpss.';.,; Meining should bo given' to it. ; . The i-.objeet, ,of, the deputation. was also 'to makoi effcctiyc the wish of Parliament re-garding-depots on ; the borders of No-License .districts. ;>,;The,request for' a validation of tho licensing vote .irrespective of the results of the Parliamentary, vote could bo effected by : a clause in • the proposed Electoral Act without launching.tho whole question of No-License-before' the. House. " Sly-grog selling should be -punishable with imprisonment without the: option of-.a <fine. •. Rev. P. V/. Isitt advanced special reasons for tho bare-majority vote. THE PRIME MINISTER'S REPLY. The Prime Minister, in replying, said ho had already stated officially to both sides that licensing 'legislation would not be introduced this':sessibh. They could not get it through, and' it was no use' the Government proposing to submit legislation in the last session of Parliament and holding out.hopes, when they, ■knew''it' could not' be done. It was moro honest to say :'a'general licensing measure was impossible. .'They already had indication that numberless amendments would be asked for.:; He was'not'going to mislead them. As' to the 'bare majority, it would be better for them first to,becomo unanimous in their request. "'"Hp already had had representations from temperance reformers opposing it. There was a diversity of; opinion also in the House, and in the, country generally, but though ho recognised their earnestness, in asking him problem, on which they wero themselves divided, .they were asking a little more than he could promise. Tho elections were coming on, and tho Alliance could endeavour to 'have a pronouncement upon tho bare majority."'"As to a 1 Dominion vote, the matter was very important, and could not be dealt with this year."He would liko time to consider what the' Government would do. It was no use giving his personal opinion. Some Reforms Necessary. He agreed that some reform was necessary in the .case of breweries and depots in NoLicense districts.:;..(Applause.) ' Something should be done to prevent the condition of affairs in the suburbs of Invercargill occurring elsewhere in .the Dominion. He was prepared to consider what legislation they should submit. . Whether legislation could be put through this session it was not possiblo for him .to say, by. reason of the very large programme before.them, all of which might not be qompleted. Reform, however, was absolutely necessary. •As to bottle licenses, his own'.opinion was that Parliament intended they, should cease. (Hear, hear.) This matter should certainly be put right, so that the position might be made certain. He would gladly'do all lie could. As to wine licenses, he. would bring the caso. of .the Wellington shop under -the..-notice, of'the Minister for Justice. All the Government wanted to do was to have the.law observed. (Hear, hear.) He thought their request in regard to temperauco teaching in schools should he given effect to. As to " Half-polls," tho provision was Initiated to ensuro that practically a minority should not rate on what was an important matter.- -He, personally, was in favour of altering, it' because to-day.lio saw 110 necessity for it; • "Ho would bring the matter before his colleagues.

. .. .'The Rolls. He had already consulted Mr. Mansfield on the request for closing- tho rolls three weeks ahead. He believed a very slight alteration in .tho Act would, enable a closer review than at present/ and he would look into tho matter. i , . MivDawson sajd they wished to prevent roll stuffing at the last moment. They had an unscrupulous foe, and they wanted a jure roll.

The Premier said ho wanted the pure roll, but required to tako nil precaution not to exclude tho bona fido voter. Mr. Aitlcen explained that tho deputation thought threo weeks rather short. Sly Grog-selling. As to sly grog-selling, ho thought the law should be made c/Fcctivo. Whore no-license was carricd there should bo no defeating of tho will of the people, and tho intention should ho carried out absolutely. Fines did not meet the position, and ho was prepared to consult his colleagues. Ho thought tho first olFenco should be met with .1 fine or imprisonment, and the second and subsequent nffenccs with imprisonment only. (Applause.) . Tourists' Licenses and Other Matters. Regarding tourist licenses, he fully sympathised .'with the sentimental side of the suggestion that the. Government should not have licensed institutions such as steamer licenses or tourist licenses. But the alternative in a licensed district was a thing to which he..was opposed, viz., tho carrying of drink "in the pcckct." This would bring about a state of things very much worse than existed, and this Was the only reason prompting tho Government. Instructions had been given that no profits wore to bo mado or were to be oxpectcd. All tho Government wanted was control. Not a single complaint had come to hand about those institutions from people in the vicinity.- They were established entirely for the convenience of the ■ people using tho public service and going into a licensed district. Unless nolicense was carried in a district it was hardly fair to say that Clause 9 of the Act was to bo in operation; They had to see that the law was carried out. As to returning officers, he was prepared to sec that good men wore appointed right through tho country. Ho would go into tho matter mentioned by the deputation in this connection at the proper time. Replying to Mr. Dawson, ho said that in the caso of no-licenso being carried, for .iustanco, at Lako Wakatipu,' the licenso of. the steamer there would bo abolished.