LIQUOR PROBLEM.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 673, 25 November 1909, Page 8

LIQUOR PROBLEM.

THE COIiIPROMISE. NO-LICENSE PARTY' DISSATISFIED. WANI'S LOCAL AND NVHONAL ISSUES > t r SEPAEATLD An important now dovolopment in connection with the proposed licensing legislation took plate yesterday, when the .No Jjcou e party decided not to nudorse an important item ot the compromise, to which three oi their loader , !, aotmg in a ropresentaino capacitj.l hud givon then absent with a vim to tho I ' passage of comprehensive legislation relating to licensing polio This decision of the party was reached at 8 .No-LicenbO Convention which was held un aer the au o pices ot tho Now Zealand Alhanco at i tho YaICV rooms ystcnhv alteruoon and ovpning Ihe proceedings weic not open to tho pro s The Delegates Eightv delegates , irom hi diflerent electorates *ere present, namelj Jlinauatu, Ke\ S D Carlisle and Eev \V Eitclne Oroua, Mr ' «t a , bD, K al v merston I,orth ' liev r Otaki, Mr JJjion Bio-nii, Hutt, Mr Piper, Wellington wid Subuibs, Mr E A Wright, M J , Hevs 'i\ A Willnms, W J Comno, and J J. North, Staft Captain Orams, Mrs Atkin son, Messrs. A E Atkinson, W J Hplyei, G Jretnenck, \ Paiton, Mid Brooks, Nelson, Mr itLaren, Motuoki, Mr Cre=swell, Waitemata, Mr Cranch, Afanukau, Ee\ A Doull, Eden, , Mr. Falkner, ~d, Messrs E Trench, Proeset, and Dtirlow, Parnell Mr C G Hill, Ohinemun, Mr Halloway, Tanranga, Ur C Marftl , Poveity Bay, Mr A Graham, Hawltes Bay p Whyto, jun , > Mrs Oldhanv anil Mr H Miller, Waipaua, Hon W C Sm.th, ML C , Pnhntua, Mr ,7 Hird rt? ?, n a v? V H Haukins, Wairanpn, ?i T 0 ' 'iaranaki, Messrs Bellnnger, and Mr B 0 Bobbins,, Stratford,'Mr Hine, MP and Mr .7 Eobinson, Wanganui, Mr G Careon .Grey, Mr Scrivener, Kaiapoi, Messrs J ?t B1 T acl "°". a nd Morgan Williams, Eiccirton, t r « V 1 Coombs, Canterburj Council, Messrs J A riesher, and.W W Tanner, T E Taylor, HP and H G HI, IfP, C E Salter, L R Wilson, and Brigadier Albiston, Avon Mr ' CO Agar, Ljttelton, Mr G Lanrenson MP, Selwyn, Mr Leadley, ishburton, Eev J 11 Mami and Mr Priest, Geraldme, Mr Lashlie, Timam, Eov. J Olphert, Waitaki, Mr A S Adams, Dunedm, E«v W, Slade, Messrs p. C Cameron and Mr G B Nicholls, Ma taura, Eej Bull, Invercarsill, Vwania, and WaUace, Mr Little, WCT U , Jfrs Cole The vi a?» Glay T antl moln l' o « 1 of tho New Zealand Alliance Lxccntive ittonded as con Mltative members Mr M'Coorabs acted as secretary Eegret was that i urgent pnvato bnsinp s had prevented thp attendance of Mr Wesley Spragg, of Auckland, pre mdence of the alliance , Unanimous Resolution. ' wJ h ° £f e made b J th ? executive with. Imdlay souif uecta ago was en dorsed by tho convention, e\ccpt tho clause doalui" with tho ballot paper On this sitb ]ect the fpllowmg resolution was unanimously adopted — ( ' " TJ 8 ' , <h| s convention, having carefully considered the main provisions of the Licensing Bill, canrot consent Jo a form of Ballot paper which would disfranchise all EL"*! i s w . ho a f e not P r6 P a «d to voto for Both local no-liccnso on tho,present law and Dominion prohibition on a much proposed ballot papei will not only conluse and mislead electors,, but will pre- , will "tI?" an ? I u " ex P resS| on of their I Xl'l J" B c 0 therefore, requires I ,'? s " es of local and Dominion option shall be presented to the electors . on two separate voting papers" A hearty vote of 'confidouce and apprecia , tons of the executive's eiforts was earned a,s was also a vote of thanks to Jir. A Sj Adams for presiding DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER. ' A deputation waited upon tho Prime Minis^ » l le t ? an D / lndla y t0 r «P«t the findings of the conference, and to ascertain if the two issues could be put down before the electors on two different ballot papers It .that this course wqplrf K ,ve r 1 t h, strai f llt -o«t issue IvK they, iadj.deolared that they desired , uu in his reply, 'steWd "that! Iβ would Lave h> discuss the matter with th« i Flnd Wi. ,V . ho had conducted the 1 negotiations with tho two parties on the quos DISORDERLY STREET MEETING Mr. Wilhani Rich'ard«on, of Auckland, who »as Tefused admission to the License Tonrention yesterday addressed a puhiic me'otmg , at the;corner of WJhs and Mercer Streets m th « °J< inin ,g To put it mildlj, tho reception accorded him was very mired It was, at , times, <deoidedly hostile, and at no time did perfect order prevail Several speakers mounted an improvised box, but ono and all iad to submit to a running fce of questions w I^ er J. <!,:t ; ons . tdl more* or less relevant Mr. Eichardson referred to Dr lindlaj, who i«cted as mediator botween the representatives of the No-License party and the Trade The Jlinister, he said, pulled some strings He iwas oi.one side-he could not be on two, I where tho interests nere so diametrically on iposed . ' l "Why all this caballing and private airange .went?" continued the speaker relernng to tho "It i& pablio business—national clusiness—of the .greatest linportauce Uow fdare the politicians'handicap and manacle tho ■people? They should not have betn working «ecretly, bul in tho n li ß 'ht Thov say they tied to act humedlj, but there is no hurrj Whey only invited to the convention ono dele "gate from each electorate, and I am told that <two i delegates have come from Auckland It (19 monstrous and unlair and unconstitutional 'iAny action they may take is not legal be causo they kept awav half the delegates " Mr. C J, Hill, of Auckland, rose in opposi-f ftion to Mr Ilichardsoii Mr Ilill said that yeach delegate , had two v,otes Mr Michardson, ne added, had done more harm to the, cause of no-hcense and prohibition than anj' other flnan m the Dominion V Voices Kot 1 (Heal, hear) if, 1 Mr HiU It is a tact We know it He has. always opposed everything wo want (to do Unless you agree with him, he is against you ' A voice Whom do you represent? Mr Hill The Auckland prohibitionists At this stage, there was much iiproai Oive him a ohanco to oblige me,' appealed air Richardson Mr. Hill Mi Ilichardsoii went to a street corner in Auckland \nd addressed a publio meeting He docs not represent auy prohibi ttomsts, and ho has no claim to rtpiewmtation lore Ho has only himself to blame" Mr. Richardson You must not cast asperBions on a street meeting * At this Mi Hill commenced to ro away through the crowd "Don't go away ' .cried his adveioary, "there iua> be somothinK ■ior you to ansuor ' Mr Richardoon proceeded "When I =ee a Bocfcion working for tho brewers then I think it light to call a meeting" Hot words tolUmed as a lcsult of an asser «on by Mr Bichardson to tho effect that Mr iiill Kept high wall papers of a kind oiih , purchased Ly repl eseutativ os of the 'irado Xhis was omphaticall} denied by Mr Hill, ilr went on, to nllogo that some of this prohibitionists objected to him'on account of his attidks ou the Trade on the ground that No License tradesmen would lose WILL THE , TRADE AGREE? THE. CROX or THE QUESTION,,' The decision of the conference was com municated to the Prime Minister yesterday, and will be forwarded to the representatives ot the Trade If tho latter do not agreo to it —and they are not considered likely to—it is probable that there will bo no Bill this year, and that the negotiations will have been fruitless 'I he Rev J Dawson, general secretary of the Jiow Zealand Alliance, on being interviewed Jast night, stated tnat 55 of the 76 electorates in the Dommion were represented by about 80 delegates at the conference Tho crux of the question, Mr Dowson said, "so far as the conference was concerned, was whether thoro ehould be one or two ballot papers The agree ment provides for only one paper. Tho confereuco endorsed the wholo of the agreement eav« that point, and it was decided to ask that there De tv»c papers, one for local and ono fox Dominion option We felt, when we earao to analyse the matter, that the one ballot Yronld bo confusing, and tend to provent a I elear expression of opinion Wβ want two r Issues, 60 that people will have a chanoo of pnnj; a straight out voto separately on tho two questions. Tho Bill, as already stated, has been in course of preparition ,in the law drafting office during tho last few daya Couasel for , tho' tno p-irtws have been assisting It iia " Teported that the agreement ha- been var>i,l sonvwhat in its embodiment in the Bill in favour of the I>io i p4rty The«e vana tians howe.er, me asserted tn on lwbalf of ©D Trade in a' desire to preserve tho compact.'