LIQUOR IN KING COUNTRY

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 686, 10 December 1909, Page 8

LIQUOR IN KING COUNTRY

LI-CENSEES INTERVIEW THE PRIME MINISTER. 4. NON-COMMITTAL REPLY On behalf pf holders of wholesale liquor licenses >m tho King Couutry a deputation (which was introduced by Mr Jennings, If p ) jaitwl upon tho Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) yesterday, n, nqw nf proposed licensing legislation acting that district Mr L Jacobs, <Aloka.u) said* that before tho licenses wore granted sly grog-selling was rampanj; Instances wpro known where J2l per bottle had previously been paid for spirits of 1 very inferior character Anv legation to qoaah the hcensps would not stop the lnmcftA tion of hgnoi ,nto the clectorat? What thiv wa , n *f *«e » right to vote on the question should be left to the committee to decide the kind of which shpuld be granted. Those who had agibiied the isfue of hS»S£ could not know anything of tho real circumstances Tho deputation asked that until the quesfaon was decided bv the people the exist ing hcen*s should be allowed TaTcontiiue If the peop 0 declared against l lC ensc, no obicctionwould be made to the cancellation of the existing hcen'PS Things were not now as they were in the electorate in tfte earlier days wheh people went nbout ,with revolvers Tn their pockets If a vote wert takru'to-dav license would ho carried by, a majority of 30Q0 ' Tho Hoa 0. Samuot arought 'the district should now be treated jn rejard to the liquor question in the same way "as other' disfricte 1, cw ?? 0 ' s P e °l al safeguards Bhoald be provided ip the case of the Natives Ihere wore very , serious objections to the existing licenses* being' interfered with" by a special Act of Parliament Mr Jennings, M.P, declared that the present position was generally regarded as unsatisfactory The people would never be satisfied until, they wero gmn the right to vote on the liquor question m tha district There wore more Natives in some other parts of the Dominion whore licenses existed Mr Oody added that since the licenses wore granted, drunkenness had practically ceased to exist in the King Country. , The Prime Mimstor said that he wonld be glad to see that the representations of the deputation iroro fully considered 'Members of the deputation of course knew that the position m regard to the Vnatter Iras' , a very difficult one. ■ The reason for >the decision the Government to legislate on the. subject was duo to tho fact,,that it was t>f opinion that the licenses m qnestinn'nqver should have been granted Tn sayjng that, he 1 was nqt.roflfecting on anybody, aq the, decision 4 might have boon due to an error 1 of.. judgment or 4 a misrepresentation of the la,w on tho sub ject The view of the GovcrpmoTit was that licenses of any kind, could 'jiot bf; granted ia tliat portion of the Dominion The anomaly couldinot continue to-'exist irtthoot crealinß a feeling of nntqrql 'opposition to what appeared to be mi' evasion of the will of Parliament The matter was not' bomg dealt with from the standpoint as to whether or not licensee ought to be granted m the dijfnct It was'clcar that Parliament-intended 1 that licenses should not bo granted m the district TTpori the\ s request that a vote of tha people should taken, he' could only <sav that he had -llrendy informed one deputation tTtat it was his'opinion that Biich should be provided for so that the peoplo of that d»tact,niigh); be pot on the «imo footing m that regard as the people of, other districts" The, deputation's 'request that the exnhni! licensee shoujd.bo allowed to continue until the next general olectwn was Pne'which rraenfed difScdlty, if the Governments opinion Vas correct,, then the licenses i.?V ?II M. to 81 at at present- It would thus be-seen that' they, £(*. BmT^ ?h n t rt , w ¥ I )v,tho.Go.T«rnment see that the must'Tw &- specfed fle' 'their hons to.hKCoHfdgdos, mTJ affcr'the qneetioi ""J , **** tt3tter