THE NEW LICENSING BILL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 687, 11 December 1909, Page 13

THE NEW LICENSING BILL.

.. •. Sir,—Permit me, through your .very' widelyJ? I ?d Pnpßr, = to:;.'ontioiso , the, new : Licensing : i-.■ .which ■ Sir >'Josoph,, Ward has promised to ;.';; : lW6uuco du'ring - the present ' session. . . The . .. Knowledgo 1 have is wholly derived from your '? t.^atthe Prime Ministert claimed that .tho. provisions of the Bill wero !Y •• . Jg re « 4to .by representatives, of. both sides— x that-is,--from .ithe Trade -and the- No-License ~' ;. party; .. Information from Dtmedih, Wellington, Christchurch, and:.Auckland . proves this ? f :®tatehipiit ].to^bo : .ab'solutely"inebrreot so. far as ~ ' .tho) Trade, is. oonoorned, ; and I (,'ravely- quesv t'oa whether those who - acted • for tho . IyoI/ioenso • partyhad; any right :or authority to •. pledge '"their -party as was done. . ;Tho meet;;v .. .. injs .which i word- held in Dunediu, Christ- ® >,Wellington carried ' resolutions for. \ a -bare maiority.-s By what—or whose authority shift'their.: ground, with-: out consulting their party, to'■ 55' -per cent, ?' -. i ;E6TCVferj i Ij j do'Vhßt; concern ~iiiyself;inuoh .with i-i'.kS:';vthe;;aUitnde vbfithe; No-License. pSirty, leaders. ; "What I do;wish isCto : protestjmost' emphatic-. V;"AUy^'agaiiiat'v.tliii.'i':f^w'^iTic'nV.ori ; -.thb side of the! ! ■.-.■■■■■> Trado being -regarded ■as-: ■ representatives of ..' tho 'whole body.' They had no authority .or .: ". mandate to speak on behalf of the whole Trade.;. Surely;:-in a matter --of sunn ovt-r- ---: • wholesale merohan's, and the bottle licensees' of. tho Dominion, should, ba consulted? Dr. ,;l Findlay rhas/ lately, 'been the.:oliani-. fiiSn of social .democracy. . He Amight:now . oiiftVthe'Dontimon as :the, : chanipion;of_an elite ;;UoHg£rohy.T;:ln;;lookiflg, :at : measure. : jtself. ; ■oik> can only "express i bewilderment and indigii;:. nation that aii'y Government-claiming . to, be Ww6uld3-,aaraS-'t6. introduce a ■ measure: ho in . every . way. . If -Jithe-Bill -passes, : - arid that; the . No- ■> License vote will be -as strong' at next elcc- •• •' -tion a-i.in the last,-a. great many electorates will go but 1 liquor will ■ be, con- - rumed' just, as- before, .only .the 'keg twill., take tho .place : : of the hogshead,': and . 'private coh;:;;:t>:;««iiiptionv>yiffi prevail'instead of public.: The' JGBmall. -breweries find tho small,-men generally; - will disappear—tho will flourish', as they have never .done !before., Thought- ' ful men' willvadmit.that as large,;majority, is. -■'':;.j'.s:;::iiece3sary^hd;thrMyfifths—6r,;Go-100ths--is not if-.-- . -•'too many in a question of this sort;. I am-op- .. •• >' posed to 'N6-Li'cenMi ..b.ut .I-'ariv also opposed lo :f3 :rr; : Talcing;: the;-', question -. out of the •..hands of r th6 peoplo. .Tho only thing now is ifor^the:friends; of true > temperance ;to trust to : r: trfttbatioii- and Vto.',- ji- ; deeper - and 'greater k'noiv.ledge of human /nature being through-' pb-. ' --outsthe'-.Dominion. 1 '; When that takes place 7 :'.tho'.electorsi'".'will - :,tlo'ttbtiers' , deni it tid ur~ 'btlt:';tipt:;;Np-Licehse;: r WhileJ '. nowever/ 'every rcan would .-prefer, to -3 t :v'-J.-;; leave ;thp :Np-Litferiso: : (juesHpn as -a', present* ...... .everyone ;---Zealand'kshdnld;v,protest :'ag'ttinst' ~the, pro^Md/Dominion-option, and'-for' K '*' " i the'following.>'re!i«)'ns":—First, it -is a gross fin:; siilt ; section'; of, :'the comj:.* /r. 5 :.-, inunity:;..;t-'^cdrid, ? r ; 'poin thor-\ ;c.;,oijghly: ; :Und6m'ocratie : " an,T; \v'rpngc in; principle. Third,v if fchance/Doniinion 'optiftri'; -was f wpifl€l"- : --i>iili tit ti®irteridou»l y ,for . trenching- so'inin*h-on your fepacc,' but .the §£ importance of' the', teuiperancc of the peoplo' -j ! , ';;;j,;an'd ;its progress-in'.-jhe' ;iny-plea! yr'v.'> Nft measure- can 'be will not' ,;::;iri6lude:yFiriti"fairV:f^ut ! ;>proposalsi , by'' arbi-. .. tration, and. applicablo only -to hotels; second, ; Stato'-or. municipal control, :by . giving - rea-. 'ii;,;sbriable":::TOmpensati6ri'i ; v fand',-;f6r-.Parliinieiit, . ■;;lv-;'? : (iid£ .-the'Gpverrimentixto''appoint: the authority j third,-"; giving : licensed to.;rccoriijnend suitable'applicants to the 'Court and :: to opposo' unsuitaole'' licensees.—l. am. etc., .' WM j THOMSON if- ' 7 -"^vlThis'S'letter. ; ibeoh/:slightly.',rediiced .in length;]■' *i : ' ;: '-' v_ !'