OPINIONS FROM BOTH SIDES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1307, 9 December 1911, Page 7

OPINIONS FROM BOTH SIDES.

' : WHAT THE "TRADE'' THINKS. KNOWS WHERE THEY WILL END."

"Tins is really tho- first time the licensing question has been really . grappled with/', said Mr.-A. i!. Keruot, chairman ot". tho "■'■ Wellington Wino and Spirit .Merchants' Association, when waited 'on yesterday. for an expression of opinion . regarding the results of Thurs-1 day's. licensing poll. "Wo. knew we had the' great 'majority, but hitherto that majority had not been roused sufficiently as to what was happening. It had not been made quite so, cleai until tho present time that tho people of one district were being robbed of privileges' that raaytx* were extended to tho. neighbouring, district.' On this beension they seemed. to havo realised this point, and were not prepared 'to bo. so penalised. Moreover, they had the. National Prohibition issuq before them to. give vent to their feelings cn'the'braodcr issue. This'was an issue whioh had not been'put before them by the Trade in all its seriousness. On this, occasion we had no special organisation against tho national question—that will come'later. Tho extreme views' of the Prohibition party had caused .the'moderate man to revolt because, "he was,'at length recognising that' any 'concessions granted to this party were' always regarded "as inadequate—their trouble in this regard appears to bo absolutely diabetic in character. For'instance, only a few years ago the' Prohibitionists••■ themselves regarded the- 'no-liquor issue as unreason- , able, and -objected most forcibly t» its inclusion in .'-tHe'Ar.t. 'Now. they; speak of it in the airiest manner. And still further... restrictions' are threatened. The parjy; .-docs not jfaily question,'.but' one'-of'its organs"seriously proposed 'that the-use-of tobacco should be : ',interfered with.' Goodness' knows whore they will end. I'am.sure that tho people domot intend ihe'Dominion to be regarded'as a ; joke r by the rest Sf the oivilised:"world(: and'that is what ;, it ha 3 been ,v" gradually.' ' becoming " : in ■ this connection. ■ It is' -anticipated that at; the.;., next poll an even greater majority, -will ' signify;' ' their , approval ofi allowing-the'existing conditions to remain- unaltered, because the. education ..of the"- people regarding the extreme demands' ot 'a minority 'has grown apace during' the last 20 years, whilst' tho moderate man looked on "complacently, never believintr that the influence iof ■•■ constant reiteration could bring ..about ■ theso extraordinary' results ,in . a . portion : of'' the British Empire. • The: "■ time ■'' has coirc," 4 continued - -'."Mr':'''' 'Keriwt. "wiian a sober, highiy-ediicate'd > community will not permit &' minor 'section to control its daily-habits; -social life,,and those affairs held to bo tho right'of every Englishman so long as its nctipns'are strictly proper and legal. At the present time thero are laws .in existence whibh ensure that—if he breaks them he must be penalised, and'very properly, so. It seems extraordinary to mo that. one portion of tho community should bo picked out for, a sustained. attack, when ihere may exist other fields of action for surplus energy. It is very much liko the old'lady in England who recently left a largo sum of -money for the conversion of the Hindus arid Chinese from their owu religion, and customs, whilst there were cases of dire distress at her very door.

"It would appear from tho results of the polling that tho old feeling of irresponsibility has passed away, and tho man or woman who would 'give it a trial' without tho slightest notion of its farreaching effects is commencing to realise that they might go too far with disastrous consequences. - • ■ "I have correspondents in tho Old Countrv with very large interests indeed, apart altogether from the liquor business,who have expressed the greatest alarm at the,.extraordinary trend of affairs in tho ]>oinir.ion, so sharply, checked at yesterday's poll. Inquiry showed that intending > investors wore genuinely alarmed at the- experimental laws which were enacted here from time to time at the bidding of faddists—laws which might at any. moment jeopardise the credit of the country and cause restlessness, -because Home •investors,'-as is well known, do not caro to "change tho nature of their securities,- having once decided -on- a; policy. The financial world is very sensitive, and rather than incur a risk consider it would bo preferable to place their investments iu countries where such freakish conditions do not obtain."-

AUIANCE leaders inspirited. / "THE FINAL CAMPAIGN." No-Licenso leaders who' were interviewed yesterday agreed in hailing the big vote polled on Thursday for National Prohibition aa a splendid victory for their party. They were also unanimous in expressing regret that the parly had not triumphed in an equal degree 'in the fight for local No-License. ' ; ' ■ • The Kov. J. Dawson (Alliance secretary) Baid that, with his colleagues, ho felt somewhat disappointed at tho failing to carry local No-License in somo of the electorates, hut was greatly cheered by the magnificent National vote. "We conclude," said Mr. Dawson, "that this is tho final death-knell of the liquor traffic." A- feature of the polling is that many voters have apparently cast their votes in favour of National Prohibition and against,local No-License. In this regard Mr. Dawson remarked that the policy of tho'Allianco would not be altered in any wav. It would continue to push for both local No-License and National Prohibition right to tho end. A ui.wtinff of the executive would he held forthwith, he remarked, to decide what should bo done in connection with tho second ballots. Members of tho No-License party considered that the splendid majority for National Prohibition justified, them in pressing for the Tcmoval of the three-fifths handicap, and they intended to make their rights felt in connection with the .second ballots. They were determined that during the next session of Parliament the handicap nnder which No-License supporters _ had laboured for the last eighteen years snould be removed. Mr. Dawson concluded by stating that a start would bo made at once upon preparations for the final campaign and for the complete ront of. tho liquor traffic in 1911. The Kev. W. J. Comnc, president of tho Alliance, concurred in what Mr. Daw. pon'had said. Uo was sorry, he remarked, that people had to such a large ex-

tent overlooked tho local option issue thus forfeiting considerable gains which might havo accrued in the near future. If Nalional Prohibition were carried in 1911 it would not como into forco until 1919, whereas, if people had voted No-Li-cense in tho samo way that they had voted National Prohibition, a large number of districts would hare been dry in 1912 which now could not bo cleansed of tho liquor traflio until 1915 and, if tho law was not altered, until 1919. "Undoubtedly," said Mr. Conine, "we attach most importance to National Prohibition, but wo are not going to give up tho local issue. Wo shall put 'our strength bath to that and to carrying National Prohibition."

Mr. F. \V. Isitt also expressed regTet that the concentration of votes on the National issue had given 'he liquor trade an extended lcaso of life. Every year given to it, ho said, meant at least a thousand deaths due to drink. This, he declared, was understating the ease by a long way. "People corao lo us with their sorrows," continued Mr. Isitt, "and we know what is being done. Tho pooplo do not know what has boon already accomplished. Balclutha, when I came to tho Dominion, was known as 'Balswipey' and it deserved the name. Many a man in those days lost his lifo in (ho swift flowing Cltitha as a result of getting- drunk. Apart front the ovil offects resulting from tho use of drink, in extinguishing tho traffic wo shall be killing ono of tho ugliest monopolies that ever existed. It is sickening to see some of our leading public men profiting by such a trade—a trade .that has been productive of innumerable deaths and deaths preceded by degradation."

ITS NEST CAMPAIGN. . A special meeting of tho New Zealand Alliance was held last night, to make preparations for what they regard as tho final campaign. The meeting was largely attended and very enthusiastic. In view of the fact that so many second ballots have to bo taken next week, the following resolution -was unanimously adopted:— "That, in tho opinion of tho executive of the New Zealand Alliance, tho time has como for' emphasising and . enforcing the reiterated protests of the No-License party against the three-fifths majority required for the carrying of No-Licenso and National Prohibition, as unjust, undemocratic, and intolerable. That tho executive reaffirms tho demand of the party for the application to all the issues of the bedrock democratic principle of majority rule; and that, it considers that no candidate at the second ballot to bo decided next,week is deserving of the support of. the party—which polled more than 260,000 votes on Thursday—who insists upon tho retention of tho oppressive handicap of the three-fifths majority."

OVERSHADOWING, HOW WILL IT GO IN 1911? (By Telccrapli.—Special Correspondent.. Auckland, December 8. The Licensing and National Prohibition polls yesterday were a stirpriso to both the Liquor and Prohibition parties here. Undoubtedly the Prohibitionists expected several victories under No-License, and were disappointed, but it is doubtful if either party anticipated tho overshadowing of the No-Liccnso polls by the national issuo. Tho Liquor party is viewing tho position with a great (leal of concern. Tho "Herald" this morning remarks:—' "No-Liccnso has mado slow but steady progress at overy election since 1899, and it was only natural to expect, in the light of past experience, that at least one or two further districts woidd 'go dry.' The introduction of the new national issue, however, seems, to have had a rather 'Peculiar result. .As, far as can be ascertained at present, the tendency throughout the Dominion has been for districts to desert the No-License issue in favour of the wider issue—National Prohibition. Several former strong No-Licenso electorates, including the four cities, have converted No-Licenso majorities into minorities for Continuance, but the sicnificant fact is that they have, at tho 6ame ; time, voted strongly for Prohibition. 'Although' the necessary three-fifths may. not be obtained at thisleieotiotu; ibis:<rmtoi.r>lttin>J that, in 1911, -Nationals-Prohibition -.Mlb be a proposal well within the realm- or" practical politics."

- MR. FRENCH'S OPINION. DISAPPOINTED AND PLEASED. (By Tckeraph. Press Association.' Auckland, December 8. Mr. E. French, chairman of the Executive of the Auckland Prohibition League, expressed himself in an interview with a reporter as disappointed with the result of the local option poll. While'expecting a large vote for National Prohibition, he was of opinion that electors who wished to seo National Prohibition would like to see the local vote come into operation at the expiration of the present, term, from- w'hich the licenses were granted. . ..,'.■

Turning to the.'question .of National Prohibition, Mr. French said that he thought that the results were magnificent,, showing unmistakably, that the people of New Zealand desired to get rid of a traffic that was so destructive to the true well-being of a nation.