TANEATUA LICENSE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 263, 26 July 1918, Page 7

TANEATUA LICENSE

PROTEST BY ALLIANCE | At the meeting of the New. Zealand Alliance Executive held on Wednesday the following motion was pnssci : "That the attention of the AttornejGeneral he called lo tho lact that tho Taneatua license was granted in spue ot the strongest evidence n;;uinsfc it, tendered bv such unimppaehahlc and unbmseu witnesses as the following: The lublic Worlas Engineer and the assistant engineer, who stated that the granting ol a license would be highly detrimental to UlO railway worker?. and the interest. Inspector Sheeh-in, who pveaictod great trouble with the Lravera Natives, and stated that it would be nece*sary to station an experienced constablo there if the license were granted. H? expressed the opinion that 110 committee was justified in granting tho present application at the. present time, sergeant Ferguson and Constablo Cumuiings, who strongly opposed tho application, and stated "that they were unaware of any shortage of accommodation. To Powhare, an influential Ruutoki Native, formerly chairman and for seventeen years a member of tho Jlaori Native Coujcil, wlu) ha*l lwon deputed by a general meeting of four tribes to oppose tho granting; or a license on their behalf. Tho Bishop of Waiapu ivroto protesting against tho lieenso on the ground that it would bo a gravo menace to the I r re«'era Natives. "That the only evideneo submitted in favour of the application was tendered by tho brother of the applicant a garage propcritor, and nn agent who collected .signatures in favour ot a license. "That tho Magistrate as chairman of tho committee stated the following reasons for voting ngainst the license: (J) Tho evidence did not show that a lieenso was required. (.2) The evidence showed that a boardinghonso without « license was quite sufficient. (!)) Tho menace to tho Natives was real. His own experience showed tho terrible havoc wrought by liquor amongst the Maoris, (d) There were already too many facilities for Natives to get liquor. Tho proximity of Taneatna to tho Urowera would make matters worso. (a) Th'o universal tendency to-day was to restrict tho consumption of liquor during tho war; for example. C o'clock closing and anti-shout-in". To grant tho application would traverse this principle. Moreover, it was obvious that the Artiamnri lioitso did not pav, but the Taneatua license was being sought because of the increased consumption of liquor it would pay. (G)'ln the face of tho example of the woAl's, leaders in abandoning consumption ot liquor, lie could not conscientiously support tho granting of the application. "That on Juno 13, when the application for, the license was first made, although no other lieenso in the district had then lapsed, the committee granted an adjournment for the. expressed and admitted purpose of dropping an unprofitable liconse in -a place about 10U miles, away in order to get one at Taneatua. "That tho alliance protests against this ilttgriuit defiance of the clear intention of the Licensing Act. and submits that in this caso, as also 111 that of tne Ohiwi license, wlich was romoved to Manutahi, on the East Coast, a district largelv populated by Natives, there is such "clear evidence of strong bias, and even of collusion between several members of tho committeo and tho liquor trade, that a searching inquiry should be nnule into the whole circunistancca immediately.

"That a copy of the above ba sent to tho Acting-Prime Minister, the AttonieyGenernl. the Minister of Justice, and tho Hon. "\V. D. S. MacDouald, member for tli" electorate." Tn referenco to llsis niattor the Minister of Justice stated yesterday that as soon as lie noted the decision mado by tho Licensing Committee this license be forwarded the matter to the Koii'jitor-Cieneral for his opinion. The Solicitor-General was awaitinj; some further information bel'orc he reported.