LICENSING POLL

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 93, 14 January 1929, Page 11

LICENSING POLL

Sir,—Your, correspondent "Jay Dee” having blundered grievously, and publicly displayed his ignorance of Press affairs, now tries to justify himself. The facts are that he asserted that the New Zealand Press Association sent out a message which stated that. at the licensing poll "Prohibition was on tjie ballot in the form of a referendum as to whether it should be continued or whether a licensing system should be adopted.” I pointed out the falsity of "Jay Dee's” assertion by telling your readers that the New Zealand Press Association never sent out that or any other message about the licensing poll to places outside New Zealand. Apparently “Jay Dee’s” intelligence fails to comprehend the simple fact that we cannot vote on the question as to whether prohibition shall be continued until we have first adopted it. "Jay Dee” would, have us believe that all that han happened is some slight misconception in the U.S.A. Yet is it not singular that the Canadian Press, and even the British Press, should exhibit this same misconception? Take the London “Daily Mail” over November 15. It contains a message headed, "Wellington, N.Z., Wednesday,” which says: "The licensing referendum indicates a considerable set-back for the continuance of prohibition.” The "continuance” of prohibition, be it noted. This cablegram is ascribed to Reuter, yet Reuter's agency here assure me that they simply cabled the facts, and "made no reference to prohibition being continued or discontinued.” Now, what possible interest can benefit by this misrepresentation? One only —the liquor traffic. If the rest of the world can be given the impression that New Zealand has tried prohibition and abandoned it. then maybe that will help to postpone the abolition of the liquor traffic elsewhere. The object of misrepresenting the New Zealand position, the object of misrepresenting the U.S.A, position and other places in cable news, is to hamper the growing sentiment all over the world against the liquor traffic. The result of the false cable news is that we_ are receiving requests, for the facts. Not that our friends in the U.S.A, have any anxiety as to the ultimate outcome. Prohibition there has triumphantly justified itself, the people have endorsed it on a national referendum, and have elected a Congress drier than ever. But the liquor advocates there, as here, are prone to quote inaccurate cablegrams in their propaganda in the effort to dislodge prohibition sentiment, and naturally, others besides the Anti-Saloon League (which knows the truth) want to know whether the facts are as cabled —I am, etc., J. MALTON MURRAY. Executive SecreFary, New Zealand Alliance. Wellington, January 10. r ‘ __ I