THE PROHIBITIONISTS.

Evening Post, Volume LIII, Issue 4, 6 January 1897, Page 6

THE PROHIBITIONISTS.

THEIR VIEW OF THE RECENT OPTION POLL. THE PROGRAMME OF FUTUEE ACTION. The Secretary to the Executive of the Prohibition Council for the Southern part of this Island, which has its head-quarters at Palmerston North, has issued the following circular letter : — Fellow-workers, — The Executive for the Wellington, Hawkes Bay, and Taranaki Prohibition Council desires your consideration of the following statement : The recent licensing poll has proved that three-sevenths of the voters of the colony desire the abolition of, the liquor traffic. In five electorates — Marsden, Hawera, Pahiatua, Bruce, and Clutha — a majority vote for "no license" was cast. In other five electorates — Taranaki, Egmont, Patea, Waiapu, and Waitaki— the minority of the " no license" vote was very small. There are at least 37 members of the new House of Eepresentatives favourable to temperance reform legislation. A better result would have been recorded if our party had been more thorough and systematic in the enrolment of supporters and in bringing them to the poll. We also suffered great ,loss from the confusion of votes for candidates and on' the licensing question. Publicans, brewers, and others interested in the liquor traffic made most strenuous and, in some instances, very nefarious efforts in selfdefence. In any case they secured the support of .thousands who \vould assent to the abolition of drink, but who lacked conviction to vote against existing licenses. Our future lines of action must be — (1) Systematic house-to-house visitation 'by trained workers to diffuse temperance principles and enrol supporters; (2) hearty maintenance of existing organisations; (3) strengthening the W.C.T.U. forces; (4) securing young people who will be "of age" before next poll; (5) gaining more pledged abstainers; (6) wide circulation of our literature; (7) judicious use of the press; (8) to avoid offence to the " weak " {he term " Abolition " should .displace "Prohibition"; (9; the " in-all-seasons " advocacy of our principles in social intercourse. We must demand of Parliament, early in the first session— (l) The re-introduction of last year's Licensing Amendment Bill with (a) the removal of the " Eeduction " question from the voting paper, (6) the separation of the Electoral and Licensing Polls, and (c) the simple majority to decide the issues; (2) " touting " by party-agents at polling booths to be made illegal; (3) all revenue pertaining to the licensing of the. Liquor trade to be colonial and not local. ' AN OPINION FEOM THE OTHEE SIDE. Analysing the voting in the late local option polls for the colony, the Otago Daily Times finds that, on reasonable assumptions, 130,675 persons voted for continuance of licenses, 95,836 for prohibition, and 20,771 for reduction. In 1894 only 106,299 vote? were recorded. On 4th December, 253,272 persons voted, . or considerably more than double the number. Yet the no-license vote has not been doubled, the numbers being 48,606 against 95,826. The vote for continuance, on the other hand, is almost trebled, the numbers being 41,695 and 136,675. Prohibitionists must now recognise that other methods of reform than coercion are necessary. There is much reason for believing that their extravagances have put back the hands, of the clock of temperance reform for a considerable time. It now remains to relegate the question to its proper place as one of social reform, and withdraw it from the overshadowing position it has taken in politics.