THE LICENSING BILL.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 101, 26 October 1904, Page 5

THE LICENSING BILL.

♦ — PASSED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. LABOUR AND PROHD3ITION. Although several members of the Legislative Council had given notice to move the re-committal of the Licensing Bill, the measure passed its final stages yesterday afternoon. The Attorney-General moved the third reading without further remark. 1 The Hon. W. M. Bolt said that with respect to the club clause, he thought it would not be advantageous to the cause of reform to carry that clause in its present shape. He thought that the clause was unwise, and accordingly moved to recommit the Bill to consider the question, of clubs again. The amendment was opposed by the Hon. J. Rigg, who said that although there were things in the Bill which he could not approve of, yet there were clauses in it which made it a useful measure. An analysis of the Bill would, he contended, show that, it was a brewer's Bill. While people said that two parties were interested — "the Trade" and the Prohibition Party — they omitted to note that "The Trade" consisted of two parties— the brewers and the publicans. Under the Bill the concessions to the public were inconsiderable when compared with the concessions to the brewer. As- for the Prohibitionists, they got nothing. The Council should consider ite position, and should think of the great moderate party. At the next election tne moderates would say to the Government that if it did not give them what they desired they would give it no license. He expressed astonishment at tne blindness of the Premier, who failed to see that the whole tide of public opinion^ was going against the liquor monopoly. It was clear that while dissension between the Prohibition and the Labour parties would give the re-, aotionaiy party its opportunity, yet if an alliance between these two great parties were brought about, they would win all along the line, and the result would' be for the benefit of the colony. He thought such an alliance could ba , brought about, although the prejudice against Prohibition would prevent its consummation at first. The objects of tha Prohibition Party were purely democratic, and "they used purely demoeratk) means, 'iney did not ask that the people should be made prohibitionists by law, but should settle the question by their votes. The question only required to be understood before the workers of the colony would see the advantage of such an alliance. If such an alliance took place the workers of the colony would give the Prohibitionists the right of a bare majority at local option polls. This alliance he would do nis utmost to bring about, and he would endeavour to break down the influence of "The Trade" with the Government. The Hon. J. M. Twomey said there was very little hope of an amalgamation between the Prohibitionists and the Labour Party, because two-thirds of the Prohibitionists were Conservatives, and were opposed ,to liberal and progressive measures. Coming to the Bill itself, it was plainly a "sly grog" Bill, and it provided wonderful facilities for drunkenness. The Attorney-General said a material • concession had been made to the Nolicense Party in the provision that a poll shall not be voided unless the Magistrate is satisfied that any irregularities therein, tended materially to affect the fairnes£ thereof. Other prßvisions which' were concessions* to the Prohibitionists were the clauses defining the effect of no-licensa and the proscribing of the King Country and Cook Islands. The hotelkeeper had received concessions, in particular the club clause. The only advantage gained by the brewers was the non-inclusion of certain proposed restrictions on "tied" houses. * The suggested alliance between the Labour and Prohibition parties was alluded to by the Hon. G. Jones, who urged that conservatism and the liquor traffic always went together. As evidence in favour of his argument he quoted the British Licensing Bill, which gave everything to "The Trade" and nothing to the people. If the workers of the colony formed an alliance with the Prohibition Party they would be doing a reasonable and beneficial thing. If any one suffered from the drink traffic it was the worker.The Bill would leave matters much as they were, with the exception that the Council had made amendments which made it worth the paper it was printed on. Yet in many of the clauses the Government had made shameless surrenders of principle. The Hon. F. H. Fraser, in the course of his speech, said that the present Government had done a good deal for temperance reform, and that if it were deposed by the Conservatives, the reforms would not be obtained. He hoped the Bill — which wns good as far as it went would not be tinkered with any further. The amendment wrs tkea lost by 20

votes to 10, and the Bill was read a third ' time and passed on the voices,) When the Bill was reported from the legislative Council to the House, it was greeted with a chorus of laughter and applause. The Premier said he would not ask the Houso to consider the Bill until it had been printed, so as to clearly show the alterations th^t had been made. He would make his proposals with regards to the amendments to-day.