LICENSING MATTERS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 48, 26 February 1906, Page 7

LICENSING MATTERS.

THE Qt/ESTION OF OLUD OHAUTEUS. LOCAL OPTION RETURNS. , A deputation from the Executive of the New Zealand Alliance waited on the Hon. A. Pitt, Acting-Colonial Secretary, this morning to lay before him some matters affecting that organisation. Rev, J, Dawson (Chairman) said the first qttestlon wns the granting of club ! ohwl«r» in several districts almost immediately after the local option poll. Viewed from the standpoint of the Alliance, that seemed to he unnecessary and quite contrary to the wish** of the people as shown at the poll, from the neiwspapers they understood that charters had been granted at Gliding, Hastings, ' and MaslerteH, and they understood that there was one at Napier. Hie application for a charter at Feilding had been opposed for very_ many years, and at the last poll the voting was— For continuance 1807, for no license 2634, or within about 150 6f earrylria ho He«ns*. In JVildlng town the voting was— For continuance 386, for no license" 467 ( and tha people felt It was an outrage that this should be thrust upon them. At Masterlon tho votina was— For continuance 2144, for no license* 3056, or nearly one-third more. In Hawkes Bay the voting was more nearly equal, but «yen so there was a majority of some 200 in favour of no license. In view of the sentiment and conviction of the people as expressed at the ballot-box, that was quite contrary to the democratic idea that these increased facilities should be afforded' for procuring drink. Another matter wan thw, that certain patent medicines were being gold which they believed really came under the excise law on account' of th« quantity , of alcohol , they contained. One traj» said to contain 33 per cent, and the other 60 p*r cent, of alcohol. If that wn« wrreot the Government ought to protect the public in the matter, : Key, ,F. W. ttitt «aid h« desired to bring be/ore tie Minister the Inaccuracy of the- Uoeiwing poll retnim It was, he declared, a safe thing to say that there never had been a correct record of the licensing polls from the beginning. ,It was easy to Me, comparing- the rotiims In the Government Year Book, that there had been tho utmost looseness in the records with regard, to invalid ballotpapers. He thought he was right In saying that ono year they were Included Jh the totals j this year they ww-e not inobded, but the Returning Officers' at M(it«den and Wolpawa had persisted iv putting them In against protest. Then the Government ' Garotte published on l3th,FeDnirtry by authority emphasised the fact thai) there 1 was no card in the Mturns, It put In. a column, "Number ai ftilld Votes recorded." There was no record of the valid Votes recorded j they were the voter*. It seemed trifling, but it was serious thnt the Department itself should 1 fnoMtwe the confusion that existed in the* pubilo Mind between votes "and voters. They had to win by « majority ot the votenj they could only get a retfofd of the voters. The result of the poll a* declared by the Returning Officer was also shown, but in no instance wh« it shown that continuance wa» carried, although there were seventeen electorates in which continuance was cttfrted. The> trouble of the Alliance woa that it could not get accurate returns; abd he woe afraid in some, cases thai it was dv©Ho the" appointment of unsuitable men. A thefmighly, rsHpectable wan who wad a scrutineer on behalf; of the license patty at one i electorate told him that the sympathies ofthe flattening.' Officer" ni ths booth at which ' he wag engaged were shown by the foot that whe"ri ifc 'transpired* that there had ieen a small victory for the BoMleeW party he remarked r"Ir "I suppose you think you wore olover to get this result?" Such ft man, said Mr, liitts, was not fit fop the imrtartiitl position of a Returning Officer It wtw iwrioßi in that ease, because the Returning Officer deliberately offered thl# scrutineer £30 if he would ( connive at certain dishonest practices, He declined, and had to watch the Re-, turning Officer like a lynx, He would! take up. «ay"i seventeen papers and call them fifteen, If it had been, possible to I get corroborative evidence the Alliance could have dealt with it. That, how[ever, wa» impossible, and he only told •the Minister ahmt« it ma a reason for | asking very earnestly that more care should be exeretoed In some cases in the ftppointnwnfc of theiie officers. There ! ww still lows men diWharging Ih6gd duties who weie .absolutely lißtlt for, the ptwitlon. The man In question would fie prepared, to maltt a statement on tile , subject, , ' The Rev. 3. Dawson said he had heard that an application was to be made for ft charter afc BKtoMwi, They, respectfuliy WofMted ftgatosi that being &m*. The Minister, In reply, admitted that proyMlonaleharteri had wen granted at Feilding, Hastings, and Masterton, and there were, he ihotight, some others, They would, remember that Sir Joseph , I Ward in years gone by had «tld that , until the licensing laws were altered, no Additional club charters would be granted, <wd these application* and a num- ■ -bsr of others were hung itp until an ' alteration" was made 1 in the lnw\ because. At that time thfoe-wos no limit to the 7 hdurs dnririg which liquor could Ire sold, 6t. anting, whloh the cinbs cottld keep open. However, the Licensing Act , Amendment Act, 1904. brought the clubs wtc line with the hotels as regarded the hour* during which liquor could be sold, and also A$ to Sunday sellliig, and then the Csbifle 1 * reviewed the apjj Ilcatlbfls which had been made for club charters, The matter was referred to tho Ooloninl Secretary to tital with, arid after very careful enquiry hd saw his W to grant the charted to which he had referred, Other ap-pllealldni were refused, and there Were also at present under consideration one or iwo others which he did not think he was going too far in saying would also hi refused. The Colonial Secretary did not deal; with such applications except after very careful enquiry, and satisfying himself that there would be no Impropriety in grant- { ing them. Ho could' assure them that every application for n otub charter was now brought by the Colonial Secretary before Cabinet, and the matter was' very keenly discussed there before any application was granted, The Government was fully alive to the responsibility that rested upon Ifc in the matter, In regard 16 patent medicines, ho reminded the deputation that Sir Joseph Ward tut Colonial Secretary Issued a regulation under tho Public Health Act, requiring the foimula of each patent medicine to be lodged with the Health Department, and they would remember the storm of protest that ar<we from the patent medicine vendors throughout the colony, Considerable pressure wan brought to bear upon tho Government in the matter) that pressure* succeeded to some extent, and the regulation was altered accordingly, As regarded tho particular medicin<M to which they had referred, ho would call the attention of the Commissioner of Customs to the matter. He would Jay before Cabinet the representation* of tho deputation with regard to the local option poll returns, and he would also consult with the Chief Electoral Officer on the subject. That ofHcor would no doubt tell 'j

him that the Department was dependent upon the returns frorri tho Returning Officers although ho (the Minister) quite admitted that the return which appeared ifl the Gazette was to some extent misleading. As regarded the conduot of any Returning Officer, they would recognise that he could not ttike i any action upon ail anonymous communication. He must have some definite information before he could take any action. He could assure the deputation that very close examination was mado as to the qualifications of the Returning Officers, tut far as the Government could do it. The Government might be misled, or Induced, perhaps by local representation, to appoint somebody who. perhaps might turn out to be unfit for his duties. As soon as they found out that that was so, he could assure them that the Returning Officer was not allowed to remain theja. As regarded tho proposed club charter at Brooklyn, he had heard nothing whatever of tho matter, but they 1 might rest assured that no charter would be granted there or anywhere else unlesa the Government was satisfied that it was right and proper that it should be eranted. \ fteV. f. W. laitt said his informant as to the conduct of a Returning Officer was willing to make an oral statement to the Minister. Hon. A. Pitt i I should like a written ♦tatemen^. _ mM make a written statement, and present It to you.