THE PROSPECTS FOR NOLICENSE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 122, 23 May 1908, Page 4

THE PROSPECTS FOR NOLICENSE.

MR ISITT HOPEFUL.

fBY TKLEGBArH. — PBESS ASSOCIATION.) ASHBUKTOtf, 22nd May. The Rev. Frank W. Isitt, secretary of_ the New- Zealand Alliance, to-day? told a representative of th© Guardian that the No-license, party throughout th§ Dominion were hopeful with respect ti> the coming- local option' poll,' an<t jpera working with an energy th*£ justified! hopefulness. Th© party recognised * that it had) an, unknown quantity to' cleali with in the immigrants of the past three years, and it fully appreciated the strength of its opponents, but still felt that the present outlook was better than that oi any previous similar occasion. ' He contended that there tadi been a steady development of 'No-license sentiment throughout the British Empire* and in America, and that this could not fail to carry weight in tne Dominion. He was particularly hopeful in regardl to Taranaki, but fe&red -that part " ofl Taumarunui, boing attached to the Waitara electorate, might spoil -what.migbfc otherwise p'ruvo to be a No-license provincial districtSpeaking in favour, of a bare tnajority, while not mentioning Ashburton, he said he did not see how democratic principles could be reconciled with any other posi-v tion, or that anything could be said in favour of the advantages that a thref>fifths majority gave his party of holding! an electorate by^a minority vote. t)o» minion option', in addition to the present local option,- was required, and should x be determined! by a bare majority. Ganaidates.at the enfeuing election would >ti» presented with" a series of questions i» this connection. In reply to an enquiry as to how hla party liked the recent deliverance of 'Mr! ■> I M'Gowan, Minister for Justice, in regard to clubs, Mr. Isitt said: "Of course, we are , exceedingly sorry that the Minister for Justice should go ' out of his way to speak of working men's clubs as beneficial ' institutions: It ia within my knowledge that in one of the clubs the hfttf'y.s(airliy repoitt Bhowed that over £5000 had Been spent on liquor and less i-han £10 on. Htera-ture. In that- club the club charter works havoc' While they are obliged to close the club bar at 10 p.m., when the cityhotel bars are closed, members { > can drink till' the morning by taking advantage of the locker system, and not a, few of them do." "Speaking generally. of this Cabinet," 1 Mr. Isitt concluded, ■ "we Bold absolutely aloof from political parties, and I have nothing to say of the present Govern* ment that' I should! not* expect to say if the Opposition, took office. I do say, though, that I haven't £he least fear that we 1 should be cheated in any way by the present Government, as we uo» doubtcdly have been by some."