THE LICENSED TRADE

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 42, 17 August 1918, Page 4

THE LICENSED TRADE

"SOLUTION MUST BE FOUND"

DECISIONS OF NATIONAL

COUNCIL.

Ab a meeting of the National Couiioil of New Zealand (which is representative of all branches of the licensed trade) the statements of the Prime Minister (Mr. Massey) and Sir Joseph Ward (Minister of Finance) to the effoct that a proper solution of the licensing'question would! have to be found, wera considered ; and in view of the demands of the extremists on the one hand for "any mediate prohibition with reasonable compensation to the parties affected" (which is the expression of the Efficiency Board), and of the demands of the Moderate League and the Labour Party on the other hand for national ownership and control of the licensed trade, the National Council decided :—

(1) While deprecating any division of the electors of this Dominion in the critical stages of the great war on such a controversial question as the continuance or extinction of the licensed trade, realising that we have already been called upon to make great communal and individual sacrifices, and while desiring in the general welfare that this issue should be left alone till after the war, we consider that in view of the demands referred to, some reasonable basis of solution of the question should be discovered for submission to the electors at the next General Election.

(2) Viewing these considerations, it is patent that the present ballot paper does not afford opportunities for the expression of that public opinion which has grown up around the licensing question. Those who favour continuance (being in a majority of 10,236 at the last election) are presumably satisfied with the existing system of licensing; those» favouring No-license may or may not be prohibitionists, but may be merely dissatisfied with the present methods, either as regards licensing as a system, or in regard to private ownership; and among those who vote for Prohibition there are many who, although not total abstainers themselves, yet desire a change, in the present system. Therefore, the National Council resolves : —(a) That a fair, just, and reasonable solution of the question cannot be obtained until the present ballot papers have been revised so as to remove existing disabilities, and all electors have been given an opportunity to record a logical and consistent vote; (b) with that object in'view, the National Council of New Zealand approves of, and pledges its support to, a petition to Parliament praying for the repeal of the existing ballot papers (which are an. anomaly) and to replace theni by a single ballot paper providing for the following issues : National Continuance National Ownership National Prohibition.

One vote should only be exercised by each voter; a bare majority of the total votes recorded to decide the issue. The National Council has therefore drawn up a petition to Parliament embodying these points, which it has confidence in asking the public to sign, with the view to finding a proper solution of the licensing question at the next General Election.