LICENSING POLL

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 154, 27 December 1918, Page 7

LICENSING POLL

SOLDIER'S VOTES OVERSEAS

STATEMENT BY SIR JAMES

ALLEN

Last Saturday the president* of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association and the Moderate League interviewed the Aotiag-Prime Minister '; regarding the taking of soldiers' votes overseas and on returning transports in the special.licensing poll. It was urged that reasonable precautions should ha taken to enable the soldiers" to have a proper understanding of the issues; Sir James Allen has sent to the president of the Heturned Soldiers' Association a copy of a statement of the proposals to be submitted at the special licensing poll which has been cabled to London by the GovfTnment. "The Hieb. Commissioner, • ■ gayg gir Janiee, ' 'has been directed to print 30,000 copies of ,tne statement in London, and every electoral officer is to have * supply and to circulate them to soldiers. In addition, one hundred copies of the Act are being .posted' to-tne High Commissioner for similar use, bin. these copies will not probably be received in London Jh "time for, ships leaving England early in February it,r New Zealand.' 1 - The following is a copy' of the statement mentioned' in Sir James Allen's letter :~ . ........, ..„ ■AM^imi °f th? i Li=ensin S Amendment Act, 1918, provides for taking.;a special hcensmg p ol of all the Sectors ofNew Zealand (including members of the ExN^SnS""."llo^;l36^^ 0W alternative. proposals are to be Sb bm}' t«d-namely (1) That National Prohibition, with compensation, shall come into force throughout New Zealand; and (2)-that licenses for- the sale of intoxicating liquor shall continue to < be granted.' ' '■..■•• • ; •a ■? Governor-General has fixed 10th April, 1919, as the date for taking the ■ ■ The result is to be determined by a ' majority of the total number of validvotes recorded. ' .... ,'. t,lf, .t, jl.e. reault is in favour of National' 1 rohibition ..with compensation, the de- ' termination will come into force on- 30tIi ■ June, 1919. On that date all licences of: any description then in fnrce in New Zealand will lapse, and cannot,' be're-" newed. It will be unlawful: to import into New Zealand, or to manufacture opsell, intoxicating liquor of 'any 'description except for medicinal, scientific,. Sacramental, or industrial purposes. Persons suffering financial loss by termination of the trade in intoxicating liquor are entitled to compensation • in accordance with principles defined^ i» ' the Act Section 2 fixes the aggregate limit of compensation as £4,506,000. The following persons and. no others are entitled to claim compensation—namely •.—(1) Brewers; (2> owners, lossees, and sublessees of hotel premises; (3) owners of furniture in hotel "premises ; (4) licensees of hotel premises; (5) holders of ivhplesale licenses; (6) chartered clubs; (7) winemakers; (8) maltsters and owners of hop-kilns; (9) owners of vineyards; (10) owners of hop-gardens; (11) brewers' servants, hotel servants, arid maltsters' servants. Claims for compensation are,to be de- a termined by specially constituted Compensation Courts. -„:■ If the result is in favour; of National Continuance, the trade in alcoholic liquor will continue, biit at the next ordinary licensing poll there will be submitted three proposals for decision by bare majority—namely:— ... (1) National Continuance. ; (2) National Prohibition without Com. pensation. . , (3) State purchase and control.