LIQUOR QUESTION

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 109, 9 May 1924, Page 7

LIQUOR QUESTION

TWCMSSUE BALLOT-PAPER

DEPUTATION TO MR. MASSEY

FROM NEW ZEALAND ALLIANCE,

A deputation of about; IQO/.members' of the New Zealand Alliance .waited on,the

Prime Minister to-'clay "to ask'for various

[amendments of the licensing law of the j Dominion. Chief among the requests

made was that' in future' 'Jicehsing polls

only two issues should be, submitted to tile people--Prohibiti6n <ir,.Continuance.

The deputation was introduced -by the Son;'j. X.G<^;*Jf:KC^-and the-speak-

ers were Mr. John.l. Royds, of Christchurch, president of the Alliance, and the. Rev, John Dawson, secretary. Op-

portunity was taken by Tslv. Dawsonto state . .that the Alliance .was ■willing' to allow the people to Jiave a further lefere'ndam ori tlie liquor question "afteri'.Prdhibition had been carried. The Alliance did not say that; once Prohibition was carried the':*:people-, should. not haye: a further opportunity .of "voting oil.* tlia liquor question. . • :"■''; ;'*..

Mr.- Royds' said the Alliance feitsthat there, was a greater need ; than' ever "for the abolition, of the' liquor- traffic,'but they- wanted, nothing done until the people, had .first of all expressed '.their opinion and a majority verdict Was given.

■NEVER \SO ALIVE:"

The Rev. Mr.' Dawson stated that the Prohibitionists were rieVer so alive' and determined to fight'the liquor traffic as they were to-day. (Ap'pMse.)-- They had the Dominion organised, as never before, and felt that-if the people could express themselves in ,a straightforward' way .they would give a. decision which would * surprise and delight the majbrity. ■ The first thing they asked' was'for^a' t\vo"-issue ballot-paper. Stato Confeol^ had! not re-

ceived a 6 psr cent, poll, and it was felt that many--who hajl voted that way would ha*re voted in fa\our of Prohibition if there had been no third issue sub--

mitted to them. For thirty years liquor polls hod been taken, but never ha-d they been unfettered. The Alliance wanted a. clean-cut issue put beiore the people,- and a new, clean-roll which should be' arranged on the polling booth , area principle. If people could not vote in their own district, then they might have an ,• absent voter's permit. Enrolment on the new roll should be made compulsory, and only Government officials should be al-

lowed to enrol the electors. Legislation was wanted in the coming session to amend the Finance Act in order to pievent Customs" officers granting brewery depot licenses. There should be only one licensing authority. It was also urged that there. should, be no separation of the licensing and Parliamentary polls. So fay as the King Country was concerned it was maintained th.it the agreement en-

tered into with the Maoris in 1883,. preventing the introduction of- liquor: there, should be lojally observed. It was'also urged that there should be no. extension of time between the polls, that was to say, the time should not be extended beyond three years. The Alliance was prepaied to give Prohibition .1 reasonable test after it had been carried, because it •nas a people's question. For that Tea!>oii the Alliance tisked that ihe clause vi the Act providing that, encel Prohibition was carried the issue should not again be placed before the people should ba lepcaled. Theie should be no ,redistiibution cf licenses ;md no inciease in facilities for'selling or consuming" liquor on. licensed premises or clubs. It was uiged ,-is well that the pi esc lit 6 o'clock clcsing law should be strict-y administered.

;PRIME MINISTER'S KBPLYv

In reply, theJ?rime'■Minister said that he ■w'onid : not .say: 'a...very, .great, deal at that stage, because .he must consult his colleagues, oil the chief issues raised! He Relieved licensinglegislation would come before the '.H6fi.se..in the coming session. So far as a new-roll was concerned, the proposal made -rather" "appealed" to-liijii, lor he' felf';'tKere'sh(sald'be a clean', roll, after every election. Ho was-favourable towards compulsory enrolment, but did not say that' he .would, put it into, tha Bill this year because he -would, like-to examine the proposal thoroughly.: He felt that holding the;; : two.. polls^Parlianientary and licensing— on the same^day had a very detrimental effect on-, the election of members ; of- Parliament.'.' It':was his -view.: that..the.,liquor p.oll .should.i.ba taken at a separate time -from'then-Par-liamentary election.-,.- He knew for- » fact that at-the last-election the country lost the services of many good men because of the two. polls haying been taken together. ■ . ■•■■'-. '.'-.-. A lady:; "It would mean more ex-, pense." ■ . '■■•;■■'..• .-,- . ".. -Mr. Massey replied that a licensing referendum had been taken on a special occasion ■'dniing'ftKcXwiv/;V-l-»v'l'.V,'".<;,'';-' "There'" is". :tn'idea:','':-proceededvMr. Massey, ;"that:it:'-"is:'not ■'■ necessary/ to have a Parliamentary,,' election "every three years, and. that being the case, it would extend the time so far as the licensing poll is concerned^, too;- 'I won't ■ any',,'opinion ; '.'.on' that, V:l.,' will leave that to Cabinet:1 l:dbn't.intend to give you very^nmchi^vl'^reierver/niy' opinion until the"'matter: _<:6me*s;!..before Cabinet. I know the other. -people;:*vruT come here in a week or two."

A A o'ce ' A difierent type, though " Air Mii>tej Well, I wont express auj upiinou on that ' (Laughter ) , 'Ihcy don t lepresent the num her of votes, sir,"-'remarked, another membei of the deputat on 'I wont di<=cu^ tint, eithei," replied Mr lla'sej

Slfi \IGHT ADMIMSTHYTION

Ihe Pume Minister added that he thought that thoso who were in favour of Prohibition would admit that they bid had fiir lcgisKtion and striight admiuistiatioiK He did not think that could bo dtmed Icm only lefer you to what took place in connection with 6 o cock closing" slid Mi Mv=se>

1 don t 1-now that I undo iriny ti lends thiough it, but the pLoposal was mine, and I tiling tho \eiv large Mi]Ont\ (f the people would'vote in favour of tin retention of 6 o'clock closing " Mi Mt;sb\ a^o said tint he did not tlnnk lie nnde raiuv fiiends when, during the depicsilon, it became liecLSbiry to double the 1 quoi tlutie- ' It had to bo done, ' sud Mi Miv>o\, "and when one <ees hi- uut\ j<; quite cloil Ihera is only 'one lhii c; to do, nnd Ilnt is, to go on with it I mi not to tell jou anj thing fuithei thi« lnoining ' V \oiu> Whit ibaul the two issue b >llot p^pei '

"Mi rUi^srj 'Tint is one of tho queitioi 1 wont c\p e^ ,i pu«oml opinion ibonl It -will be dealt with when the ]3i!l co no- boiote Cibiriet and before the Bill comes bofole tiia House 1 I no\ the point quiie well (Liughtei ) ll'eie lb more in it tlnn meets the eje, al' lvi'jlin" MJS In conclusion Ait Ma*sc\ th- iked Cio dcoitithm foi Jctnri; him off «o lighlh ' md <-aid tint it was quite po«ibk lli"t he -would lino Hid op\)Oi lumt\ of smug iw-l uf lnein before thf> keibla'iou \\iis hubliilUcJ to Parliament