THE LICENSING ISSUE

Evening Star, Issue 19062, 3 October 1925, Page 24

THE LICENSING ISSUE

DEPUTATION TO PBI9AE MISTED [Published bt Arrangement.] On Thursday, September -I, a large and influential deputation of the New Zealand Alliance waited upon the Hon. J. G. Coates, the Prime Minister, and, in view of the fact that ho had indicated, that Cabinet would consider the question of licensing legislation, the deputation laid its views before him. _ Mr John 1. Royds, President of the Von- Zealand Allianc", in bis opening address, pointed out that tho New Zealand incensing Reform Association bad very seriously misrepresented to the Prime Minister the aims and policy of the New Zealand Alliance. Mr Boyds pointed out that the only opposiii.on offered'by the Alliance to the Licensing Committee’s report was in connection with those recommendations that tended to increase facilities for drinking. The Alliance will at all times he willing to co-operate to the 1 ill lest extent with tho.se who desire to see the sale of liquor restricted and its consumption reduced. BKCCIMTY OF TENURE. Healing with (he pretence made by the licensed victuallers that security in the sale of liquor was necessary io ensure good hotel accommodation, Mr Royds said ; I now wish to deal with the question of security of tenure as bearing on accommodation winch was emphasised by all of the Jay members of the Licensing Reform Association deputation, and was tho one which you yourself apparently regarded as ■ of outstanding importance, as in your reported reply to the deputation you went into that quest ion more fully than any other. The first, point to be noted is that the New Zealand Alliance has . no designs upon the accommodation business of this dominion. Anyone desiring to enter into it or extend it can do so with perfect security as far as we are concerned. We only desire lo close the bar. Wc understand the trade to claim that selling accommodation is unprofitable and cannot bo undertaken unless the profits of selling liquor are assm-.-ated with it. That ina-y be true u some cases and untrue in others, hut we need not go into that, because if it is untrue they have no case, and if it is true it means that the trade is using the privilege of selling liquor at a high profit to sell accommodation at so low a price as to be unprofitable. It follows that those who have no license to sell liquor cannot profitably enter into the business of providing accommodation, That is a state of affairs which the members of the trade have voluntarily created, and which they can stop at any moment without legislation of any kind. But, sir, the outstanding thing to be noted in connection with this matter is that the licensed traders in liquor are the only people who have had the colossal impudence to officially approach the Government of this country asking for legislative protection to continue doing a thing which is made illegal by the laws of this country and for which other people have been prosecuted. ACCOMMODATION. You have a department specially charged with administering the law regarding the sale of goods, and I, as an importing merchant, have had the closest connection with it many times during the past twelve to fourteen years. Your officers have always insisted strictly on the principle that every line must stand alone: profits cannot be averaged. If two lines are sold at the same time to . the same buyer, and one of them yields more than a fair profit and one of them such a loss that the whole transaction is a loss, the seller is prosecuted for making more than a fair profit on the one line, and ia not allowed to plead justification that he made a loss on the other. If this is tho case where the same buyer buys both articles, and can hardly be said to have suffered by the transaction, what is to be said for what tho licensed victuallers admit doing for years past and ask your help to continue doing? It must be borne in mind that, whereas sixty or seventy years ago the great majority of people wanted both liquor and accommodation, the position is completely changed to-day. Many people want accommodation who never want liquor, and many people want liquor every day who go for years without wanting accommodation. This has been the case for many years, and there is no prospect of an alteration. As an indication of what may reasonably be expected to happen in the matter of accommodation when Prohibition has been carried in this country, I want to quote yon what the hotel proprietors of America say has happened there. On July 15, 1924., at their national convention in Cleveland, Mr John M. Howie, chairman of the Educational Committee of tho American Hotel Association, said : “ Hotel proprietors of America are throe to one opposed either the repeal or modification of the National Prohibition law. The Prohibition law raised tho hotel proprietor from the level of a saloon keeper and placed him on a level with any other legitimate business man.” . (Applause.) “His business to-day is better than, ever before. Last year now hotels costing 250 million dollars were built in this country.” And, again, the same man, on July 7 tins year, observed: — “ Since Prohibition, improvement in hotels in small towns and villages has especially been noted.” 1925 LEGISLATION. Mr Royds pointed out that out of consideration for the Government, in view of tho difficult political situation, and in view of the fact that the Alliance demands in connection with legislation were on record in 1923 and 1924, the Alliance had not made any special demand upon tho Government this year. A POLL AFTER PROHIBITION. Referring to that section of the 1918 Act which appears to exclude the possibility of a farther poll if Prohibition is carried, Air Royds said; — In 1924 a deputation of the Now Zealand Alliance to the late .Prime Minister asked that section 64 of tho 1918 Licensing Act, which provides that if Prohibition is carried “ no licensing poll shall at any time thereafter be taken in any district,” bo repealed, so that the people might have an opportunity of voting again on the liquor question after having given Prohibition a fair trial. We lake this opportunity of making the same request to you. (Applause.) Tiie most fundamental principle was. that complete control of the liquor traffic with power to continue or to abolish it by direct vote must be vested in the electors. The whole Prohibition party was directly opposed to any attempt to substitute the Act of the Legislature for the decision of the people. Tho adoption of Prohibition by any method other than that of the referendum would ho wrong in principle, provocative in its social influence, a ml productive of grave administrative difficulties. A principle was that the continuance or abolition of tho liquor traffic must be determined in accordance with the will of the majority. Though recognised by the Legislature, that principle was not yet in complete operation. Under existing conditions, with the so-called third issue on the ballot paper, it was impossible to ascertain what'.the will of the majority actually was, and it was highly probable that the will of the minority was at present prevailing against tho

will of the majority. If one-fourth, or 8,932 only, of the 35,727 votes cast for State purchase and control in 1922 had been cast for Profilin'-, lion, then Prohibition would have secured an absolute majority. It was at least likely that that number of i bird-issue voters desired Prohibition rather than continuance. The maintenance of the third issue meant the maintenance of a provision that effectively defeated the attempt to as- j certain tho will of the majority, and it was submitted that there was no justification for its retention. The Alliance therefore pressed for its , elimination ami for the submission ol tho two issues of National Continuance and National Prohibition only, j Tiie Alliance regarded as essential | the maintenance of triennial polls and provision for enforcement oi Prohibition immediately on the close of the license year in which it wa- i carried, and the speaker urged that the lengthening of the period between the polls and tho grant of am. such concession as a four-year peri' of grace after Prohibition was carried would seriously curtail the poire: of the electors ami so violate' (In principles for which the Albania stood. The Alliance stood for tin reform of the traffic while it continued, for every amendment tlnr would lessen the evils associated will it, and for strict enforcement of tin law when Prohibition was carried | “Wo repudiate as immoral Ur , policy, sometimes attributed to mof allowing the evils to continue a their worst in the nope that reactio; will secure an early adoption of Pro hibition,” affirmed the speaker. , . . We have been charged with seekim to capture Parliament for our owi ends. The charge is a grotesque one The facts are that a _ determined and web-organii-e attempt is being made t curtail tho control and to destroy th power of tho electors over tho liquo traffic, and that the New Zeaf.-r | Alliance has adopted a policy that i I both sound and reasonable by wlm I it hopes to defeat this attempt. Piy | posals have been made that, if the; I wore adopted, would reduce the vo I I g power or the electors, make | ■ do for Prohibition totally ineflV ■ for four years, and give socurit tenure to the liquor traffic h rteen years. ... ATMS OF THE ALLIANCE. Tho policy of the New Zealand A banco can be expressed in a sente nc It is to make public the nature all proposals affecting the liquor tra fie, to ascertain the attitude town re such proposals of all candidates h Parliament, and to make that atl tude known to all electors concerns The Alliance is not affiliated to ai party. It will not give support i any party. It will act with stiv impartiality, and the records an answers of candidates will ho pu lishod without comment.. . We r cognise that the final decision m th matter must be made by the ole tors and we rely in confidence upr the good judgment and deterrmnatu of an adequately informed domocrac to safeguard its rights . . . On thing is certain, the New Zealam Alliance cannot, and will not, reuiai inactive in tho face of an attac that if successful would involve th betrayal of democracy in the intei ests of the liquor traffic. It must 1 admitted that the policy we hav adopted is sound in principle am fair and reasonable in operation That policy will be pursued wit energy and thoroughness tkroughou New Zealand. (Applause.)