LIQUOR BILL

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 September 1917, Page 5

LIQUOR BILL

GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSALS.

A VOTE UP IRE PEOPLE

STATE COE TRUE AS NN ISSUE-

PROHIBITION WITH OUALPEJN SATTUJN.

VOTES EOll SOLDIERS

lily Electric Telegraph—Special to "Star

WELLINGTON, This Day

There is a "Towing- likelihood before the present session closes that a Bill will be submitted to the House with the object ot eliminating- from politics the hampering- effects which the liquor question at present exercises on the country’s more important issues.

Both leaders clearly indicated last week their opinions that a solution can only be found in a referendum, Sir Joseph Ward declaring- definitely in favor ot a, poll within the next few months.

iXo mention was then made- of State control, but there is a strong- probability that when the Bill appears it will contain three proposals for submission to the plebiscite, viz:—

under ilio

(1) Continuance existing- system (2) Totul prohibition with adequate compensation; and (o) State control.

E(’(‘lino- in flip House is tlnii prohibition would be curried it' now submitted, though soldiers' votes will be taken into consideration, but a considerable section expresses the belief that the country would favour State control under a Hoard of Commissioners as would ’be more likely to guard against the evils of illicit trading-, and at tiie same time protect the .Treasury from a heavy drain in (he way of compensation liabilities at a time when the country is In urgent need oP all its financial need for war purposes.