King Country Chronicle Wednesday, May 6th, 1914 KING COUNTRY LIQUOR LAWS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 666, 6 May 1914, Page 4

King Country Chronicle Wednesday, May 6th, 1914 KING COUNTRY LIQUOR LAWS.

It is gratifying to see thai such an important question as the liquor traffic in the King Country ia attracting the attention of the men wu-o figure in the public life f<£ th 9 various centres. It ia to be hoped that the meeting of local bodies to be ender the auspices of the Backblocks Local Bodies' Assocatiion will attract a thoroughly representative gathering and that the question will be broadly discusaeed in ail its bearings. That room exists for a very great improvement in the conditions under which liquor is handled in the district ia common knowledge, and anything which would tend to an improvement would be welcomed by the -great majority of law-respecting people. At the same time the great difficulty of inducing people to take a calm and unprejudiced attitude in respect to the liquor question renders the work of a conference extremely difficult. How: ever, the great fundamental principles of democracy are paramount to all other interests in ibe State, and those who are in a position to deal with the matter should approach the conference with an open mind so far as personal opinion or prejudice may be concerned. The liquor question in the Dominion has resolved itself practicaliv into a duel between the vested interests of the brewing monopoly, commonly called the Trade, and the prohibition advocates as represented by the New' Zealand Alliance. In consequencfe of this we have been treated to tba unparalleled spectacle ef a conference of Trade and Alliance representatives producing recommendations upon which to base the legislation of the country. Admitted that the fight between tfca parties is keen, and is participated in to a

greater or lesa extent by a large number of electors, there is atiH a great body of peopla who are out of sympathy with both contending parties, and who would gladly welcome independent action. Why pander to vested interests or to the prejudices of any section, when the method of appealing directly to the psopla on all phases of the question lies open? Years ago the question was purposely placed outside the realm of party politics, and the electors were given the option of voting on certain issues, with the result that we have declared prohibitionists adhering to either of the rival pulitical parties. If the issues presented to the people et present are not sufficiently comprehensive to record fuliy the wishes of the people it should not be a matter of insurmountable difficulty to Lave the issues enlarged to embrace at least all practical methods of dealing with the subject,. Undoubtedly this should, be accomplished by Parliament untrammelled by party ties or influences, and irrespective of the clamourings of parties outside Parliament. In the same connection the deliberations of the forthcoming conference should bs conducted on similar lines and whatever recommendaticns may be decided upon these should only be arrived at after consideration of the whole circumstances surrounding the liquor traffic of the district. In view of the fact that the electors of tha King Country have never had an untrammelled vote in respect to local option the position is unique. The Inhabitants of the district therefore may fairly be considered free from bias in favour of either Trade cr Alliance further than abstract personal

opinion is concerned. Tne opportun ity which is presented of dealing with the question uninfluenced by party strivings should not be lost, and it is to be hoped the subject will rseaive that profound consideration which is due to such an important social problem.

Ths regulations under the Local Bodies Loans Act, 1913, ai'e published in the issue of the Government Gazette dated April 30th, as also are the regulations under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act, 1913,

The Home. Office considers that prize fights between blacks and whites become matters of discussion, and are, therefore against public policy, and harmful to the Empire.

Of twelve men who have been chosen to represent the Dominion Rifle Association at the big Melbourne meeting next October two are members of the Ohura Rifla Clab, viz., Herbert and Leslie Loveday.

Sir Joseph Ward give a most emphatic denial ta a rumour that the Ward Freezing Company, in Southland, had sold its works and business to an American firm, He aaya there is not a word of truth in the statement.

A London medical contributor states that surgery is still the best treatment fnr cancer. An early and thorough operation effects cures in an increasing number of The great mischief is that the public do not know'this, and delay treatment. Ten thousand membei'3 of tne organisation kno?;n ss the - Industrial

Workers of the World, which has

been practising much terrorism of late; made a demonstration in Union Square, Ksw York. The police charged several times, and many were injured.

Although tha bowling season has been closed ai Te Kuiti the local players still have an engagement to fill with Te Awamutu, and a cuuple of from the Te Kuiti Club will proceed to Te Awamutu on Thursday uf next week, providing the weather is at all promising.

The Endurance, the vessel in which Sit* Ernest 'Sbaclsleton's expedition will sail for the Antarctic, is due (o arrive in London from Norway on May 28tfa. Arrangements have been made for tbe expedition to take its departure from England during the first vveek inA ugust. A meeting of tbe Te Euiti Borough Courcii will b9 held to-night, when the installation of tbe Mayor will take place. Messrs G. Elliots and G. S. James will also take their seats as eoanciliors for the first time. In addition to the special business the ordinary business of the Council will be dealt with. Dr Alexis Carrel, of tbe Rockefeller

Institute, New York, in an address before the Surgical Association, described soma experimental operations h 8 had successfully carried out on tea

valvsa and orifices of the hearts of

dogs.- He declared that some day surgeons would be able to cauterise and renair lesions in the valves of human beings.

The first rehearsal of the Te Kuiti Musical and Dramatic Society was held on Wednesday last, when a full attendance was recorded. It is the intention of the society to produce a

miscellaneous concert about the end

of June. After this an opera or something of that nature will probably be staged. The local footbajisrs are beginning to get in some practice with a view to the opening of the season, which takes place on Kay 16th. Ths Domain at Te Kuiti, which has just bean worked and laid down in grass will not be available fur the first, games in the season, which v?ill L>a played on a ground kindly placed at the disposal of the Rugby Union by Mr R. M. Somerville.

The reports of the guna at present are heard in al! directions throughout the district,, proclaiming tha fact fhat shooting season is in full awing. On opening day parties were out in various favoured localities, hut no big bags are reported. A party consisting of Mesars Rothery, Mors, Matthew, and others visited Waiteti end were successful in getting a few birds. Pheasants were r.ot plentiful, bnt quail ■were found to be fairly numerous. The earns party proceeded to Waimiha on •. Monday as the guesta cf Mr T. Carroll, The following resolution, passed at the meeting of householders held at Te Kuiti on Monday evening, was forwarded to the Board of Education at Auckland"That a hearty vote cf thanks and appreciation be accordtd ths Auckland Education Board for the verv favourable consideration w?, the"residents cf Te Kuiti, h2Ve received from all your departments to our various requests for assistance in educational matters and new building?, etc. We know your Board has a very large district to administer, and that year funds ars not unlimited, therefore we all the more appreciate your very great consideration of our rising district."

A southerly gala o? exceptional violence sprang up suddenly on Saturday evening! raising a tremendous sea in the Napier roadstead, where lighters were engaged working the Shaw, Savill steamer Tokomaru. Two lighten', laden with meat, were towed safely into port, hut a third loaded with GOO bales of wool 2nd a quantity of furniture, brokfi adrift and was cast ashore on Kaiti beach, almost passing over the wreoi; of the Star of Canada. Ths crew of five men had a perilous experience, but were rescuei at 1.30 a.m. One of the rare occasions on which a Civil servant takes office on a local body has arisen in Karon, at Wellington suburb, where a by-election foi a councillor has resulted in Mr P. C. Jordan, of .the Government Printing Office staff, being successful. The councillor mentioned in his election address that the disabilities of Civil servants in regard to public office had recently been removed, but the only alterations which tha Public Service Commissioners have made is to give ths power to call on a C'vil servant to resign a local position if in his opinion the duties may clash with the individual's responsibility as a State servant. ( The civil rights actually enjoyed by the public service, subject to this limitation, are the holding of a position aa councillor, member of school committee, or education board, but the holding of a mayoral or chairman's position is expressly interdicted by regulation. For influenza take Woods' Gre2t Peppermint Cure, never fails, la 6d and 2s 6d.

Mr John Bollard, M.P., was on Monday evening elected chairman of the Avondale School Committeo for the fifty-third time. This ia considered a record for the Dominion, and possibly for any public position in the British Dominions.

Advice has beon received by Dr Pomare to the effect that the natives of Rarotonga aro looking forward

with keen interest to the approaching viait o£ the Governor. Dr I'omare leaves Auckland in the Tutanekai on Saturday week, and the Governor leaves Wellington by the Wiliochra on th 22nd. The party will stay at Rarotonga for several days, and will then proceed to the various ialanda of the group, returning to Rarotonga in time to connect with the Moanu, returning to New Zealand on June 11th.

The Labour Department at Wellington ia making arrangements to send thirty men to railway works at Kaetihi. The iirat batch will probably be dispatched on Tuesday and the second lot towards the end of the week. Twenty men are to be sent from Christchurch to road works in Ashley Gorge, and another twenty are likely to go forward later. Approximately forty men will be dispatched from Aucklard early next week to the Kawakawa-Kaikoho and Huntly-Awa-roa railway extension which makes a total of close uncn liit) men to be-engaged through the Depart menfc in various districts in the last month or bo.

Mr Robert McNob has received advice from the University of New Zealand that ho hay passed the examinacion entitling hini to the degree of Doctor of Literature. Dr McNab has held the degree of M.A. and L. 15. since the late eighties, and tho now honour hns been conferred on hini by virtue of tho thesis on New Zenland history which as author of "Murihiku" end as editor of the "New Zealand Historical Records," ho submitted, and whieh was examined for the University by Professor E'gerton, of Oxford. There are < rily two other Doctors of Literature in New Zealand both University profesaora. Tho united opun-air services that havo been conducted on Sunday evonings by tho I'rotes tan t ministers of the town are to be discontinued during the most inclement af tho winter months. At last Sandfly'a service, tho president, Hev. S. Griffiths, an nounced that it, was intended to resume tho services in the spring?, and also thanked those who gathered lor their attentive and respectful heaving. Thu interest manifested hy tho public in thet'o ell'ofts evidenced by the numbers who havo listened with marked appreciation together with the rule vent and intelligent questions put to the speakers at (he close of their addresses,prove that the mun-in-the-street has not lost his interest in religion, but is prepared to consider and discuss theso questions when freely an frankly stated. At tho recent conference of Labour Unions in Wellington, a resolution was passed recommending the tedorat ion n£ Labour to call a congress for July, and Mr P. lliekoy, general secretary and treasurer of t!:e Federation, has now written to all union secretaries, urging that these unions be represented. In the course of an appeal he says ic is hoped that there will be launched a movement that will not only bind New Zealand unions to each other in the bonds of solidarity and fraternity, but will extend across the Tinman Sea and clasp hands with 2UU.000 unionists already onrolL'd. Concluding, he says: "Let tho majority decide on policy,and l".t in all loyally and faithfully abide by the decision of the majority, arid all will be well. It is in that spirit that call is made. Answer in that spirit, and lahour will soon link up and become as invulnerable as Gibraltar."