LOCAL OPINIONS FROM BOTH SIDES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 268, 13 November 1909, Page 8

LOCAL OPINIONS FROM BOTH SIDES.

In order to uscertain the opinions <>i leading* licensed';victuallers and the 'no-license- party respectively, an ISxpejess reporter waited upon a' number'of gerrtletaen this morning, and gaift'ed the following information concerning the Prime Minister's proposals :~r ■"

THE NO-LICENSE VIEW

Mr E. H. Penny said it seemed to him that i* big compromise between the parties had been effected. He did not doubt but what there would be a r*big debate in the House when the measure was disc-ussed; The no license rio t . liquor question he thought might" certainly have the effect of turajtiig some of the votes which had previously been cast in favour of prohibition. He thought, also* that the liquor party had scored well in the matiei* of securing a long tenure, " namely |five years from the date of .the po& ;...• .Evidently both parties had giveii: way a good deal— in fact more so than they had in the past. The elimination, of the reduction •• clause was; a sensible piece of work, and one <i»n winch b6ih -parties apparently agreed. Y'Mty. Penny* approved of the pe^r ceo*., majority as against the thviee-fiftiif majority. He 'had always • been ofr- the ' opinion that•: something' more Mmh a' bare majority was needediiii order to ensure stability.' * On the wjiole-the proposal% as tliey tippeared" at present were Very good, ~. I , The Bey. Mr^Richard^ expressed himself as satisfied with the pro- j posab, with the exception of the tenth and eleventh flauses? The tenth stated JWat i» no-ticpuae dis- |

tricts all votes cast for no-restoration glla.ll count for Dominion prohibition. That was very good, but when they got. to the eleventh clause it stated that if the votes cast for restoration in any district amount to 55-lQoths of all the votes cast, restoration shall be deemed tjj be carried. The last,Clause was very! tricky, and meanl that if the no-license ■ people came about five oft the required 55 per cent, restoration would be carried. The issue was an extremely.. subtle one, and the hand behind the curtain which poured out the bitters was not seen. Sir Joseph reminded him of a French wit he once read of who., said: "It does not matter so much where we are, as the direction We are travelling in." The measure proposed showed that much thought had , been devoted to the matter before | the proposals were finally arrived at; The Prime Minister, he thought, was working in the right direction, and the general proposals would'be better understood when the minor proposals were brought forward. ' , j

THE. HOTELKEEPEIIS. .. Ob.pt. Falconer, of the Criterion Hojfceli. said he thought that it would be a,, good thing to have the question settled for good and all. He approved of the Prime Minister's pror posals in their entirety, particularly with regard to the elimination of the reduction clause. ■: Mr W. D. Draper, of the, Club. Hotel, said that the proposal? were the best that had ever been made, the 'five years' grace between the carrying- 'of Dominion prohibition and Us coming into force being a specially pleasing-feature. , ;'! ■ ■ ■,■■-■' Mr A. E. Brunette., of the Gfosvenor Hdtel, thought that the. jjroj posals- were very much in therlicerised victuallers" favour, and they would now be in a position to know What; to do even though no-lieenae were carried. He was greatly in favour of the proposals.