PROHIBITION?

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 164, 9 July 1918, Page 5

PROHIBITION?

COMPENSATION PROPOSAL. v ' EFFICIENCY BOARD'S ESTIMATE. A SUM. OF £4,500,000.^ A report submitted by the National Efficiency Board to the Acting Prime Minister" (Sir James Allen) as atated the other day, givi.s an estimate of the. sum that should be /paid as compensation to the Liquor Trade if Prohibition, iscarried by a majority vote of (.electors.The total is stated as £4,5C0,000. This estimate can be read in conjunction with ,tha hoard's report, which was presented to Parliament on 31st July last year. The following extracts sive the ooard's opinions on Prohibition and ccmnensation: — Th. board finds that the two chief factors in the continuance of tho liquor Trade are public custom and the financial interests involved-. The board is satisfied that the .great; si, efficiency would be attained both for the nation and the individual by a state oi complete prohibition"; and the board recognises that Prohibition is a p ople's question, and. should be determined only as an expression of the voicii of the people. It therefore recommends that legi.slatiou be passed submitting the question of National, prohibition to a vote of the people at the earliest possible moment, and that such vote, should be upon the basis of immediate Prohilition, accompanied by reasonable compensation to the interests affected. Any compensation paid to those en.-, gaged in the Liquor Trade would for j the greater part remain, and ho in-' i vested, within the Dominion, and thus. be used for production and trade. ' ! Under the protection of the existing legislation (which in the event of National Prohibition being carried grants an extended term of trading* rights b-i fore Prohibition becomes, operative) largo sums of money_ have been invested in breweries, in licensed hous s, in wine and spirit businesses, in vineyards-and-hop gardens, and «*•■ Tiv crally in what is known as' "The Trade." It is manifest that injustice (would arise if the licenses and the i liquor trade were summarily terminated without reasonable compel).-;ition.

The board is therefore satisfied that it would be in the interests of th Dominion, and of its inhabitants, in or- , der to obtain an early discontinuance l of the sale of alcoholic liquors, that... reasonable compensation should be granted to those affected. ; The board...is of opiniii it. will: be. found that no conrpensation need be given to individual employes, ;i.-» all made and iem ale employees co ; d be i absorbed in other occupations. In its jndsjment, . all inttiroste having been-: considered, the parties to be sated, are represented by the 5 reweries. wholesale and retail licensed'veil- ( doi*s, vignerons, and wine manufacturers, hop-growers, and the owners of. - properties to which a retail lie:-vise i» attached. The ooard believes that the compensation to be paid for 'the immediate closing of the liquor trad, should be based upon the difference between. , the ; market value of _the assets' ns usdi. at present, taking into consideration the preesnt licensing laws and all" otherf circumstances and conditions .aw; oiated >. with the trade and the valxie c I. such-' assets without a license. The a.nbuhts. to be paid by way- of. compuvisatiori' need not necessarily be found in ' cash>* : ■ hut, the board suggests, miirht bo paid, in Government securities', Warr.:?) thb «mie rate, of interest and wit'll the same currency;as the War Loan .Icbentures. The board is satisfied that com

.-peusation based on the foregoing lines' would l>e a sound 1 investment for the State, and that the. cost would bo re couped by increased national, effi«i&ncy. If til':.' Government decides to ifsibmit this proposal, to Parliament, the board would be prepared, if requested so to do, to advise aa to the form ot" Constitution and procedure of a teibujial suit;-" able to det. rmine the amounts of com-" pensation to be paid., ; The boaTd judges the present■ pyHtV • sentiment to be such ihat the peop'f,of the Dominion would- approve of. th* . opportunity -being afforded «to them of jvoting. upon this question.. . " I ATTITUDE OF NEW ZEALAND i ALLIANCE. i In a statement published in .frhe Post of 24th June last the secretnry of the New Zealand Alliance, gr ;o" the attitude of the Alliance thus.;—"Tito National Efficiency '.Board does hot mention the matter of the majority. It. is taken for granted by the board, apparently, that the decision would b? by simple majority. With a view to an immediate and final decision >wo have Waived the question of eomp'ensa.tion. Wo do not, recognise the let»'Al-: ity or morality of granting compensation, but we realise that the evils of The -drink traffic are 'such, that ■•an ini- , mediate settlement of the. ■'question is ,| of more vital importance to-; the country _ -i'han the money involved in compensation." . (■ _ln reply to a question '. to-dov, Mr ' v Dawson said that his executive had 1 yet to consider the question of the amount of compensation to. the Trade, PRESSURE BY BUSINESS MEN. J^ROHTBITIOiN 1 WITH ITON? TO THE TRADE. EFFICIENOY BOARD'S' PROPOSALS. (United Press Association' ''TIiMABjU, This Day. ■-.... Mr R. S. Gray, representing the -Now Zealand Alliance, at a large nieetihg last night, said*/in reply to Mi* Russell's statement regarding, the amount of eoru, r pensation to be paid the trade under; the Efficiency BoWd's pi'oposals, thai they had no agreement "Avith. the trade, had never been approached by the trade, nor bad it approached the Alliance. The Alliance would be no party to ,V compact with the trade. The present attitude was due solely to strong representations by business mow of the necessity of adopting the Eifi ciency Board's proposal for immediate prohibition in the economic and. geiuital interests of the Dominion. SETTLEMENT OF THE LIQUOR QUESTION. DUNTSDiEr*", This Day. . The Dunedin Presbytery torday reheartily approve of the .Alliance's acceptance of the Efficiency proposals, as a basis of settlement of the liquor question.