THE LICENSING QUESTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8585, 5 June 1891, Page 6

THE LICENSING QUESTION.

MEETING OF COMMITTEES. A meeting of the Licensing Committees of the Auckland yesterday afternoon, at the rooms of the Chamber of Commerce, New-Zealand Insurance Buildings, to consider the article in yesterday's •iesue of the New Zealand Herald regarding the licensing question. Mr. J. J. Holland presided, and Messrs. A. Porter, J. T.Julian, J. J. Craig, J. T. Winks, A. Bailey, Barton, and D. B. McDonald were also present. The Chairman said the meeting had been called in reference to an article which had appeared in the Hekald, and which the committee thought was very unwarranted in tone, touching the private character of the Licensing Bench, and their moral character and social position. So far as his own social position wus concerned, he did not think much about it, but he did feel sore at having his moral and private character attacked. If he had done anything wrong, that the Heralo had any cause to complain, lee the Herald make their complaint straight out. Mr. Holland read the following passage of the article in question :—" If we nad had really Moderate Tnembers elected for the committee, members equally unconnected with actual hard drinkers and reformed hard drinkers, men who ean«bake a glass of wine or beer without wanting to take more, or to sit down and make beasts of themselves." He asked, did that allude to them (the members of the committees) or the people they were connected with. For himself he could say that he was not connected with any hard drinkers or reformed drinkers. He had never sab in a house and made a beast of himself in his life. He could take a glass of beer, and stop with one glass. Mr. Winks thought that that could be said of all the membere of the committee. The Chairman went on to say that the whole of the licensing committees were equal to the writer of that article in that respect, whoever the writer was; he did not mind who he was. As to the moral character of :the members, so. far as he knew of himself, he could say that ho was of 31 years'- standing here, and Mr. Masefield ha.d been here for 40 years—— Mr. Masefield, correcting the chairman, said he had been here for 30 years. This was, he continued, the first time he knew that his moral character was a bad one, or that he was net fit to exist.

The Chairman again read from the article :—"lf we had men like this, of good social position, of good moral character, determined to enforce the law as it starids vigorously but impartially, and we might have had such men but for the action of the fools and the fanatics who set up the Prohibitionist cry, then most of the worst evils of the liquor traffic would have been abated." Did this mean to say that the members of the committee were not of good moral character ? '

Mr. Julian :It imputes that. , Mr. Holland read further on :—" But they have left us bound hand and foot for three'years at the mercy of committees who will do nothing but what is distinctly in the interests of the brewers and the present holders of licenses. They have refused to listen to reason, to common sense, or to justice." Lower down they read:—"We have a Licensing Committee nominated by the trade, but we warn them thafa they will be very jealously watched, and that if they do not perform their duty fairly well they will find their positions decidedly uncomfortable." For his part, he had felt decidedly uncomfortable that day in regard to that article. If the Herald had any charge to make against the character of the Licensing Committee, let them bring it. out fairly ana honestly. (Hear, bean) If they had any charge to make against him, let them do so. ; He had carried on for '30 years, and he did not think any single one' could say that he bad done a wrong action willingly. ; Mr. Masefceld said the question was whether action could be taken. He was not going to sit down quietly tinder a thing like this, because he failed,to know.that he] had been an associate of hard drinkers, and if he had made a beast of himself he would' like to know when. ----. , ij Mr. Porter teaid this was the second article in which the paper had attacked the. committee as a whole. At the general mtetine of .the committees, at the Munici-j pal Buildings, a series of resolutions was' passed, and the committee believed them to be a step in the right direction, and nob :for the brewers or the licensed victuallers, because they had been, opposed by them at: -the annual meeting. 3,' hat was ; a plain; proof that the committees had not elected in their interest, and they had not aoted iq their interest, since they had refused to extend the hours iti any direction.. With regard to the packet licenses, the; Herald had stated that the committees were endeavouring to stop Sunday trading on vessels running about the harbour, not in order to benefit the public, but; to assist the brewers and publicans by forcing the trade ashore. The committees, however, had no control over the harbour, and the article, therefore,'mis- : stated the facts. Of the twenty-one members of committees, there was no man who did not bear a good moral and social character. Mr. Porter maintained that it was a &lur on the ratepayers to say that the publicans' interest was so great that they could take any men and shove them down the throats of the electors. It was no doubt the duty of the press to see that members of local bodies did thesr duty fairly and honestly, of they, as inen holding public positions, had a right to be watched, but they had no right to be attacked forj crimes they l&ever committed,- and did not; intend-to commit. If the writer

of fchab article had been, at tlie meet-: ing of the C'ity East Licensing Com-; inittee on Wednesday,- he woald have seen; tha|i one.of the biggest brewing firms, men; who keep great houses, had had' a license, suspended, another brewer had been that a house v/n$ not required, and a third! brewer had alsfl> had an exception taken to t a hotel. Yet they had been told that they were the.men whom they had been elected, to .serve; If the writer of that article could \hovr anything against his (Mr. Porter's) characteir, he would retire to-morrow, and he believed the other members of the committee would do the same. Mr. Porter referred to charges made against him by Messrs. Gleeson and Taylor,.and said that, they were unfounded. Air. Craig could say for himself that he: had never toached a glass of spirits in, his life. He was,, at the beck of nobody ;• nobody was polling any strings with him. If ■ he'thought a tking rieht and fair he did it, , independently &f newspaper criticism. The Chaikman said he bad been elected a member of the licensing committee without a pledge to any man, and was free to do as he thought best for the good of the ratepayers. Mr. Bailey said it was quite certain that they were not pleasing the publicans, nor the brewers either. IVora what he had heard he knew that they were all dead against the committee for not granting the extenpion of hours. They were in a great stew about it. jtfr. Bdbton said he was glad to see the stand which Mr. Holland had taken regarding Sunday trading and the hours of closing. At a meeting of the Grafton committee, of which he was a member, it was resolved to go on the same lines, and they intended to assist the other committees, and thus they would be able to deal effectually with Sunday trading, Mr. McDonald said the writer sec out by saying that it was perfectly natural and allowable for wines to be made ; he followed that up with the statement that the production of that commodity, and the selling it to children, was a great curse, and then he followed that up by saying that everybody had a right to take this damnable material in moderation. All they had to do was to perform their duty faithfully between the British public and the licensed victuallers.

Ah-. MasefieliD moved the adjournment of the meeting, till Monday afternoon, at half-past four o'clock, and said that in the meantime they could think over the matter. As they all felt pretty hot on tho subject juefc then, he thought it better thnt they should adjourn. After further discussion, an amendment was moved by Mr, Portku, " Thufc Messrs, Holland and Craig, and the mover, interview the proprietors of the Herald on the subject." This amendmenc was agreed to.