THE LICENSING BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12402, 26 October 1903, Page 5

THE LICENSING BILL.

OPINIONS OF THE' NEW ZEALAND ■ ALLIANCE. HOSTILE RESOLUTIONS. [DY TELEGRM-n.— PKESS ASSOCIATION.] :: '.'■''-'"'".' '"■ Wellington, Saturday. At a special in eating of the executive of the New Zealand Alliance, the following resolutions were carried in reference to the Licensing Act Amendment Bill: —" That in the opinion of this executive the proposal in clause 9 to make drinking a crime in nolicense districts, in defiance of the wishes of the temperance party is deliberately contrived on behalf of the liquor trade .to make the carrying of no-license impossible, and its enforcement farcical and unworkable." " That the •.elimination by clause 3 of the reduction vote/from the local option poll, without restoring to the Licensing Committee their old discretionary powers, is an unwarrantable restriction of popular powers of dealing with the traffic." "That j the proposal of. clause 10 to allow a vole upon the- question' whether the interval between polls shall be increased without giving the people the choice of saying I whether it shall be diminished is absolutely undemocratic and unjust." "That clause 14 (b), which would enable brewers and publicans to sit on licensing committees, is a ludicrous travesty of the most elementary principles of justice." " That clause 33, in conjunction with clause 14 (b), _ would! enable every'licensee, by " collusion with the j committee," brewers, and publicans, to | secure the renewal ot his-license for eight j years by getting them to order him to rebuild, notwithstanding that no license Slight have been twice carried in the interval." "That to' allow a Minister of the Crown, as proposed by clause 37, to; grant licenses in a no-license area for the supposed benefit of : tourists would be to substitute arbitrary'.. power for democracy, and to ' sacrifice the interests and desires of our own people to those of persons travelling for pleasure and luxury." " That the proposal of ; clause-' 36 to allow a packed, political commission :to 'hand over the Maoris -'.in the King Country to the tender 1 ■ mercies of the sly grog-sellers and wholesale traders who have, been supplying them involves a breach, of ''our' sacred obligations to the native race which would amount to a national crime.','. "That while recognising there, are some good points in the Kill, tins executive is of opinion that lor the ; reasons given it will immeasurably prejudice the prospects of temperance reiorm and rob the people of ', the victory which the results"; of the last poll show to be within, their grasp if the present law .« maintained." "That this executive calls upon all friends of the cause in the House o Representatives, and in the country to do their' utmost to resist the further progress of the measure.^ : -,