WINE LICENSES.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4441, 22 August 1901, Page 2

WINE LICENSES.

I think {writes ‘'Samoan Argus”) it is high time that our legislators should, in the interests of our young wine industry, take steps to protect those who are cultivating the vine, by compelling both wire merchants and hotelkeepers to bye labels placed on the bottles of all New Zealand wine sold by them, thus preventing the imposition which is now practise,! by some in selling our wines as Australian, and also prevent loss.to the Customs revenue, as more Australian wines would have to ho imported into this colony. There should also be free trade in wine licenses, so.that the sale of our local wines could be pushed by vintners in the interests of the industry; and instead of the present license, fee of JCI, the fee should bo increased to .£2O or ,£4O per annum, and such licenses should be issued by th« Collector of Customs, similar to the wholesale licenses granted to wine and spirit merchants. Our vintage is small at present, but if the above protection and facilities were given, people would be encouraged to cultivate largely the vine, to the great wealth and also” to the Kofi Tty of our community, fpr it is a well- ’■ own_ fact that in the wine-producing •tries of Europe there is less inso. cy than in other countries. J n con . on, I would, ask the memoir* of the m Minstry, individual I ,',' -ml col’ -c- ---, r, with their supposed pro:M'- ,i:!V ® and also their hatred of monnn'". I .’', f*. ~il land pests or otherwise, excepting the Cabinet power monopoly of themselves, why they permit one person, through his local agent here, to have the monopoly of the sale of wine? In my opinion the other persons having vineyards should be considered, and therefore this wine license monopoly should file destroyed by wise legislation during this session of Parliemont, and licensing benches and prohibition voters and others should be precluded the opportunity of destroying the wine industry.