A BROKEN COMPACT

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6995, 8 December 1909, Page 7

A BROKEN COMPACT

Had tho licensing compact of a few -weeks ago been submitted to Parliament in tho form of a Bill for amendment of the existing l»v «*> assur " ance would have been siven that its provisions were supported by tho tracks and bv the organisation which aims at abolition of the liquor traffic. With, both'sides to a great controversy urging the adoption of legislation upon certain lines the House of Representatives? would have been in the unique position of legislating upon a muchvexed question from which the stag had been removed by prior negotiation between tho rival parties. Tho possibility of this vanished, however, by tho recent resolution of the Al'liance, which practically repudiated tho assurances given by its president and secretary. Theroforo if the Bill were now introduced it could not_ bo tabled as an embodiment of the desires of the trade and the prohibitionists. It would, indeed, have to be brought forward in defiance- of the Alliance, its essential feature being condemned by that combination. Whoever introduced the Bill would' have to say, "This measure is approved by the trade, it is opposed by the Alliance." That the licensed victuallers have good Toason to complain, of tho evasiveness and lack of candour on the part of tho Alliance everyone, we think, will admit and none more readily, we should imagine, than the two gentlemen who were "authorised" to act on its behalf. Certainly they have been por.sonally humiliated, for they made the most definite assurance that the bargain they entered into was binding upon those for whom they were allegedly acting. What has really happened is that the Alliance became fearful of losing the support of those people who having no sympathy with prohibition still vote no-license. These are the people who consume liquor and continue to do so under license or no-licenso, whose votes SP to make that imposing aggregate which the Alliance, in advancing its demand for a bare majority Bominion poll, puts forward as the number of people who are in favour of abolishing, the trado in liquor. Yet if the Alliance is sincoro in asking for the bare majority Dominion poll it must know that this issue of liquor or no liquor must be faced unless we are to go on till the i Greek kalends deluding ourselves that : the mere closing of hotels in a few electorates at triennial intervals represents an appreciable step towards realisation or the prohibitionists' objective.. There is no question of the steady advanco in the no-license vote from year to year, but the attitude ! taken by the Alliance in connection with the question under review is an .illuminating indication of that organisation's estimate of the moral force behind that vote. It bases its claim for bare majority rule in the matteron the ground that a preponderance of the electors are "against liquor." Its spokesmen at public meetings confess anxiety "to see some definite re,sult of their years of labour." Brought /to a to-.ting point the Alliance wavers —and bleaks the bond of those authorised by it to submit to Parliament ■legislative proposals that would meet iits proclaimed desires. We were not at any time enthusiastic about this "compact," for wo folt that the scheme .of voting suggested practically aboliished the local character of the poll ;and might result in a grave injustice • being done in various localities to ■ people who are well saits-ned with the authority they now exercise at the ipoll. The trade appeared to. be giving away a great deal-in'order to got >a definite popular verdict. Apparently it is this definite verdict the Alliance does not want. The main point, (however, is that there has teen an i exhibition of such very shabby conduct [idhat no one has yet had the nerve to Wefend it.