LICENSING QUESTION

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6996, 9 December 1909, Page 9

LICENSING QUESTION

DECISIONS OF TUESDAY'S TRADE CONFERENCE. THE MAJORITY QUESTION. The following resolutions were adopted at the conference of the Licensed Liquor Trade of New Zealand, on the motion of the Hon. Air Louisson, M.L.C., seconded by Air Walter Johnston:— (1) That this meeting of delegates from the brewers, wine aud spirit merchants and licensed victuallers of New Zealand views with surprise and indignation the action of the No-licento party in deliberately repudiating an agreement entered into between their official representatives and the representatives of the trade for the amendment of the licensing laws, and emphasises the fact that at tho date of the meeting of the conference of the No-lioense delegates at Wellington, at which such repudiation was decided on, tho above-mentioned agreement had already been signed by the official representatives of both parties, and tho draft of the proposed Bill embodying the agreement ' had been agreed to by the solicitors of both parties through tho final arbitrament of the Hon. Dr Findlay, and the suggestion coming from tho No-license conference that an alteration should be made in the terms of the agreement came too late, and was simply a weak attempt to justify a most ignominious repudiation of a written a£i-eement. (2). That this meeting,, and the- trade of the Dominion, will oppose by every proper and legitimate means in their power any attempt to deport from the "three-filths majority" for either "local no-license", or '.'Dominion, prohibition," except on the express condition.that the principle of "one elector one vote" shall bo introduced, two issues only, to be on the voting paper, viz.:—

1. Local Continuance. 2. Local No-license- and Dominion Prohibition. And that the time limit in case of local ' no-license, being carried bo not less than two years from the date of the poll, and in ,the ease of Dominion prohibition being carried be not.less than five years from the date'of the poll.' -.''.'- (3) \ That this meeting is of opinion that the Bight Hon. the Prime Minister should, in the interests and the welfare of the public and the Dominion, introduce and pass into law, as outlined in Ins Financial Statement, such,,legislation as will carry out the agreement entered info on November 6th last between the -representatives of the New Zealand Alliance and the . trade. ,and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to him with a respectful request to give the same effect. ' '

CALL TO ARMS . LICENSED VICTUALLERS DISCUSS THE OUTLOOK. MB PALMER CONDEMNS THE "SIT TIGHT" POLICY. "COME OUT INTO THE OPEN." At lunch at the Bellevue Hotel, Lower Hutt, "yesterday, the representatives jf tho Dominion Licensed Victuallers'; Association branches who took part in Tuesday's conference were the guests of Mr A. V. Lodder. Mr J. S. Palmer, president of., the .New Zealand "L.V.A., presided.:- ■■■■.,-.■■■■■ : " in proposing the toast "Our Host," the chairman said' that Mr -Lodder,- by "inviting- them.jout .there, had established a precedent which should have been the practice for years gone by. They, as a trade, estranged themselves far too much from pno another.. Tho exchange of views and personal. contact, .which such gatherings as the present one, permitted must bo helpful in. the extreme. ; He that in the future something would be done toward bringing those interested in the trade more often together, so that they could show at least that they had a brotherhood ■ amongst them. Referring to tho conference just concluded, Mr Palmer said that. it was easily a record for the Dominion. Discussions of such a nature had not been customary —in fact, were very unusual. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE. That morning, during his visit to the House of Parliament, one member of the House with whom he had spoken had said with great emphasis: "Mr Palmer,., something has got to bo .done!" (Applause.) ..' He . spoke : in a way .that <iave him (Mr Palmer) the impression that what he had seen in the newspapers .that morning had impressed him that a "very great injustice had been done to the whole trade. "After yesterday's pro-' coedings, and after what they have seen published in the papers this morning—particularly .in. the 'N.Z. Times'" —proceeded-, Mr,;,.Palmer, ,"th'_o. Government .cannot, refrain .from coining to our assistance." The speaker concluded by paying a tribute to the enthusiasm with which, Mr Lodder had at all times helped to fight the battles of the trade. THE MAN, NOT THE COMMODITY'. "One thing Mr Palmer has done," said Mr McParland, in proposing tho toast of the "President of the L.V.A.," "has been to bring prominently before our eyes the fact that the no-license party did not want to prohibit drink, but to destroy'.; the worth of the property''of those. engaged. io. the'trafiic ili it." Men who had been 'honourable citizens, ; who had paid their' way and had helped develop the country and its resources .were the object of. attack.. These were the men whom tho no-license party proposed to "shut up" and ruin, but it proposed to - take no step, to prevent the free access of liquor to the homes of the people. It proposod to allow' the free introduction of "liquor into the family.. Such a policy, was going" to. work havoc amongst the families. of New Zealand. A FAIR GO AND NO HYPOCRISY. ' The reports 'that had been published that morning, of what had heen done on the previous day would show the people of New Zealand that those connected with the liquor trade were not against temperance, but: that .they w-ant-od it carried out in a fair and moderate way. "If the people require prohibition, let us have a fair go for _ it, bnt let us have no hypocrisy about it." With men like Mr Palmer to load them, he had, no misgivings as to the result. For sears he had worked with a will in the interests of the trade, and it was owing in a large measure to his being at the head of affairs that their organised efforts had been attended with the amount of success they had. AN UNUSED BRIEF.

Responding, Mr Palmer «aid that he feared Mr McParland had rather overr stepped the mark in his complimentary references. He had been associated with the licensed trade for some fourteen years, and though for at- least five of those years he had been but a mere baby in it, he had long felt that he could see a little of the trend that affairs 'were taking. He became warmed up more when he saw the Licensing Bill of 1904 put through the House. He felt when he saw the wording of section 5 that that very section provided the trade with a brief that with judicious and proper handling ought to save the position. That section provided that under no-license an unlimited supply of .liquor oonld go into a nolicense area. Mr Seddon had said, when he found that he could not get clause 9 enacted, "Well, gentlemen, if you won't hare' no-liccnse. .no liquor, all rt"ht ' Then let'us-have nb-license and plenty of liquor." By that enactment there was given t<j the trade a brief

which it had never used properly—a brief as strong as "no-license, no liquor." LEAVE-ALONE POLICY CONDEMNED. Jt had been customary ■ in the past for the trade to hide its light under a bushel. But it had followed the "say nothing" policy fdr too long. They had evidence before them that they had gained the sympathy of the moderate section of the public by their recent actions. Similar action- should have been taken years ago. When he resided in Wanganui he had stood at the door of his hotel at night and listened to the no-license parasites—(suppressed exclamations) —"I don't feel disposed to hide what I mean when 1 say 'no-license parasites.' I listened to them as they abused the very life and soul of everyone concerned with the trade, and I went in and said to myself, 'Palmer,, what are you:-' Are you a man- that you take this in silence ?' And I had my little say. And our own people said, 'Palmer, you're very foolish. You should keep quiet. Don't say a word. Just let them go along—they won't trouble us.* I said, 'No, we have followed that course too long. It doesn't pan out. I didn't keep quiet. I determined that if I'd got to die I'd die with a good kick! What was the result? It was given out all over the colony that nolicense was a dead certainty in Wanganui. 'lnstead, actual continuance was' carried." .

MUST PLEAD THEIIJ CAUSE. With, proper organisation l they might achieve much by a policy of aggression. He did not for one moment say they did not want assistance. They wanted great assistance, but the lead had got to come from the trade itself. The trade must place itself in the position of a Parliamentary representative seeking to retain his seat in the House. Licensees must contest their seats in exactly the. same manner. He conld give them an example of what coukl bo done by coming out a-little bit into the open in what had occurred m a northern district before the last election. Ho (the speaker) addressed six public meetings at Huntly. Each was better attended than its predecessor. - At the last one the ha/11 was filled chock-a-block. The people said, "We want to hear from the trade." Did the result justify his action? He would let it speak for itself—the no-liconso' vote for the electorate went back from 54 to 52 per cent. WHAT THEY HAD TO FIGHT. Tho sooner they recognised that somebody in the trade had got to go through the country and follow these parasites the better.' They had got their brief.-. They had got a status now and they should make the very best effort to retain that':status., For -himself, it was, his garden, his hobby; he loved tho work.' They saw there a section —merely a small section—trying to • crush' thorn out. They did not want..to deprive people of liquor nor to ; deprive themselves of liquor. They were- actuated merely by a personal ataimus against.the trade. When, ho took up this work it was because he felt, that there . was a great work to do, and that some should make personal sacrifice and do the best they could to hold their own brotherhood. Whilst he held ■ his present office .he could assure them that what ho could do he-would do.