PRIME MINISTER’S REPLY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9719, 23 July 1917, Page 7

PRIME MINISTER’S REPLY

STATE) CONTROL SUGGESTED.

A REMEDY FOR CONSTANT , UNREST, ' In reply Mr Massey said; “I take it that the principal object of the deputation was to at-ate the position from your point of view; and 1 am of opinion that it is only right that you should have had, that opportunity. What has been said, and the different speakers have put your case very moderately and fairly, shows that there arc two sides to the question, and you may take it from me that these two sides upll he .considered both by Government and.. Parliament when the question-- is dealt, with. Personally, I may say that I am of opinion that Parliament will in the not far distant future have ip, reconsider the whole licensing question so as to get rid of this continual unrest and agitation going on from year to year. New Zealand is not the only country in which this periodical unrest is felt. I found it in Great Britain during our visit there; and it is also going on in Canada, Australia, and the United States. Just recently a - British Parliamentary Committee went into the whole question and took a great deal of evidence; and they report that in their opinion State control or State ownership will be the solution of the difficulty. I don’t, know that the British Parliament will adopt that solution fully; but, undoubtedly, opinion ip favour of it wag growing while I was in England. There was a great deal of correspondence in the papers, : speeches were made in Parliament in support of it, and so -forth. “SHALL HATE TO CONSIDER IT.” ‘‘Personally I am not exactly in love with State ownership. But if it is going to be a remedy for the difficulty, then we shall have to consider it. I am only expressing my own opinion; it has not yet boon considered by Cabinet; but I do say that this constant agitation is not in the best interests of the body politic .... we will have to find a remedy in some way or other.” The Prime Minister added that the petitions presented with regard to the question were not going to committees in tho usual way, because similar petitions were considered last year, when a groat deal of evidence was taken, and tho subject was still fresh in the minds of members who took part. The petitions wore going direct to-the Government. and would be considered by Cabinet before legislation, was drafted. He was very glad that they had given him type-written. copies of the speeches delivered that morning. Those copies would bo passed on by him to Cabinet when they considered the matter. NOT A PARTY QUESTION. : “There is nothing more T can add.” he said in conclusion. “I can only

tell you as I told the other people that the proposals will be given a straight run ip Parliament. It is not a parly question. Licensing matters have never been considered as party questions since 1 entered Parliament; nor before that, I believe. The party in power—of course, we have now a National Government-—never insisted upon their supporters taking one side or the other; and we propose to do as has been done in previous years. Personally, I hope that we shall bo able to do something which will satisfy the great bulk of the public, and that things will go on smoothly from then till the next general election, which means also the next licensing poll, when the p/eople will have another opportunity of expressing thdir opinion.’’ (Hear, hear.)