THE GREAT ISSUE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10082, 21 September 1918, Page 8

THE GREAT ISSUE

FAIR, JUST, AND DEMOCRATIC

Prohibitionists aro endeavouring to make the public believe that no issue would be carried if there were three National Issues on the ballot-paper, viz., National Prohibition, National Ownership, National Continuance. This statement is made for the purpose of misleading tho people. Take the result of tho ballot on the National Issue at tho last election: 257,442 voted in favour of Continuance, 247,217 voted in favour of Prohibition. Here is a clear majority of 10,225 votes favourable to Continuance of tho existing system. Let it be supposed, with tho three issues on the bal-lot-paper, that the voto in favour of prohibition is still 247,000 and the vote for Continuanco is 157,000, and the vofco for National Ownership is 100,000, there is a clear majority in favour of Continuance, because those who vote for National Ownership are not abolitionists. ' 'J'hoy are not Prohibitionists. Thev merely wish to'change tho system and eliminate private interost. Instead of tho State, as now, taking £1,300,000 of the profit, State Ownership-Controllers desire tho State to possess all the profit.

The Prohibitionists want to make tho people believe that it is not a fair, just, and democratic proposal that the majority should rule, and so in a case of that kind, they desire that their minority should dominate tho majority favourable to tho sale, and use of alcoholic boverages; but In tho oaso cited there would ho a clear 10,000 majority in favour of retention of liquor and against its abolition.

The Prohibitionists, however, claim that they have a majority of tho electors in favour of prohibition. In that case, their solicitude about the three issues on the ballot-paper is more camouflage. If thoy think a majority is for prohibition, anil a bare majority of the eloctors who would vote upon tho three issues i« obtained by them, then prohibition would bo carried.

In 1014, public opinion on the National Issue was decidedly against tho abolition of liquor, and that ought to «iav« settled tho question till the next general election. It is not patriotic to excite the public into controversial matters at a time when we should nil ho bont on winning tho war, and the huge sums of money which the prohibitionists aro spending could be spent to a better purpose if handed to the Red Cross Fund or tho Y.M.C.A.

However, the petition which tho National Council is circulating is not for tho purpose of dividing the people at tho present time, but for tho purpose of petitioning Parliament that at the next pencral election, the three issues. viz., National Prohibition, National Ownership, and National Continuance, should bo put upon»tho ballot-paper, and that there should he onlv ono ballot-paper on the liquor question. It is reasonable to expect that nil fairminded people will siijn this petition for Patriotism, for Freedom, and for Democracy. 56