LABOR AND LIQUOR

NZ Truth, Issue 693, 28 September 1918, Page 5

LABOR AND LIQUOR

THE PROHIBS., THE PARTY, AND PETITIONS

Lessens which Wellington Central Teaches

ISSUES WHICH CLOUD, CONFUSE, AND CONFOUND

Are Labor's Leaders the Tools of the Wowsers ?

If Labor^- fails m the "Wellington Central by-election, the failure will be attributable to one factor, yW that ducks and drakes were played with the Party's platform; while the selected or official candidate, anxious to win on the planks of Labor's platform, found himself m the unenviable position of not knowing just exactly where he stood. Moreover, if Peter Fraser, Labor's official candidate, is beaten, his defeat pan be laid .to THE DOOH OF TH3J PROHIBITION PARTY,. whioh. for Bpme years hap succeeded m casting a spell over certain prominent individuals m the Labor move'menti and these individuals, m their turn, have been able to tinker with Labor's plank of the platform, which seeks, by the nationalisation of the liquor business, to reach thfc only' possible sane solution of what is called the liquor problem! and, as a result of their mischievous ' machinations, have bewildered the rank and file, who m vain seek guidance and do not know where to" turn for light and learning. . Now, we all happen to Know how tfte present agnation i for . Prohibition earns 'about, .Followingf'on the nbige and confusion arising o\it of the agitation for six 1 o'cibqk ;''' closing, the Prime Minister expressed, with a wisdom whioh few credited, him. With possessing, the opinion that this constant agitation, of the factions > militated against good Government, and Tory-like, while expressing his abhorrence of State enterprise, he confessed that' he saw. nothing but State Control as a means of ending the eternal strife. This expression of opinion came as a bombsshell to the; Prohib'a., 'because this was not -tfhat they were aiming at, andi m addition, it was' 'a confession by a Tory Prime Minister of ad" miration of a plank of Labor's plat* form, and for years past State Control was Labor's solution c£ the Liquor Question. Incidentally, • the fact that the Prime Minister had shown an inclination to borrow a plank of Labor's platform seems to have been lost on the leaders of the Labor movement, However, while the Tory Prime Minister of this country showed an Inclination to apply Labor's solution to the Liquor Question something happened. The National Efficiency Board, composed of Tories (the chairman of which was a well-known supporter of Reform), and on which there was NOT A SOLITARY .LABOR REPRE- . SENTATIYE, readied the conclusion that National prohibition was the real remedy. It proposed a poll on the question, and if Prohibition was carried) it was to take immediate effeot, it also being recommended that compensation should be paid to those who were interested m the liquor business. It has since been computed that the amount of compensation v to be paid will be. between £4,600,000 and £5,000,000. Naturally this recommendation took the wind out of Mr. Massey's sails, particularlyas he stood practically pledged to the adoption of Labor's plank of StateControl; m other words. State Purchase and State Control. While the Efficiency Board's recommendation was a slap m the face to the Prime Minister, it also interfered with the policy ! of the Minister of Finance, and both leaders made it perfectly dear that they were not prepared to permit the

A Massey M.P, of much "nous," Whom the Labor vote sorely did dowse, But Big Bill, unamazed, "G.M," coolly raised To a seat m the Hupper 'Ouse.

National Efficiency Board to dictate the win-the-war policy of the National Goyernment. As a consequence of the disagreement, the National Efficiency Board resigned, and subsequently it was reconstituted, and since has not. openly overstepped its authority. Consequently all the fuss and flare to-day arise out of recommendations made by a board which went out of office. Its' recommendations threatened to ' split the Government, and the recommendations now indorsed by the AJHance threaten to split the country ahd Parliament, and, what, is more to the point, threaten to give Labor , ONE OF THE SEVEREST SETBACKS yet experienced by the Party. The Alliance, realising the danger hovering^about its pet cause if Labor's policy of nationalisation of the Liquor Trade received, popular favor, and perceiving the hole m which Mr. Massey had landed himself, immediately took advantage of the favorable situation to draw up a petition calling on Parliament to give effect to the recommendations of the National Efficiency Board, and. to provide the machinery for the taking of a poll on the question of Continuance or National Prohibition with compensation. In conceding compensation the Alliance claimed that it swallowed a huge principle, but the fact is suppressed that m the ordinary course of events, that is, if National Prohibition is carried, the Liquor people are to be given four and a-half years' . grace m which to prepare themselves for the abolition of their businesses, so that after all the Alliance conceded nothing. This is all very well for the Alliance. The petition which they are circulating paves the way for Parliament to side-step the greatest difficulty of all

viz., to avoid a general election, and at the same time to throw a sop to. *the wowser Cerberus m' the shape of a liquor referendum without an election. All might have been plain sailing if the Liquor Trade had not moved and . . . CIRCULATED A COUNTERPETITION, urging: Parliament to amend exist* ing legislation by providing another issue, vi?,, National Control,' thuis peiv mittihg of an expression of opinion from ft huge saption of the community, who hold the buiahoe between th« Prohiba, and the Liquor people. Also, it might be mentioned the "Trade* petition asked that 1 the three issues be submitted' at the next general eleo* tions. The avidity with which all sections of the wommunity have; signed, and continue to sign* the "Trade" -petition has manifestly alarmed the Alliance, which sought to^f play a trump "card by springing on Labor, m New Zealand a couple of nondescript Prohibs. from Canada, who are alleged to be connected with the Labor movement m the sister Dominion; - Just -when it beoame plain that the Allianoe had missed the hug, a Parliamentary vacancy occurred m Wellington Central, for which Labor ia Waking a bold bid, and but for the wretched liquor issue Labor could stand solidly and united. The attempt by the Alliance to side-track Labor m New Zealand by the intro-t duction of the Canadians has sue-i ceeded. Labor not only m Wellington Central, but throughout New Zealand, is split at the very moment IT SHOULD BE STRONG AND UNITED. The prospect of a Labor candidate winning Wellington Central was too much for the Alliance, and the evil spell it exercises over Labor's so-called lea-, ders became clear by the action of the Hon. James Paul, M.L.C., apparently aided by Mr. James McCombs, M.P., m Working the oracle of ' further confounding, the issue, by proposing; a fourth issue of National Prohibitionwithout compensation, and the .proposition seems to be the pia so-called Labor ;petitioh calling JTor the addition of this -if ottrth issue. Now, we are likely! to be told/that is =an astute or adroit- move ori; Labor's partto rope m the prohibitionists and forae them, to support Labor, but the fact of .'"• the whole mattec seems to be that the: - Labor, .leaders ;h^ve .beoome the tools' of the Prohibs., 1 and. are being led by their noses by. the "Calico Jimmies" of Auckland and elsewhere,, and at the same time is a positive perversion of Labor's long established policy, which, yearly has been affirmed by Labor's congresses. Jus£ how- far the Prohibition Party or the Alliance will support Labor is shown by the attitude of the Alliance m Wellington Central, The Alliance affects neutrality, but it is an open secret that it is favoring the candidature of M, J. Mack, the "Independent Labor" candidate, who is a Prohibitionist. It is true that the Rev. R. S. Gr&y, the organiser of the Alliance, has denied that Maok ia their man, but he does not say that the Alliance will support Official Labor. It; is true that Mr.. Maok denies that he i« ' the tool of the Alliance, but he ia AFTER THE PROHIB. VOTE, It is true that Mr, Mack denies that toe is the tool of the P.P.A., but th© Howard Elliott manifesto has made it dear that the P.P. A., which is more, or less allied to the Prohlb Party, is backing Mack. Thus, we see how Labor is faring m Wellington Central, and the » danger which threatens the cause because of the Labors leaders* dalliance with the parsons of the Alliance. The introduction of the fourth issue is only a "blind," and savors too much of the Prohibition Party. Messrs. Paul and McCombs are placing the Prohibition Party before the Labor Party and are pursuing a policy which is designed to wreck Labor. This fourth issue is but a Prohib.-prompted dodge. to torpedo Labor's plank of State Control, and if adopted, would leave the party open to an accusation of Prussianism m tearing up "scraps of paper," and of Bolshevikism m its wildest revolution •• ary poliqy OF CONFISCATION AND CONFUSION. A Labor Party to succeed, imu'st walk warily, and must avoid the pitfalls which the artful Prohibs. prepare, What is happening m Wellington Central is happening all. over. New Zealand, If the Prohiba. are friendly to Labor why is the Alliance not strongly and openly supporting • the official Labor candidate, Peter Fraser? Why is it 'secretly helping tha candidature of Mr, Mack, - and by sa doing, helping to give organised Labor ja death-biow? Just as Labor m Australia was kept divided and weakened by the fiscal question, so m New Zealand is Labor being split on the Liquor Question. The Liquor issue can be settled when Labor reaches power. It will never attain power while its leaders place the Prohibition case first and Labor's cause a bad last. Labor's aim should be first a general election, then . the consideration of many questions, ' and, despite the • chorus , of dissentient voices which the remark will cause, the Liquor question, because of its co-rela- ' tion to finance or taxation, is a matter which should be calmly considered when the war is over. That the Prohibition Party the world over is Labor's •opponent, is rather clearly expressed by the great AMERICAN LABOR LEADER, SAMUEL GOMPERS, who quite recently declared that: >« mWS* c to know this: That the haters of the organised Labor movement, those who have been most hostile to it, and those who are the greatest oppressors of the workers, are supporters— strong, staunch supported — of the Prohibition movement."