A FURTHER OPEN LETTER TO MR. A. S. BANKART,

NZ Truth, 5 October 1918, Page 6

A FURTHER OPEN LETTER TO MR. A. S. BANKART,

Sir,— . . ' I thank you for your reply. A fair summary of it seems to give the. following- results: — 1. You sincerely 'desire to "ascertain the true convictions of the people." 2. You consider that 'it is "an honest attempt to ascertain the wish, of the majority" if j'ou group the two issues of Continuance and State Control against^ the one issue of Prohibition, for you say there is really only one issue, namely, "Retention y. Abolition." 3. You suggest that if Prohibition is defeated Parliament could "seek some method of enabling ' the majority to come together" to! decide what form\. of Continuance should be' established. . 4. You. object to the inclusion of the issue of PROHIBITION WITHOUT COMPENSATION as "manifestly unfair and inequitable,"', because your' "Trade" has been "carried on for many years with the full sanction of the law." May I ask you the following questions:— 1. If you are content to have one straight issue of Retention versus Abolition, what is wrong . with the Efficiency Board Proposal? It is Abolition with very material advantages to your "Trade." If it were rejected Continuance remains,- and you could still ask "Parliament to seek some method of enabling the majority to come together*" to decide what- form of Continuance should obtain. If. on the other hand,, it is a matter of "sincere" conviction i with you that where, the ..majority is made. up of two main sections differing m- important particulars . '.'Parliament" should bring the majority together "to . . ascertain their true convictions," I can assure you that . - m the event of the Efficiency Board Proposal being carried. .we should be . delighted to adopt, your proposal and ask Parliament to discover whe- .; their, Abolition should be, with- ; out Compensation or with it. Your 'acceptance of this would be a striking demonstration of actual sincerity, and your friends will, I am ' sure, eagerly await your public declaration of adherence to the absolutely sound and common principle • that what is "sauce for the goose" should be "sauce for the gander." May I ask on what grounds you justify the division of the supporters of Retention into two sections, both of which shall be counted against Abolition, and refrain from suggesting a similar division between the voters against Retention? 2. How would it appeal to you if • Parliament were to apply your . principle the other way, and • decree that since both Electors who * favor the EFFICIENCY BOARD • PROPOSAL and those who favor IMMEDIATE PROHIBITION WITH- . OUT, COMPENSATION, although, to quote your own words, "divided m their convictions," they were "UNITED IN THE BASIC PRINCIPLE" of the necessity for ABOLITION of Liquor, the form of the ballot paper should provide for three issues only, NATIONAL CONTINUANCE, EFFICIENCY BOARD PROPOSAL, IMMEDIATE " PROHIBITION WITHOUT COMPENSATION? And, further,

that both votes against Continuance should count m favor of- Prohibition, just as both votes m your Petition against Prohibition would count m favor of Continuance. ; I am not asking for so severe an application of your principle, and ir have never suggested that these two sections should be counted against your one of Continuance. My "sincere" conviction would not allow that. All I . suggest: is that if you want more than two issues you should, m fairness, have four, and should accept the principle of PREFERENTIAL VOTING, by transferable vote, which I presume you know to be the only method of securing a decision, by actual majority where more than two issues are submitted. By the way, have you noticed that the New Zealand Labor ... Party, which ought to understand the "BASIC PRINCIPLE" of Democracy, proposes to demand' this •very thing? . Why not abandon camouflage? You' must be aware that your "Trade" is utterly discredited. The war has shed a simply lurid light on its essential antagonism to National and individual well-being. , It has so accentuated its essential character as the producer of poverty, misery, immorality, crime and inefficiency that there is a world-wide demand for its entire suppression. You cannot he blind to the . significance of the action of the United States or of Canada, _ At a, sacrifice of an annual Revenue of £100,000,000 m the one case and of £4,000,000 m, the cither, these nations have decided that your "Trade" cannot be allowed to live. This is not the action of fanatical prohibitionists, but of sane, hard-' headed business men, who know that "PATRIOTISM, FREEDOM, and DEMOCRACY/ which great and sacred words some of your followers are daring to write over their appeals to save your "Trade,'? can have not even the remotest connection, with DRINK. * You must be aware that even m this little Nation your "Trade" is destroying life and not developing it, that it has caused no less than 43,600 ARRESTS for .DRUNKENNESS during the four years of the WAR, and that it is the only "Trade" publicly stamped by the Government as unfit to carry on its business when our soldiers leave or return to the country for which they are prepai'ed to lay down their lives. To be quite frank, many find It hai'd to understand 'why you do not seize this splendid opportunity now offered to you . to . get out. Yours faithfully, R. S. GRAY, Dominion Organiser New Zealand . Alliance.