POLITICAL NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14281, 1 August 1908, Page 9

POLITICAL NOTES.

We cannot affect to feel the least regret over the decisive rejection in the Lower House of tho Licensing Polls Absolute Majority Bill. Tho question of whether the effort to secure tho application' of the absolute majority principle to the no-license issue at local option polls is or is not a. tactical mistako on the part of the no-liceuso organisations is one mainly for the consideration of their members. And wo need only observe regarding it that the available evidence seems to show that "the No-license party itself is seriously split on the point and that there is a substantial minority in it—if, indeed, it be a minority—which recognises that the success it has accomplished in the past has been largely due to the assistance it has received from persons outside its ranks who haye no sympathy whatever with the effort to abolish the three-fifths majority system. Nor are we concerned at the present time to express any opinion, further than we have already done, regarding the suggestion that the No-license party has in effect broken faith with a number of members of Parliament, in calling upon them, at the risk of forfeiting the support of the party, to support the Absolute Majority Bill. That is an aspect of the matter which may be left for consideration until wo see whether the party really proposes to put into force the threats it has held' out before the members in question—threats which, though they did not save Mr Laurenson's measure from a crushing defeat, may have had the effect of causing a few timid members, to shirk the obligation to record their votes in the division. Those points, however, are sideissues. Tlie only matter that was actually in issue in the discussion was whether the present system, under which the introduction of no-license in a district and the restoration of licenses in a district that has adopted no-license can only be effected, as the case may be, on the votes of a three-fifth's majority, is justifiable or not. And..we believe that the consensus of opinion throughout the Dominion is that the system has justified itself, since it provides a reasonable guarantee of the stability of the conditions produced by the polling on the no-license issue in a. district, while it has certainly not operated to prevent the. extreme Temperance party from making considerable headway. It is idle to say that the tnree-fii'ths majority principle is necessarily undemocratic. What is implied by democracy is popular government in accordance with the principles which the democracy has itself determined, and the public, having regard to the special circumstances of the issue, has reasonably affirmed the belief that a three-fifths majority should be required in order to bring about tlie abolition or restoration of licenses' in a district. It is equally idle to assert that the adoption of the bare majority principle would not involve the risk of unrest, 'iiie experience that no-license majorities tend to swell in tho United States does not impress' us. The test of local experience is infinitely more valuable, and the fact that in one electorate in New Zealand the majority in favour of no-license at one poll was converted into a majority in favour of the restoration of licenses at the next poll sufficiently illustrates the danger of the application of the bare majority principle to this issue. Exceptional influences, we shall be told, prevailed in this particular instance. But there can he no certainty that exceptional influences may not operate at other times and in other districts. And the safe, as well as the expedient, course is to avoid legislation under which these exceptional influences might come effectively into play.

The Quackery Prevention Bill, introduced by Sir Hornsby and read a second time in the Lower House on Thursday night last, is a loss pretentious measure than that brought down last session by the same member under the same title. Its operative clause is a curious example of confused draftsmanship, and, as Mr Wilford showed, would be utterly powerless to effect the object it is intended to achieve. It is expressed in the following terms: —" It shall not be lawful to advertise or supply any preparation, medicine, or appliance alleged to be for the prevention, alleviation, or cure of any human ailment or physical defect that is declared by a. judge of the Supreme Court, on the application of the Chief Health Officer, to be harmful to health, or of a fraudulent nature, or of such a- character that it cannot have the effect claimed for it, or cannot effect the purpose for which it was supplied." What Mr Hornsby really aims at, of course, is to render it illegal to advertise or to supply any medicines of the kind that" are colloquially described as "quack" medicines. And in effect lie proposes that the Chief Health Officer shall be empowered to decide what medicines it shall be allowable to advertise and snpply in New Zealand. It would, bowever, be a very dangerous thing to place such extensive powers in the hands of any public officer, even though he may be as fully qualified for the position he occupies and as highly trusted as the Chief Health Officer is. Tile proposal contained in the Bill would, indeed, have an exceedingly farreaching etfect if it were to have its literal construction placed- upon it and if it were administered accordingly. If a. law were actually in existence whereby a person would be liable to a ponalty for supplying a medicine that could not effect the purpose for which it was supplied it is quite probable Flint itmight be found to be applicable to preparations prescribed in absolute good faitli by medical practitioners. l ? or, though we deprecate the rather slightill" references that were mad-.* by Mr Wilford to a profession that is deservedly honoured, it is impossible to deny that medicine, though a science, is not. an exact science, and that, either 111 consequence of ;\n incorrect though perfectly honest diagnosis of a ease or for some other reason, it may readily liiippen that the physic, supplied to a

patient upon a, prescription cannot effect the purpose for which it was supplied. With a great deal of what Br Chappie said the community must be in hearty agreement. But it will hesitate to endorse the proposals contained in a, Bill which, however laudable its object, goes a great deal further thau there is any proved need for legislation to go.

Whatever fresh laws may be passed this .session—and, though the Ministerial programme, contains a large number of miscellaneous proposals, the public will not be seriously disappointed if, so long as its quality is unexceptionable, the quantity of new legislation is strictly limited—one notable achievement will at anyrate be placed to the credit of Parliament. In the Governor's Speech it was stated, that "this year a great work culminates in the completion of the labours of the Reprint of Statutes Commission, and during this session of Parliament a consolidation in fivo volumes of the general public statutes, now contained in some -fiftyfive volumes, will be 1 introduced for tlie purpose of being passed into la.w." The revised and consolidated edition of the statutes, as prepared by the Commissioners, has now been laid on the table of the Lower House, and the legislation' for securing t.he enactment of the Acts comprised in this edition has received its preliminary reading. In all, there are in the consolidated edition as many as 208 Acts, these taking the place of some 816 enactments which comprise the bulk of the public general Acts of New Zealand that were printed as such in the Statute Books up to and including the close of the last Res-don of Parliament and had not then been specifically repealed. The Statute Hooks of the past contain some 225 other enactments which, since they are in most cases isolated examples of legislation, are not included in the consolidation. The collection, however, of the large number of hitherto unrepealed measures, scattered through fifty-five volumes of the statutes, that are comprised in tho consolidated edition will prove an enormous boon to everyone who is required in the course of his business to consult the laws of the couiitry. And though even in the present session Bills will be passed that will amend in various respects some of tho consolidated, statutes, so that Parliament will no sooner have adopted the consolidation than it will be necessary to refer to more than one enactment for the law on several of the subjects covered by the labours of the Commissioners, it will be a matter of the greatest importance that this monumental work will be completed this year.