THE LICENSING QUESTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14699, 6 December 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE LICENSING QUESTION

. *■ ■ IMPORTANT PROPOSALS. WELLINGTON, November 11. The visit of the representatives of the iquor trade to Wellington and their interlew with the Hon. the Attorney-general, if which I advised yon last- week, was an iidicatiou of ;i contemplated amendment n the licensing laws, hut the genera! aiblic, and even ni?iuber.s of Parliament, vera quite unprepared for the interesting md important, though somewhat vague, innoiincemenf made by Sir doscph Ward n the liudget hist, night. This statement, n brief, was that material alterations in lie law would be made in furtherance of lemocralic principles and tho providing if a fair measure of consideration for hose whoso material Interests will lie ;vcatly affected by the proposed legislaion; also, that 1 lirough the instrnnienality of one of his colleagues the two ;rea't parlies to this question had been nduccd to modify their demands. In ither words, the No-license party and the /iquor party have agreed' to a comiromise. Tho important question that emained to be answered was what was he nature of this compromise, The full text of the agreement arrived it between the New Zealand Alliance ind the representatives of the liquor inerests is as follows: — PROPOSED AMENDMENT OF "THE LICENSING ACT, 1908." 1. Two issues only shall hereafter be vat to the people—via.: (a) I voto that lie number of licenses existing in the liskict continue; (b) I vote lliat no icenses he granted in the district. 2. Tho reduction issue has been elimilated, 3. Every vote hereinafter cast for local 10-licenso shall count for national prohi jition, and vice versa. 4. It prohibition conies into effect no ntoxicating liquor shall bo imported into, Manufactured, or sold in the Dominion ixcept for scientific or medical purposes. 5. Tho majority of votes required to :arry Dominion prohibition shall be 55 v.r cent, of all the votes cast. 6. Tho majority of votes required to :arry local no-license shall bo reduced rom three-fifths to 55 per cent, of all ho votes cast. 7. If Dominion prohibition is carried it hall not take effect lor five years from he date of the poll. 8. If local no-license is carried it shall lot, Into eifect for two years after the late of the poll. 9. If Dominion prohibition is carried m further poll shall be taken for three ■ears. 10. In nohcen'se districts all votes cast or non-restoration shall count for Doninion prohibition. 11. If. the votes cast for restoration in my district amount to 55 per cent, of ill the votes cast, restoration shall be leeincd to be carried. It is understood (hat all branches of ho brewing, wholesale license, and retail iquor trade were represented in the intcr-,-iews with Dr Findlay. The Dominion and' the local option rolls are to bo decided by the one ballot. The third great party—the Moderates— ippcars not to have, been considered in my way. If, however, the two " great liirties" are agreed as stated there will irobably be no strong objection to a bill m the lines indicated. Tho greatest surprise to most people lere is Unit the representatives of " the rude" could have been persuaded to jive, way so much. One very good point .vill, however, be gained 'by such a lompromiso as has been arranged—viz., hat the liquor issue will he removed from ,ho region of politics. Doth sides in Pariament will be thankful for this. THE NO-LICENSE VIEW. WKLLINGON, November 11. In the negotiations which led to the iiiiderslaiidini; ■between the Government ind the two parties on the licensing question, the New Zealand Alliance waiT represented by Mr Wesley Spragg (president), [he Rev. A. Dewdney (chairman of the executive), and the Rev. J. Dawson (secretory). .Mr Spragg has returned to Auckland, but Mr Dawson ;md Mr Dewdney, ivlien seen by a reporter at tho close of'a neeting of the executive said: — iVe recognise that in agreeing o these terms we aw making considerable concessions in the hope that wo nay get a final settlement through the Dominion option vole. In tho first place ive haw surrendered the reduction issue, vhich has proved very valuable in many dedorates. Then, again, our demand las always been for a decision hy a bare uajority, and we still hold this to lie the rue democratic principle which ought to ic observed. We have, however, agreed .o a compromise which goes just half way. iVe have agreed to an extension of tne hue after which a local option poll resulting in favour of no-license becomes iperativo. The period now is six months, ind we have consented to a two-year jeriod. We regard this as a very considerable concession, and we submit that t shows that we have met the views of he other side and of the Government ivitli the utmost liberality. The period >f live years between the carrying of Dominion prohibition and .its coming into jpcration should give ample time for the lovernmenl to make what rearrangement if (he finances may he necessary, while hose engaged in the trade will "be able luring so long a period to transfer their nterests to other channels." THE FEELING IN PARLIAMENT. MANY CONFLICTING IDEAS. WELLINGTON, November 12. Till; more 0112 hears the. proposed icensing legislation talked about the less probability there seems of its becoming aw, in its present, form, during the present session of Parliament. Time only will •ettlo the jioint. Quite a number of leading prohibitionsts, however, are anything hut satisfied ivith the arrangement agreed to by their representatives, and they arc Iveginning to ,'oalise that piohibition is likely to get 1 tremendous set back through the electors laving to vote conjointly for local and liitioinil option. They realise that the ;rcat body of Moderates who have been uixious for the reform of the trade and "or a reduction of the number of the trinking shops will think twice before .ley will now vote with the no-license ncople" and, indeed, that the great uajority who have so voted in tho past trill now, in the event of the passing af the proposed bill, turn round and rote the other way. A table which has been compiled from !.he figures of the last local option poll shows that had the 55 per cent, majority inly been then required to carry nolicense, 14 electorates which carried continuance would have lost it. The followng are the electorates: — I'avncll ... 56.01 Waitemata .. 56.70 danakaM ~. 59.45 Franklin ... 56.59 iVaipuwa, -... 55.46 Eginont ... 59.57 lutt ... ... 59.95 Kaiapoi ... 55.48 ilcraldine ... 55.73 Waitaki ... 55.64 Ounedin City 56.63 Chalmers ... 57.52 I'aieri .. .. 59.54 Dunedin 5... 55.55 The provincial percentages were a« follow:— ~nd t.. 56.21 Nelson, Marll'aranaki ... 51.65 hoio' and llawke's Bay 49.20 Wetland... 46.99 Wellington ~ 54.82 Otaijo and Canterbury... 50.61 Southland... 55.84 On the above figures (assuming that tho votes cast for reduction were equally divided) Wellington and Ot«go and Southland would have carried no-license. Had the proposed majority basis been in operation last year, the percentage for the whole of the Dominion in favour of 110-iicense was 55.45. A DEADLOCK. WELLINGTON, November 24. The conference of delegates from the various temperance organisations that has been meeting hare has come to a conclusion regarding the compromise arrived at (through the medium, of the Hon. Dr Findlay) between representatives of the New Zealand Allianco and the representatives of the brenvers, etc. It will be remembered that an uapojtant featuj& of

lire agirompnt wns tlint the one poll should count, fm' .local option and Dominion tuition. It was the Mine thin;; as the reinlioduclion of Mr Seddon's. famous clause 9. and t-licie wr« many temperance IPformers who disapproved of a, compromise on those lints.

The iwnlVi'Mice lias tl-eciiled" to go buck on the decision of the Alliances representatives who agreed to the compromise. Apparently it lias recognise;!' the gient. ]>ov.'er of the Moderate party, and that it was likely to 10.--e ground if t : lie moderate man was compelled to choose between nolicenso awl no liquor. The decision of the conference was communicated to the l'rimc Minister today, and will he forwarded to the representatives of the trade. If the latter do not agree (o it— and they are not, likely to—we may take it for granted that there will bo no bill this year, and that the negotiations will result in smoke.

The bill, as already stated, lias been in course of preparation in the Law Drafting OHice during the last few days. Counsel for the two parties have been assisting. It. is reported that the agreement has been varied somewhat in its embodiment, in Hie bill in favour of the No-license party. These variations, however, were, it is said, assented to on behalf of the trade in a desire to preserve the compact. It is, of course, understood that tJio "sweet reasonableness" of the trade will not be equal to the fresh demand upon it.

Tim convention wa6 presided over by Mr A. fci. Adams, of Dunedin. The agreement recently made as the basis of probable legislation this session was endowed, except in one important particular, explained in the following resolution, which was carried unanimously: — " That this convention, having carefnHy considered the main provisions of the Licensing Bill, cannot consent to a form of ballot paper which would disfranchise all electors who are not prepared to vote for both local no-license on the present law and Dominion prohibition on a much stricter basis. It is our opinion that the proposed ballot paper will not only confuse and mislead electors, but will prevent the free and full expression of their will. The convention therefore requires that the issues of local and Dominion option shall be presented to the electors on two separate voting papers."