LOBBY AND PRESS OPINIONS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12278, 10 October 1910, Page 5

LOBBY AND PRESS OPINIONS.

(Prom Our Parliamentary Beporter.) WELLINGTON, this dayLobby opinion concerning the Licensing Bill aftivms that the proposals have little or no chance of becoming law m the existing form. ■, THE THREE^FIFTHS PROBLEM. "The House will not tolerate the Bill," remarked a well-known Canterbury member, "for an analysis of the position will discldse, the that the majority of . members , are . pledged, to the three-fifths majority. They cannot . therefore support the proposed 5J5 per cent, vote without breaking their pledges. This fact m itself is sufficient to emphasise that important modifications will be necessary if the Bill is to reach the statute book." Much surprise is expressed by members that the Government should have attempted to legislate this session upon a matter the subject, of such general controversy. The Bill was not expected to deal with these principles. TEMPERANCE SECTION PLEASED. Naturally enough ' the proposals are viewed with satisfaction by the temperance section of the House, by whom the Bill is regarded as the biggest measure of reform ever offered to them by any Government m the country. They de6ire', however, one further step forward, the bare majority. . THE TRADE DISSATISFIED. The trade interests, on the other hand, regard the Bill as a decidedly lopsided' affair, arid that too many concessions, are granted to the Prohibitionists. Disappointment is voiced because the Bill has not been based upon the lines of last year's abortive compact. Notwithstanding all this, the measure, it is N acknowledged, contains . some good features, , particularly m. respect of the increasing of ; the age limit to 21 years, arid , the abolition of the barmaid. 1 It' is interesting to record the views of the Wellington press, the remarks of the Ministerial organ, the Times, being significant. . CONCESSIONS TO NO-LICENSE PARTY.. "So far as we are able to see," remarks that journal, "the Bill introduced into , the House of Representatives represents from start to finish a series of 'concessions to .the Prohibitionists, and wilf require very considerable modification before being acceptable to a very great, section of the community. Some of these _ provisions are reasonable enough, but brie can search the Bill m vain for any-.. indication that the undeniable rights of normal men are given any. sort of protection." ' .■■'■■ DbUBLE-BARRELLEO ISSUE. The ' Dominion states : "The portion of the Bill' which will probably occasion most comment, and so far as the geheral public is concerned arouse the strongest protest, is that which sets out the issues to be submitted iq the electors. If there is anyone at all inclined to- believe that m bringing down this Bill the Ward" administration was actuated by any honest desire to place the licensing law of the. country on a satisfactory' footing, and provide a simple, effective means by which the people may be able to record their views on this vexed question, a glance at the issues proposed to 'be submitted on the ballot paper should be 'sufficient to disabuse his mind ;of that idea. The Government will find it difficult indeed to explain away its undemocratic and grossly improper attempt to rob * the people of their right to vote on each of the separate issues involved as their judgment dictates. The Bill will not have a; shadow of a chance of passing this session m its present form, unless there is a > wholesale betrayal of their constituencies by members." "THE UNREGARDED MODERATE." j'A preposterous Bill," is .the heading, under which the Post offers some candid criticism. The journal remarks : "The Licensing Bill which was to please all parties saw the light yesterday, and proves to be another ingenious device for dishing the' prohibitionists. Whether 6r not it may also be described, like the proposals, of last year, as an attempt at suicide on the part of the prohibition party is more than we are' able to say. In what direction the needle of coldwater diplomacy may be 'pointing now is more than we can say. It has already veered the whole way from north to south. It was left by the convention of the party m June pointing somewhere about, south by north, and where it points now those who are best qualified, to judge, and once considered themselves able to foretell and to some extent to control its movements, will perhaps bo the least ready to estimate. . With the prohibitionists, -pretty closely' divided on the '.Bill,- and tlie' trade,' its! under its more sagacious leadership it is bound to do, going "solid for it, 'the Government may .suppose that it is playing a perfectly safe card, 1 arid so it.m ight, but for the unregarded, moderate whose claims the Government lias ignored and we have championed from the vjery beginning ' of this unfortunate business."'* Thes article, goes on to state : " But the electors' ( wbuld. riot merely' 'be given, the chance of voting, for this, unheard-of and intolerable degree of "prohibition. 4 They would-be compelled to. ..either ;yote ;f p.v. it or, to jyo.te,!fq^' the. renewal .oj every... license, j or iriot, to. ;vote\at all. Even m a country district, a man! willi be unable to vote for the, closing of the bars ; with-i out declaring., for a drought throughout "the' land, and; t making the drjnki]tig of liquor,, if not actually a crinie>'r»t any rate only possible for the ordinary man as the result of 'a crime. So drastic a. change of the law, m oiu 1 opinion, presents an insuperable barrier to any reasonable measure of reform. But , whether it would or . not, the dragooning of hundreds and thousands of voters into diafranchisemeut or stultification is surely an operation .which no democratic Assembly can" think for a moment -of tolerating." ' ■ . •j Mr A. M. Myers suid he must express his surprise, when • the \Prune Minister introduced "the ,BjH/ m, finding that ; it was not on the .lines, promised on what was known as, the "compact," From ; tho explanation given by the Prime Minister, it wtus quite .clear that he had altered some of the' main features m so far that,. in, the. event of national prohibition being' carried for the Doiriinion its effect would be m -four years, instead of five years, whilst if local option were carried the respite ,'was only twelve' months, instead of two' years. On the, other, hand, he was glad the Dominion would have the opportunity, of deciding whether it is really m favor of local or national prohibition.- Gi^the, whole,' the Bill appeared to himjto. make many, concessions to the .prohibitionists, and until he had had an opportunity of going . carefully through the various proposals which are to be repealed,. he' could. not say whether he was incliried' to support the Bill or otherwise. ••:-,• ..; . '.' , Mr T." El Taylor, jii the course of a brief interview, said he had been able to , go through the Bill, and judging from a very -cursory examination, he could say. it was' the. most progressive measure that had been offered to the reform party of this country up to date, and if the people of New Zealand desired to test the question of national prohibition, this Bill, it framed, would afford them every opportunity of doing ■ so. There were many ofHhe details that would no doubt provide material for considerable discussion, but the, so far as he could judge, had . never been offered a, Bill so free from devices calculated to hinder the democracy from ' exercising its power on the* question.- The proposal to give the people an opportunity of voting for the abolition of the "trade," lock, stock, and barrel,, did not prevent no-license from v being secured m any Parliamentary a i ea if the necessary majority was polled- While he was a strong supporter 0f the bare majority) he Avbuild welcome the • instalment of justice which the Bill would give m the 55 per. cent, proposal, Had the Government's proposal; to carry a licensing poll on a fifty-five- per cent majority been m force at last election, and the voting been , unaltered sixteen addnNmrjal <ilectbra(e's Would, ' iicj ! cording to . the' Ptitai'rrio^ have carried no^Jicense, inclutlmg -the v city 'of Dune dhv and five electorates m the Auckland, province. The: electorates which would have carried no-license are Parnell, Waitematii, Maisden, Manukau, Franklin,

WaipuwA, Egmonlj Mult, ~ Kaiapoi, Geraldine, Waitakt, Dlinedin, Chalmers, Dunedin SoUth) Taieri, and Mataura. Dominion prohibition would have been lost by 1.55 per cent., but it, is interesting to note that m the following provinces the total no-license vote was over 55 per cent, of the total vote : Auckland, 56.21; Otago and Southland, 55.84. Had '■he last poll been taken on a fifty-five per cent, basis twenty-eight electorates out of seventy-six would now be "dry." In no case would restoration , have been carried m a no-license district^ on a fifty-five per cent, majority basis. The nearest approach v would, have been m Ashburton, where the restoration vote wap 53.92 per cent, of the valid vote. It rriust be borne m mind that the above calculations are all based on the as-, sumption that electors wpuld have voted: on the new issues to be submitted as they did on the old issueß. That, however, is a very risky assumption.