THE NEW LIQUOR PROPOSALS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16186, 24 July 1923, Page 9

THE NEW LIQUOR PROPOSALS.

PROHIBITIONIST VIEWPOINT

A Meeting of bins local prohibitionists was held last bight in St. Andrew's Hall, whton .Mr. F. Stafford presided over a fair attendance despite the inclement weather. The Rev. P. A. Crawshuw, who spoke lirst, said there were' many things that were prohibited for the public good, but nil the l fuss commenced when the question of liquor drinking arose. It had been his pleasure* to live in a no-lieewo district, and. though, it was not the ideal, it was far beyond the system that obtained before. Lie was not accustomed to ;-- ' i:; men •under the influence of liquor, though undoubtedly there was liquor drinking. He appealed to the prohibitionists for a fuller sacrifice in the cause of national prohibition.

Mr. Grinstead, the divisional :•;■ retary of the Prohibition Party, spoke at. .some length on the present liquor proposals. Dujring the last fc\v weeks, he said, great prominence had been given to the proposals oE the brewers for the amalgambation of the breweries and the issue of a million shares, and the meeting of the brewers, publicans', moderate leagues And representatives of the associated clubs with one or two clergymen of the Anglican Church. First, the brewers are interesting. They know full well that in the Dominion, there is a total vote against) the present system of liquor selling of more than 335 thousand votes, and that prohibition actually bad n vote over continuance of 18.0 CO at the last election. They can see the day coming when their business will go out of New Zealand, and so they are endeavoring to unload a million on the people, and if they can catch in their net a. few thousand widows, what a tremendous cry it will make when election comes. They will use it as they used it in England some years ago. If prohibition is; carried, they will cry, see how many thousands of poor widows and children will be robbed of their bit of income, and if prohibition should comet in 1925, and there, is good reason to believe it will, the brewers will get out easily. The corporate control scheme, what a wonderful thing it is. Two or three clergymen who could not agree with the absolute) prohibition of the liquor traffic, but who wished to seo 'disdntierested management,' tried as it has been tried in Great Britain, in their eagerness to justify their position to find an answer to the Primate's challenge 'that if they cannot support prohibition they must bring forward drastic proposals for the reform of the liquor traffic,' fall right into the trap laid for them by the liquor men of the Dominion. And what .is the proposal? That a company shall bo set up of Government nominees and shareholders' representatives. The shareholders to receive 10 per cent, on their money, the Government to secure 20 per cent, of the shares and to receive all profits made above 10 per cent., after (note the 'after') the whole of the liquor men have been paid for their business and three years' profits, which may take anything from 10 to 20 years, and if, in the meantime, prohibition is carried the shareholders will have/ lost all they put in, and again the liquor men will have scored. Of course, they will! Think yon that men who have been receiving 100 per cent, nett on their business are going to bo satisfied with less? They are in this business) for making money, every man of them. And what of the more effective method of dealing with the liquor evil, corporate control? The so-called remedy has been tried. South Carolina tried it for 10 years and then voted for prohibition, Quebec had it and liquor sales increased nine times in volume (between May and December, 1921. British Columbia had it and half a million population was spending annually three millions in liquor; bootlegging was rife and the press; uttered warnings of economic disaster if the policy was continued. Still, if the whole of the liquor sellers are prepared to stand for corporate control as against prohibition, with only two issues on the Ixdlot paper, the prohibitionists will most certainly accept the challenge. I need hardly point out that Mr. Massesis too old a bird to be caught by the 90 per cent, bribe and the people will surely bo too wise to wear old misfits. Tn the meantime the corporate controllers r.re going to try and secure; legislation for tlie abolition of licensing committees. Are these committees making it) too hot for some of the licensees! at present? They have another arrangement (a Gbyeminent.one). Again they will introduce the locker system into clubs and grant. restaurants to allow liquor to be consumed on the premises at certain times. Their object seems to bo the advancement of the liquor trad© in this Dominion., not its curtailment. Amongst their choicest proposals is redistribution of licenses. They would bring the licenses from places where they can do nothing and they would place them in new districts. Have the liquor men and those associated with them over thought that many of the people,who live in these new districts ai*e there because they have not the blighting influence of the publichouse surrounding them and their young people ?" The liquor men of the Dominion (continued the speaker), realising- the end of their traffic'was in sight, realising that it was condemned by Capital anil by Labor, were seeking a way out. The Prohibition Party were determined that the issue should be met. They were going right forward, organising. They remembered the words of the British on the liquor traffic, that no sacrifice would be too great that would rid the country of this traffic.

An appeal was made for instant finan cia-1 help to the local executive.