THE LICENSING ISSUE.

Shannon News, 3 November 1925, Page 3

THE LICENSING ISSUE.

j HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT. SIXTH NATIONAL REFERENDUM. The sixth poll on the issue of national prohibition will be taken on the day of the general elections. Polls will also be taken in the 13 no-license districts on the issue of local restoration. Except for the latter the local option has boon abolished. The first Act of Parliament providing for popular referenda on the licensing question was passed on October 2, 1593, a fortnight after the franchise was granted to women. The law has been modified from time to time, but the most numerous and radical alterations were made in the Bill passed by Parliament on Deeember 19, 1918. This legislation provided for the special poll .on the national issue only, which was taken in April, 1919, for the addition to the ballot paper of the State purchase proposal, and for the decision of the issue by absolute majority. Eleven referenda have been taken in New Zealand, on all hut the first occasion on the day of the triennial election of members of the House of Representatives. At the first six—lß93 to 1908—the doctors, voting by districts only, Avere asked to decide upon the issues of continuance, reduction of licenses, and no-liccnse. In 1911 and 19.14 district polls'were taken on the two issues only of continuance and noliccnse, the reduction proposal .having been eliminated. On these occasions, also, the electors voted by special ballot papers on the question of national prohibition. At the special poll in 1919 only the national issue Avas submitted, while at the subsequent general elections polls were again taken on the national and local restoration proposals. The No- License Movement.

Voting on the basis of the three-fifths •majority, 12 districts carried no-liccnse the required majority having been recorded in one district in 1893; in two in 1902; in three in 1905; and in six in 190 S. The districts in which no-license has been enforced upon the vote of the electors are as follow, the table showing the year in which no-liccnse was carried and the votes' for and

The district of RoskilL created by the revision of electoral boundaries following the census of 1916, is a nolicense area, as more than half its population is contained in the area formerly within the boundaries of Eden. This is the first "dry" district created by the revision of electoral boundaries. On the other hand, the Bruce district has disappeared by enlargement of neighbouring electorates. At the 1908 poll 38 districts showed an actual majority in favour of aolicense: the number dropped, to 25 .in 1911, and to only eight in 1914. On the other hand, none of the "dry" districts has ever shown the threefifths majority necessary to restore 'licenses. The following tables shows the aggregate voting at the eight local option polls: Continuance. No-license.

Tire majority for no-license thus increased from 15,884 in. 1905 to 43,331 in 1908. There was, however, a majority for continuance of 2369 at the poll J of 1911 and of 52,073 in 1914. ! The Restoration Vote. Of the valid votes recorded in the 12 no-license districts in 1911, there were 43.83 per cent, in favour of restoration. The proportion increased in 1014 to 46.97 per cent., while in 1919 the restoration vote in the 12 districts declined to 45.19 per e'ent., and including Roskill, to 43.58 per cent. Again in 1922, there was a' further decline in the restoration vote of 43.89 per cent. At the last two polls, Ohinemuri and Ashburton have recorded act'ial majorities for restoration. At the forcheomiug poll, electors in the no-liecnse districts v. ill again vote on the ,questio:a of restoration «u licenses, in terms of the 1910 Act, which requires a majority of threefifths of the valid votes to carry restoration. If restoration should be carried in a no-license district the number of publicans' licenses to be granted "shah not exceed one for every complete 500 electors of the district at th 3 date of the general election at which the poli was taken, and shail not be less (if a sufficient number of such Jineeses arc duly applied for) than' one for every complete 1000 electors or J,he district." The National Issue.

The first national prohibition poll was taken in 1911 and the second in 1914, a majority of three-fifths being required to carry .prohibition, and under the Act of 1910 such a vote would have become effective 4i years after the poll. The poll of April 1919, was taken on the proposal of immediate prohibition, to be effective as from the following June 30th, with compensation of £4,500,000 to the licensed trade, the decision being by a bare majority. Provision was made in the 1918 Act for further polls tri'eunially on the three issues of continuance, State purchase and control, and prohibition, the decision to be by a bare majority. As the law now stands, the carrying of prohibition would be effective as from .Tune 30th next after the poll, while State purchase and control would come into force on a date proclaimed, not

more than one year after the official declaration of the result of the poll. No compensation would be payable if prohibition were carried; the Act authorises the borrowing of sums not ! exceeding £10,000,000 for the purchase of the interests involved, should the State control proposal b'e carried. Results of Previous Polls. The following table shows the results of the five national polls:

Dec. 318,396 51.42 300,791 48.58 The vote against prohibition in December, 19.19, comprised: Continuance, 241,251 (4.4.37 per cent.); State purchase, 32,261 (5.93 per cent.). In 1922 it was: Continuance, 282,669 (45.65 per cent.); State purchase, 35,727 (5.77 per j cent.). The effect of the various .polls may he illustrated by calculating the numbers of votes that must have been reversed to turn the majority against - prohibition into a' bare excess in favour of the proposal. At the .first poll in 1911, had 19,420 of those who voted for continuance marked their ballot papers the other way, the necessary majority would have been secured. Thus the supporters of continuance had rather more than 9 per cent, of I their total vote to spare. There was, a marked re-action in 1914. On a simi-j lar calculation, 55,579, or 21 per cent, of those Avho voted continuance .must j have reversed their votes for prohibi- j tion to have been carried., With the decision to accept a bare majority vote, the margin against prohibition Avas greatly reduced. In April, 1919, the reversal of 5282 votes, or 2 per cent, of the vote against prohibition, and in December, 1919, the reversal of 3262 votes, or little more than 1 per cent., would have carried prohibition. At the last poll, Avith an adverse majority of 17,605, the number of votes that must have been altered Avould have been 8803, or 2-2 per cent.

against: — Year. For Against 1893 1642 487 Aslvburton 1902 2780 1734 1902 29139 1877 Grey Lynn 1905 3426 1941 Oamaru 1905 3142 1818 1908 4057 2249 Ohinemuri. 1908 3333 2035 Mas t'cr ton 1908 3287 2111 , Wellington S. 1908 4054 2241 Wellington Sub. 1908 4334 2448 Invoretirgill 1905 , 3409 1573 190S ' 2988 1872

1893 42,429 48,993 1896 ... .. .. 139,580 98,312 1899 143,961 120,542 1902 148,449 151,524 1905 182,884 198,768 1908 .... 188,140 221,471 1911 237,025 234,656 1914 ... 274,405 229,474

Continuance. Prohibition. • Votes p.c. Votes p.c. .1911 205,661 44.17 259,943 55.83 1914 257,442 51.01 247,217 48.9:) 1919— April 264,189 51.00 " 253,827 49.00 Dec. 273,512 50.30 270,250 49.70 1922— 1