Stratford Getting Post With which is Incorporated "THE EGMONT SETTLER” Established 1890. FRIDAY, JULY 31, 1931. LOST LICENSING VOTES

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 198, 31 July 1931, Page 4

Stratford Getting Post With which is Incorporated "THE EGMONT SETTLER” Established 1890. FRIDAY, JULY 31, 1931. LOST LICENSING VOTES

THE anomaly which makes a grievance of non-Prohibitionist voters of the old Ashburton electorate through its incorporation in the new electorate of Mid-Canterbury and in that of Temuka is one not to be gainsaid. There is no exaggeration in the statement of it which has been made as follows by an Ashburton solicitor: “We have a portion of a No-license district thrown into a licensing district, with the extraordinary result that the right of voting on the restoration of licenses in Ashburton has been lost, and lost for ever, even if 100 per cent, of the electors should be in favour of restoration, unless the Legislature can be moved to remedy the wrong it unwittingly has done.” That is the effect of the judgment of the Privy Council, confirming the decision of the New Zealand Court of Appeal. From the renewed attention which is being brought to bear upon the position we conclude that an attempt is likely to be made to obtain an alteration of the law by which the present anomaly would be removed. There is a distinct injustice in a law which does not work both ways. When, owing to a change in electoral boundaries, part of a license area is incorporated in one in which No-liceuse obtains, that district immediately “goes dry,” with a prospect, however, that restoration of may be obtained for the whole area at some future poll, as happened to Ohinemuri six years ago. But the Ashburton people as the law stands, have lost their right of voting upon restoration for all time to come. The last vote taken by them, while they remained a separate licensing district, is given not a triennial but an indefinite governing power, and the position is made more unnatural for those who would prefer to have licenses by the fact that they were a majority (though not the threefifths majority required to get them) at that and preceding polls. Whether that result was or was not intended by Parliament when its legislation w r as laid down can only now be a matter of conjecture. It is plain, however, that what has happened to Ashburton might in future happen to any of the other dozen No-license districts in the future, given the same sort of change in electoral boundaries, if the law should remain unaltered, which would not be a reasonable development of a system of referenda. The Legislature will be more likely to be moved by petitions from those in Ashburton who are dissatisfied with the present state of affairs, which might show their number, than by representations made on behalf of those who are financially interested. No Government likes opening up the licensing law for discussion if that can be possibly avoided, because of the number of views on every sort of issue that then come into conflict. If. however, the law must come under review this session in connection with brewery licenses, someone may be able to move a clause which would meet the Ashburton position. We do not know how it is to be met without allowing voters of the old Ashburton electorate to vote on a roll o r their own, involving another

ir'i.inaly, but a solution should not be beyond the wit of xnau.