THE "TRADE" AND THE NO LICENSE PARTY.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 12723, 15 December 1909, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE "TRADE" AND THE NO LICENSE PARTY.

THE ABANDONED COMPACT

t, r „ ■ We,fin St°n. Oec. 8. Ihe following resolutions were adopted by a conference of the licensed liquor trade of New Zealand, on the motion of tlie Hon. C. Louisson. rlx' secoude d by Mr Walter •Johnston : —

(1) J hat this meeting of delegates trom the brewers, wine .and spirit -merchants, and licensed victuallers oif-New Zealand, view with surprise and indignation the aeiaon of the . no license' party in deuoerately repudiating an agree n^ u .t- .entered into between their official representatives and representatives of the trade for the amend--•.moat ,ef the licensing laws, and em.pfiasises the fact that at the date of the meeting of the' conference' -of the .no license delegates at Wellington at ■■which such repudiation, was decided on , the above mentioned agreement had already been signed by tlie official .representatives of both parties, and a .■draft of the proposed Bill, embodying the agreement, had been agreed .to by the solicitors .of both parties, through the final arbitration of the Horn Dr Findlay, and the suggestion coming from the No License Confefencej.that an alteration should be .made in the terms of the agreement, came too late, and wassimply a weak attempt to. justify a most ignominious repudiation of a written agreement. :-.. ~

That this meeting and the trade of the Dominion will oppose by every proper arid legitimate means m their power, amy attempt to depart from the three-fifths majority" for either V'!°f^ no cense " or "Dominion prohibition,"- except on the express condition that the principle of "one .elector, 'one vote" shall be introduced; two issues only to be on the voting -paper, viz. : .1. Local continuance. 2. LocaP ho license and Dominion prohibition, and that the time limit in the case of local no license Jroing carried be not less than two years -from the date of the poll, and in ease of Dominion prohibition being carried, be not less than five years from the date of the poll. (3) -That this meeting is of opinion that the Right Hon. the Prime Minister should, in the interest and wel- ; fare of the public and tlie Dominion,introdnce and pass into law, as outlined in - his Financial Statement, such legislation as will carry out the' agreement entered into ou the 6th of November last, between representatives of the New Zealand Alliance and the trade, and that a copy of tin's resolution be forwarded <55**liim with a respectful request to give effect to the same.