THE LIQUOR BUSINESS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16521, 23 August 1919, Page 6

THE LIQUOR BUSINESS.

10 THE EDITOR. Sir,—Wo have from time to time heard discussions as to whether the above, business was or was not a political power in the land, and I thinkthat the experience we have had lately in regard to liquor should for ever settle the question. I allude to the railway restrictions on the carriage of goods when liquor was banned and within practically 24 hours all restrictions were removed on liquor and the miserable piffle put out by the Minister for Railways, Mr. Hemes, as the reasons for thu removal of restrictions does not in any way remove the feeling that scmo how and some way this business wields a power that no other business or total combination of other businesses and industries can command, as time after time veal essentials are cut out and liquor in any quantity is received and carried on the railways—even to the exclusion of legitimate passenger traffic, and yet wo have people in our midst who 'are prepared to support State control. Why. if they would only stop to think they would realise at once that if State control came the political pull would be intensified tenfold and we would have a veritable Tammany ring of liquor interests in New Zealand. We recently had a poll in which it was proposed to wipe, out Ihe traifie wii h a compensation of four and a-half millions, but the trade worked tootli and nail, openly sometimes, but more often quietly, to kill the above proposal and advised electors not to vote away four and a-half millions when they could get it for nothing in 1919. Probably we will gS|t it for nothing in 1919, as I am convinced the prospects'of securing our goal were never brighter. At the same time electors must beware of this red herring across the icent as the trado have an undue advantage in the coming poll, as it is quite evident the trade will not care which way it ,goes so long as prohibition is not carried. So long as continuance is not defeated, well and !gi:od, but, say they, if State control can be carried and prohibition defeated so much the better, ns by this means we will get out of the business, not by four and a-half millions compensation, but we will get anything from 15 to 20 millions', quite an unknown quantity at present I. admit, but it will he a huge amount, and a totally different proposition to the last poll. So electors' beware; .stick solidly to prohibition and let State control be fought out between the continuance advocates and the Stale controlisis. Vote solidly for prohibition now you have the chance to <lo so without compensation; your chances were never brighter, and let the trado fall into their.own pit which they so cleverly (as they thought) dug at the last election. If the people of New Zealand are true to their best interests there will never have been a finer example of biter bit. So electors don't be bamboozled. Now is your chance. Stick to your guns and the vietorv will be the people's against Bung "and Co., the great monopolists and political wire pullers.—l am, etc., XO STATE CONTROL.