DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXIX, Issue 12143, 11 August 1903, Page 3

DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER.

THE BRUCE LICENSING CASE. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, August 10. A deputation from Otago waited on the, Premier, and asked him to take steps to validate the local option poll for the Bruce licensing district, such poll having been declared void by Mr Cruikshank, S.M. The electors had by a majority of 847 declared in favour of no license. It was stated that the deputation in asking that a Validation Bill be passed were not seeking for licensing legislation, or for more than was done when a. County Council election or poll for public works was rendered valid after jjome informality. What they.;wanted of an 'in-, forthal act, not the legalising of an unlawful one. : --' -j*

Mr James Allen, the member for the dis- : tricfc, hoped;:that he would get;jui iop.portunity to move the second reading ot his Bill to meet'the situation. The Premier, in reply, admitted that the position had been put to him in a. moderate manner, but the question involved a matter which to his mind was larger and more important than anything affecting the interests of the trade or of the prohibitionists. Any legislation would have to he retrospective,' and it would set aside the deliberate judgment of the Court. When the deputation asked him to support a Bill which would declare that the decision'of the Magistrate should be set aside, and this notwithstanding the violation of the law which had taken place, they would see that it required retrospective legislation. It was something entirely .without precedent. If application were made to have made valid any election to the- General Assembly that had been declared void, there would have been such a feeling of .indignation throughout the colony that it would be-hard to say what the result would be. In the present instance both parties made requests to Parliament—one that the poll should be validated, the other that relief should be given in quite another direction. It would, therefore, be out of place for him to say more' than that he would place the representations of the deputation before the Cabinet. He did not believe there was one ground on which a Magistrate would declare an election void which could be treated as a technicality. He could not listen to the suggestion that it was a technicality; it was a violation of the Act and principles by which Parliament safeguarded the inteicsts of the people's freedom. There had been gross violation of the principles of the ballot. It was his earnest desire to act fairly as between both parties, and it was almost impossible to support retrospective legislation., The question of dealing with the present position was now before the House, but while . the whole subject was under consideration by /the Law Courts could they presume that Parliament would interfere and say that the course of the law should be stopped.