Licensing Reduotion.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4907, 24 March 1894, Page 5

Licensing Reduotion.

TO THB BDJTOB. Sib,— -In yonr Thursday's leader yon make the following remark, " though in many populous oentres there has been an emphatic verdict for reduction, tbs number Of lioensed nouses, will, perhaps, not suffer material diminution, because of failure to eleot committees prepared to reduce to the limit allowed by law." This Caused mo to look up the figures of the Christ<ihurch election, and I find that within a fraction, 106 persons voted or counted for reduction as against 57 for "as yon are," or praotioaliy two to one. This I take to be a olear expression of the people's will whioh I ventttr-e to think ought to be obeyed. Do you not think the prohibitionist party see a good point here, and thus refrained from nominating a committee? The votes of 6298eleotor8 cannot safely be disregarded, unless the Christohuroh publicans wish to achievd the same result at the next election as has praotioaliy been done by Syd.nh«m in this oontebt, though of course, through being merged into Christchurch, Sydenham's power ia nullified. I find that Sydenham (three polling places) J tolled 1282 for (< no lioense" againßt 748 or " reduotion " and "as at present " combined, thus registering the necessary three* ■fiftha majority with 44 votes to spare. This position to-d&y is entirely owing, I consider, to the difficulty whioh has been In existence there with the trade, and to having their vote of three yearß ago set at nought. Let me prophesy that if the lioensed victuallers want to sign their own death warrant all they need do is to Sive the people of Chiistohuroh such a -nosy reduction as two or three of the insignificant* low honses in the distriot. The prohibition , cry of to-day would have been oo__parativ-__y unknown if the trade had aooepted thd defeat at Sydenham ana gdb£ <Jtti«_y to work to Counteract it, there wejfld have beta ho Aloohollo Liquors CcJfitrol -3111, ahd they possibly wonld have beaten the prohibitionists on tbeir Own battle ground this year and had Sydenham hb fall of public-houses as ever. It was a o&se of "biter bit." Lat ns w*te_t whtt&tir tt will be a am 4* Jfoi»aWWTrtoesl_yJ'--i-tah.rAc», $ft.