Licensing Legislation.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5211, 19 March 1895, Page 4

Licensing Legislation.

i (.Lyttelton Times.) It looks as though Australia may give the world au object lesson in enlightened municipal control of the liquof traffic A movement has been started by the Mildura Shire Council having for its object the insertion of a clause in the Local Government Act of Victoria, -empowering every municipality to acquire and retain a monopoly of the retail trade in intoxicating beverages, the profits of the trade to be devoted to public works, and the number of public-houses to be determined by a triennial poll o£ j the ratepayers of each municipality, j The Temperance Committee of the i Presbyterian Assembly now in session afc Sydney reported strongly in favour of the adoption of the Gothenburg system in New South Wales, but tho Assembly, after full debate, rejected the reDort and passed a resolution in favour of " full local option, -without compensation." This ia rather discouraging, but the action of the Assembly will not hinder the progress of the reform. To show the arguments by which, from a religious point of view, the Gothenburg system is defended, we quote from a thoughtful Bermon recently delivered at Chalmers Church, Eedfern, by the Eev James Milne, M.A. After declaring that the statesman who succeeded in Bolving the unemployed difficulty would deal a hard blow at intemperance, Mr Milne went on to say : _-«♦ Amußement, if healthy, and not over indulged in, ia ono of the most powerful antidotes which can be brought to bear on intemperance, and so let us bo thankful for cricket, for bicycling, for every manly sport, for the concert room, for the cleanly theatre." The reverend gentleman next urged that the existing licensing system stood much in need of reform. We quote a few sentences from the report of his remarks : — Let them glanca at the methods of reform which were proposed to grapple ..with this evil. There was local option, which aimed at reducing the number of public-houßea in a community, and doubtlets by Buch limitation would do good; but it touched not the principle of the traffic, and there was au element of unfairnesa about it in as far aa it might mean, in many communitieo, the patting of the profits of the many into the hands of the few. Prohibition was also commended, bub to his mind would produce an abnormal state, in as far as the curse they were Buffering under was not drink, but itß miBUBe. While they could not have other than praise for those who for the eafce of their weaker brethren abstain from tha use of .intoxicating drink, still they deemed it wise to point out that Scripture did not inculcate total abstinence. They objected to prohibition, too, because it was not after the divine plan of reform ; it aimed at succour ing the tempted, not by helping them to be strong in face of their temptation, but by treating them aa children— by removing the temptation from them. Another method of reform, and one growing in popularity every day, was municipal control. This system required only consideration to win ib support. It struck at the root of the pernicious principle in the present licensing system, and by removing private interest in the traffic, took with it the temptation on the vendor's part to adulterate drink or to sell to a drunken person, or to provide any such accessories as private bars or whatsoevei might be conducive to drinking. If prohibition was possible, municipal control ol the traffic was the very best means of leading up to it, for if; was the beßfc form-d local option which could be devised, and prohibition,-iiLifc.jvaß to come, must not be brought in before the time was xipa foi it. To undertake the control of the drint traffic would .not be an imtnoral act on tin part of the people, as some seemed tc suppo*e. On the contrary, ib would be s direct advance for righteousness on oui present position, in which, if it was wrong to sell drink, we refrained from doing the wrong 'ourselves?, yet did not scruple tc accept the licensing fees of those who did it for us. Once! the popular mind becomes penetrated by these ideas, the prejudice against municipal ownership oj the public-houses will disappear. W« referred some weeks ago to a cable message which stated that the Aberdeen Town Council was considering the adoption of a modification o] the Gothenburg system. From news papers now at our disposal we learr that the movement there was led by a number of clergymen, professional men and prominent citizens, who hac formed an " Association for Promoting, the Public Control of the Liquor Traffic." This association had formulated a scheme and reeonv mendod the people to agitate for its passage into law. The proposal, briefly, was that five years after tht passage of a private Act applicable tc Aberdeen alone, all existing licensee should lapse without compensation, and the right to retail intoxicants should vest exclusively in the municipality. In the interim, however the Council might buy out the publicans ; but every five years, on the requisition of one-fourth of the constituency, a poll should be taken on the question whether the retailing of intoxicating liquors should be continued, and if two-thirds votec! for discontinuance, all public-houses should at once be closed. It was pro. posed that the licensing of clubs, rail way refreshment rooms and of hotels, as distinguished from drink-shops should remain under the existing law with certain modifications. Tht scheme also contemplated' thai grocers, restaurant-keepers and others might still retail liquors, but merelj as servants of the Corporation. Th< proposal seems to be a very carefully considered one, combining the loca' option principle with that of lnunl cipal control. The Aberdeen Abso ciation was, at latest accounts arranging for a course of lectures and for tho wide dissemination oi printed literature on the subject The unfortunate thing is that it ma} take years to obtain parliamentary sanction even for the local experimenl that is contemplated, on account ol the pressure of work, and the diffi. culty of securing tho passage of loca Bills. Without suggesting .thai Aberdeen, is a fib corpus vilum upor which to experiment, it may be founo expedient to let it make a trial of th( proposed Bysteni prior to passing t law for the whole of tha Unitec Kingdom on the lines of the Bishoj of Chester's Bill.