The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1902. LICENSING COMMITTEES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11734, 12 September 1902, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1902. LICENSING COMMITTEES.

Seeing that in March next the public of this district, or such portion of the public as is entitled to exercise the franchise, w-iil be called upon to elect a new Licensing Committee, it may perhaps be as well for the electors to devote a little consideration to the matter and to ask themselves how and to what extent they are aiffected by the character and policy of the Licensing Committee. There are rumours in the air to the effect that the "trade" intend to strain every nerve in the attempt to put in a sympathetic Committeel. There is> no doubt something in these rumours. It is well known that an influential section of the victuallers has for a considerable time been displeased with thle isititing Committee, especially with the.chairman, and a few months ago it was publicly notified, in an officially-supplied report of a meeting of the Licensed Victuallers' Association, that ifc had been decided to frame an indictment of the committee and the chairman, setting out the grievances of the "trade," and that copies of such indictment were to> be forwarded to the Acting-Premier, the Minister for Justice, members of Parliament-, and the press. The indictment, we happen to know, was duly framed. We understand that tit© allegations covered between 16 and 20 typewritten pages of foolscap, and that when the arch-conspirators had built their bogey they were themselves frightened oy its terrifying appearance. Certain it j.s that the indictment never found its way into the press, possibly because such portion o£ the precious document as was not actually libellous was ludicrous. The members of Parliament, too, with the exception of the local representative, were not privileged to peruse this uniue production, perhaps because someone among those responsible for its composition had the gumpti<Jh to b-c that once it got loose in the House it would become the subject of criticism, condemnation, and ridicule. But the Minister was provided with, a copy. At least so it is said. It is also said that the Minister very politely declined to have anything to do with the matter, and that further, on being approached by Mr Willis with a request to reconsider his unsympathetic 'Jeterminatiou, Ue in turn requested tba-fc very

distinguished representative to inform the gentlemen whom he repreesnted that he (the Minister) presumed that the members of the Licensing Committee understood their business, that he had no intention of interfering with them, and that he couM not disassociate the chairman from the members'. All this, of course, is mere rumour; but in the interests of those most concerned it would be as well to have the accuracy or otherwise of the statements established. JVS r Willis can do this, and, if he is wise and has any real consideration for a very large section of his constituents, he will do it. Whatever we may think of Mr Willis as a Parliamentarian, we have always regarded him as a thoroughly honest and conscientious citizen, and if he says that he was not asked, directly or indirectly, to lend his assistance in securing the removal of Mr Kettle, w re shall be quite willing to accent his word. Meanwhile, as Mr Willis himself no doubt knows, it is said that he was so asked, or rather that he was toHd that he had "got to help us get Kettle shifted.'' We ask Mr Willis, in the interests- of the public and of himself, to say whether this ramour is true in fact or not. Turning from Wanganui to \Vellignton, we find that dissatisfaction with the Committee of the Empire City is at present occupying the attention of the local press. The difference is that the Wellington complaint is made on behalf of the public, and serves to show what condition of things may obtain when the Committee! is composed of men elected in the interests of the traffic. The Wellington Committee met on Monday last, and the "Post," referring to the proceedings, says—"The Committee spent 'a lively half-hour' over the police reports1, which were similar to those submitted at the annual meeting in June last. The chairman, we are glad to observe, wished to insist upon the1 rebuilding of certain licensed houses condemned in the reports', but he was apparently outvoted by his colleagues, who postponed the question until the result of the local option poll was made known. I The nature of the police reports, and also of the supplementary report prepared1 for the City Council by its Engineer, has.already been made known in this: journal'to the public, and the Committee; must be held responsible for gross dereliction of duty in refusing t© take action. It is satisfactory to find that the chairman has disassociated himself from the Committee's conduct, and the electors will now know where to place the blame. In the face of such a report as that submitted by the Police Inspector at' the annual meeting, the Committee, we have no hesitation in saying, had no moral rightto grant applications for renewals of licenses in several cases untdl they had disproved the Inspector's charges or imposed conditions that would hare made rebuilding absolutiely necessary. The netst Licensing Committee election takes place in March., and we trust that the elector's wlil make a clean sweep of members who have shown such glaring unfitness for the public trustreposed in them. As our readers are aware, we cannot accept the views of the extreme temperance reformers, but if the choice is to lie between Licensing Committees such as have discredited this city for the last two or three years, and 'no license,' we can quite understand many moderate folk being induced to support, though with great reluctance, 'no license' as the lesser of two evils. By its recent conduct the City Li.censing Committee has been doing grave injury to the very interests it apparently desirea to conserve. If 'the trade' and its friends connive at breaches of the spirit of the law, they will alienate that large moderate section oF*'the community which is then? present safeguard against the zealous attacks of Prohibitionists. By postponing consideration of the urgent matters raised; in Inspector Ellison's reports until the result of the local option poll is mad© known, the Committee is, we presume unconsciously but none the less forcibly, encouraging waverers and moderates to vote for reduction, if not for 'no license' itself, at the coming poll. To appeal to the lower grounds of action—and the Committee has made it futile to appeal in its case to the higher,— renewing and continuing licenses unconditionally in face of the reports that have been made upon ceitain city hotels, is inexpedient even from the viewpoint of 'the trade.' Tumble-down shanties, exposed to grave fire risks, and in some cases scarcely sanitary, should not be licensed, for they are a danger and a nuisance not only to inmates and customers, but to the general public. We sincerely hope that temperance reformers of all shades of opinion will unite to insist upon the law being* fulfilled in spirit and in letter, and to see that future Licensing Committees consist of men who will set the law and the common weal above all sectional interests1. Section 63 of the Licensing Act of 1881 gives ample powers to Licensing Committees. . 'Notwithstanding anything in this Act contained, the Licensing Committee may.' it says', 'on their own motion, take notice of any matter or thing which in their opinion would be an objection to the granting of a license, or to the renewal, transfer, or removal of a license, although no notice of objection liasbeen given as by this Act provided.' This journal has always maintained that a fearltess enforcement of the minimum requirements of the law (requirements we would gladly see raised), in the matter of structure', accommodation, sanitation, and so on, is one of the surest and best ways of abolishing the 'bcozing ken' and mitigating th> tvils of the abuse of alcoholic liquor. In fchjs, we firmly believe, the interests of reputable members of 'the trade' coincide with those of temperance."