The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1906. A BOON UNASKED.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8067, 29 December 1906, Page 2

The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1906. A BOON UNASKED.

Tueke seems no rcasou to doubt the accuracy of the statement-made by the Oaniaru .Mail a few days ago that in some districts the alteration of the electoral boundaries will impose nolicense mi people who now <'iijoy the privilegv of (pieiiidiiiiL' their thirst ;tt public bars. If it were otheiwi.se tu anomalous position wouid aiise, but tiife situation will have peculiar feature,-, of its own even then. The imposition ot no-license on districts that don't want it, anil preiumably voted ao'aiiist it at the la»t, ioc.ai

option poll, will hardly lie relished by the majority of those alTeeteil, and that will probably lonu one of the grounds ol' objections to the alterations, which the Commissioners will meet to consider on Ja.iuary 17th next. Other electorates besides Oamaru will be affected by the alterations. The no-licciiM' district of Ashburloii, lot instance, will in future, should the recommendation

of the Commission lie adopted, in- I elude part of tlie license district of j Teinuka, and also the boroagh of Geiaidiue At the evpyiition ot the j

existing licenses in those places ! therefore, the people will come under j the governance of a thr. e-lift lis majority 01 distant electors, having little community of in- j tcrest. \\ liethcr the inhabitants of , (>eraldinc will view the c\tinct ; on of j their hotel licenses without reference j to til cm, as a " blessing .sent unawares," as the Oaniaru Mail \ naively counsels tlie people id' | Hampden and I'almerston South to do, is problematical. As the law ' stands, the hotels at those places j ' must close their bars at the end of the term of their licenses, and it will not be possible to reopen them, except by the verdict of a three-lilt lis majority of the whole electorate, should the Houndary Commissioners' report be adopted. Some time ago, the Hon. Mr McXab stated that a general! elect ion would be entailed by tint alterations. Should they he brought immediately into effect, it is reasonable to suppose that a general election would lie held. In a trreat : many cases members would be representing electors who had no opportunity of voting for or against their , return, and whose return at all was then a matter of complete indifference to tliein. Such electors would l>e to all intents and purposes disfranchised from the time tho altera- 1 tions came into force until a general election took place. It is in regard to the lienor aspect of the question, i however, that the change will be « most felt, though at future elections 1 the position, as far as the colony , generally is concerned, will not be materially altered. In some ( electorates the chances of carrying j no-license will certainly be reduced, but this will be counterbalanced by the cortesponding accession of no- ' license voters in others. Without I entering upon the general subject of i license or no-license, it cannot be ' held to be desirable that the people of one district should be ruled by I the decision of a majority of those 1 in another, and if the recommenda- j tions of the Commissioners be given effect to before the next general i election, those no-license electorates ' whose boundaries will be extended, should be afforded an opportunity of expressing their will in the matter.

HOLIDAY ACCIDENTS. At Christmas time the record of injury and death in New Zealand is always heavy. This year the list of violent deaths makes an appalling total. It is only to be expected that at holiday time, when the railways, ferries and all means of conveyance are crowded with pleasure seekers, the risk of disaster should be. greater than at any other time, but this vear, very few of the accidents reported have been iu any way attributable to stress of traliic. It is, however, a relief to have passed the period of most severe traliic with immunity from the shocking train and steam boat accidents that have iu previous* years mailed the pleasure of the festive season. The absence of serious disaster in the cities of the colony indicates that this year the facilities for conveyance have been more competent to cope with the demands of the Christmas traliic than in tlie past. The columns of the daily papers have nevertheless been tilled with telegrams telling of divers fatalities in all parts of the country, and we in Hamilton are mourning the sad deaths of two young members of our community. Our enjoyment of the holiday festivities will this year tempered with sympathy for those whose Christmastide has not been a season of enjoyment, but of sorrow and mourning.