LICENSING POLL

Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13811, 16 July 1918, Page 4

LICENSING POLL

THE RUMOURED COMPROM.EE. ■M"'i'i:d (Jorrev.poiKlenl.) , WKI.U\(;TOX, Mondav U, »"K'>. H:c lifjtjor Irade and ' it« ; l ! ! ! ,J ! ■'■'■ Jusi as emphatic as the Pm'"'"lionists are in dcying tlie exist- ' ;!,: ' "l a ((,i:,proihise lietucen iii,. : Ul , panics in re--,-,id to the compensation proposils of the National K.'lieieiicv Hoard, there is a | ( . ( .jj, 1K ;i |, m ad ;j| .;,. I ■'■""•""'"t iii.ii on l,„il, s i,|,. s v ,„,.|,| |,„ ' ,|;l ' l I" !*«'•■ tile (jUestion put to thu M'P'ilar vote during ihe continuance ,' ""' l'» ~|. v tni'-i. The Prohibitionists have conceded a good deal hv subscribing to the principle „f com'uciiHat:on under any conditions, and the hie ""'". '," '"" ! "l"or irade have never 'hi'K'd tin- righl of Hi.- State lo take over then- mierests on a, (air commercial hasis; '"" 'he peril to the scheme. is that the extremists on the prohilnion side will consent only to the extinction "I ihe traffic, and t.ii a i the Government will refuse to piece on the country the unanciu] burden this would involve.

In any case there would |„. V( . rv great difficulty in arranging the details of the scheme in iinie for them to lie submitted to the . 1 'itors this year. Il is generally understood thai Parliament will meet about, the middle of October, but there is no certainty that Mr Masscy and Sir .10--b Ward will he back at the beginning of the session, and without the Prime Minister" and the Minister of Finance the Cabinet scarcely would proceed to the settlement of the preliminaries. Then Parliament would have to decide the form in which the question should be submitted to the electors, and it is easy to see this task would occupy more than a week or two. Neither the ActingPrim* Minister nor the Acting-Minis-ter of Finance would be likely to place any obstacles in the way. Indeed, both Sir .lames Allen and Mr Myers are credited with being favourably disposed towards the proposed referendum, but the question is too big to lie decided in the absence of the p.irty leaders.