The Licensed Victuallers

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XI, Issue 514, 25 October 1900, Page 18

The Licensed Victuallers

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To only speak what is good D^rTL°Nisi 18 w^en speaking of the dead BON UM. * s a<^v i ce which recommends itself to most people. But such philosophy cannot hold good when we speak of the now dead and gone Liquor Bill. As anticipated, the Premier, who takes upon himself the onus of having brought in the defunct Bill, evidently had no intention of its ever reaching the debatable stage, notwithstanding many promises made that the Bill would be brought down this session. After all, perhaps Mr Seddon adopted a course which only a clever and powerful politician like he is would dare do. From the wording of the Bill it is most evident that he had been approached by three different parties, namely, the wholesale trade, the retail trade, and the prohibitionists. The result of his endeavours to do a little for each took, the form of a conglomeration of clauses, which from the outset could have very little better result than to set all parties at variance. In all instances of a three-cornered struggle, especially where two of the corners are the result of the splitting of a hitherto solid body, the third corner invariably proves victorious, and I sincerely believe that had such a Bill as the suggested one been brought into force, our inveterate enemies —the prohibitionists —would have scored a victory. The first indication of this would follow at our next general election, when it would be possible to bring about reduction or prohibition in the cities by the country vote. Under such clauses as were contained in the Bill under review, it would have been impossible for the wholesale and retail trade to work together with that unison and sympathy that is absolutely requisite to preserve their respective rights. Here again our foes would have reaped further victory. Again there were clauses which would affect the general public, and particularly the male working voter. These clauses would give more or less offence, and that our male working friend is not to be despised at the polling booth we were plainly shown at the last election of the licensing bench. Perhaps, taking it all round,-both parties of the Trade may congratulate themselves that the Bill did not come on, and I think that before such a serious measure is brought before the country again that it would be advisable for the leaders of both parties to combine their forces and have a conference. Subject the Bill to a severe boiling-down process and see if something acceptable to both sides, and particularly to the public, cannot be fas-

hioned from the residue. No man of sense requires any further lesson on the folly of divided forces than the lesson which is now given to us by Mr Seddon. He practically made use of the weakness of the Trade to throw over the two sides. Had the ranks been united from the beginning there can be no doubt that any reasonable demands that were made by both branches would have been brought up early in the session, and would by this time have passed into law. Some of the clauses are of such a character as to cause one to wonder if the party, or parties, who were responsible for their insertion into the Bill really intended them to become law, or whether they intended that if these clauses did become law that they would serve an immediate purpose, allowing the framers of the clauses to retire before the next election, leaving other unfortunates to suffer the reactionary public feeling which would inevitably follow the passing of such a measure. This may be rather ambiguous, but it is clear enough to my friends who do a little thinking for themselves. £ sincerely sympathise with my retail friends, whose only desire was to have eleven o’clock license. I hope that the lesson will not be lost on them, and trust that the injustice and annoyance in having to close at ten o’clock will be removed early next session.