The Licensed Victuallers Gazette

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 736, 14 April 1904, Page 23

The Licensed Victuallers Gazette

CRAFTY CANARDS.

It has been reported with the craftiest gunning, and in the most plausible language, that the Premier is riding for a fall in order to dish the Prohibitionists. Mr Seddon has stated in recent speeches in the South that the Government intend to stand or fall by the leasehold form of land tenure, and this, in face of the growing feeling throughout the country in favour of the f eehold, is held to mean that the Government will be defeated next session, and that the Premier will be entitled to, and will ask for a "dissolution. This will involve a general election, and in the ordinary course of events postpone the local option poll for two years. The present licensing law provides for a poll once in three years, on the same day as the general parliamentary election, and there is no provision for a poll if such parliamentary election is not held. Of course it is quite conceivable that circumstances might arise that would have the effect which the Prohibitionists declare is concealed in the Premier’s pronouncements respecting the land question. But it is asking too much that we should believe Mr Seddon to be ready to sacrifice power even for the sake of the brewers and the Trade generally. He may possibly risk office in his determination to stick to prii ciples laid down when the Liberals assumed the reins a dozen years ago, but we do not think he anticipates defeat. The Government have a solid majority in the House on want-of-confi-dence motions. The alteration in public opinion on the land tenure cannot take such a pronounced form as to be strong enough to convert Seddonites into antiSeddonites before the end of this year. Political defeats are of course arranged for, and the fanatical party will suggest that the Ministerial majority is a thing that would suffer a transformation if Mr Seddon willed it. . hat is quite possible, but defeat in the House would very probably result in defeat at the polls. The dissolution would release many members who are in reality opposed to the Goverment on the leasehold question from the obligations that now bind them to the Cabinet, and the Premier knows this perfectly well. The real object of those who are spreading the report concerning the alleged impending dissolution is to rouse the indignation of their weak-minded followers against the Trade which, it is declared, has purchased the conscience of the Premier. The campaign of cold water, with its lies and slanders, is commencing once more. Two or three persons of the pump type are already on the teetotal circuit, and it will take some ingenuity to catch them up. The Trade should lose lose no time in the endeavour to do so.

THE CHAPMAN BANQUET-

Oun readers will remember that the Invercargill Licening Committee refused to grant an extension of license on the occasion of a banquet to His Honor Mr Justice Chapman. The circumstance was alluded to in scathing terms by the local press at the time. “ Givis,” in the ‘‘ Witness,” sees the humorous side. This is what he contributes :— What we have a right to expect and what we commonly get are two different things This comes out with striking clearness in an incident reported to me from Invercargill. Dear “ Civis,”— Southland is not a locality which lends itself to jocularity, least of all its bad weathar. Yet occasionally things happen that might almost be described as- humorous For example; In honour of Mr; Justice Chap.

man the Devil’s Own at Invercargill organised a Bar dinner, which was attended by a judge of the Supreme Court, two Stipen’aty MagStrates, tne Crown Prosecutor, and 30 or 40 members of the Bar. The guest of the evening finished, or nearly finished, speaking, at 10 p.m., when to them entered Host Horace Bastings, who informed the assemblage that he was “ taking no risks” ; 10 p.m. was the closing time prescribed by the Lieansing Committee 1 and they must go. Go they did, but only after serious remonstrance, which delayed the closing of the house for fully three minutes after the clock had struck. 'lhen H. 8., wrapped in his virtue, presumably went to bed, while the judge, tuck'ng his robes under his arm, slipped out at a side door with the rest of the party, and then “ And then and then what ? I dont’t understand this jibbering. Fill out your aposiopesis like a man 1 You are not going to tell me that after slipping out at the side door they slipped in again by the door at the back ? What, His Honour the Judge, two Stipendiaries, a Crown Prosecutor, and the whole of the Local Bar ? Of course I don’t believe it; it is morally impossible that I should believe |it; nobody would believe it. And for the matter of that, nobody has asserted it. Assertion|there is none ; at the most something is insinuated. That relieves the matter An assertion I should have felt compelled to rule out; but we will call it a humorous insinuation and let it stand at that.