THE LIQUOR QUESTION TN PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 751, 28 July 1904, Page 23

THE LIQUOR QUESTION TN PARLIAMENT.

PROPOSALS OF THE TRADE. DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER. A deputation of members of the Licensed Victuallers’ Association waited on the Premier on Thursday, at Wellington, in reference to licensing matters. The proposals put before the Premier were as follows :— (1) Colonial poll to be taken every nine years, to be decided by a majority of three-fifths of the electors on the roll. (2) Payment of compensation. (3) Elimination of the reduction vote.. (4) Failing national option, increasing the length of time between the local option polls. (5) Making eleven o’clock the statutory hour for closing.

(6) Bringing clubs and refreshmentrooms under the Licensing Act. (7) Appointment of a Bench of magistrates for the present elective comimittees. (8) Making it penal for persons to have alcohol in their possession in prohibition districts. The Premier, in reply, said there was no authority for the alleged forecast’ of the Licensing Bill published throughout the colony. The intentions of the Government could be gauged from the Bill introduced last session. The law should now be altered so that the will of the people would not be defeated through the voiding of polls on a mere technicality. Some provision should be made for dealing with i local! option polls as was done in the case of disputed Parliamentary elections. By the working of the law in regard to reduction an injustice had resulted. The Bill introduced last session provided to correct this. The lack of discretionary power being given to magistrates in dealing with endorsements had led to a great amount of perjury. He was convinced of the necessity of giving discretionary power in this direction. In reference to Clause 9, the no-license noliquor provision of last year’s Bill, Mr Seddon said it had been called a joke, but he was never more serious than when he submitted it to Parliament. He believed if the question was put to every elector when voting, “ License or nolicense ” and whether liquor was to come into his district, an interesting decision would be given. Where no-license was carried in any district, no club charter should be allowed to continue. In regard to compensation he did not think Parliament would for a moment entertain the question of making such payments. His view regarding committees was that the magisterial bench or a judicial bench was much better than one composed of avowed partisans. On the subject of national and local option polls his views remained unaltered. He held that if the Legislative Council had passed the last Bill sent up from the House most of the trouble of the past few years would have been avoided. He hoped the measure would be acceptable to all parties in the House and for the good of the people. The special correspondent of the “ Herald ” wired on Thursday :■ —The event of the week in politics has been the deputation that waited on the Premier regarding the Licensing Bill. It was representative of the liquor trade of NewZealand, from Auckland to the Bluff, and it filled the Sydney Street Hall, so that there must have been fully 400 persons in attendance. Even the cordial manufacturers were represented. Mr Seddon, who was detained in the House, kept the deputation waiting for half-an-hour, but nevertheless, when he made his appearance, he was greeted with a hearty round of applause. Mr Louisson. M.L.C., of Christchurch, was the first speaker, and, at considerable length, he went into the grievances of those engaged in the liquor trade. He made a point in regard to the reduction of licenses as the result of the local option polls. This, he contended, was one of the most unfair provisions of the Act,

md however necessary it might haxe Men years ago, when it was agreed to, it ras entirely unnecessary now. Here Mr Seddon interjected : “Do you want to know the real reason of that clause, because, if you do, I will give it to you. I think there were about twentyBeven prohibitionists in Parliament. (Laughter.) *‘l sincerely hope, sir,’ retorted 3ir Louisson, “that they are all alive and well now,” whereupon the laughter was renewed. During the course of his remarks Mr Louisson made a strong indictment in regard to the condition of affairs now obtaining at Ashburton. At the present time, lie said, it was possible to get as much drink there as one wished. 1 here was more liquor being sold theie than ever there was under license. He said he was speaking from absolute knowledge. There were labourers’ cottages, where the men went out to do their daily work, and the wife bought a bottle of whisky for ss, and .retailed it for about its. (Hear, Hear, and applause.) It was not the ordinary sly grog-selling, for the place was honeycombed with sly-gn : shops, and you could get as much diim-. as you liked there. After prohibition had been in force for some time the newspapers had sent down reporters to ascertain the state of affairs, and the serfeant in charge (a most efficient officer) ad stated that, in his opinion, there was little or no sly grog-selling. Yet, within three months, they had 25 prosecutions in one day, and from 12 to 15 convic lloiio. “.Gov;, sir, added . speaker, “that is a nice state of society in a democratic country like this,’ referring to the fact that though 54"0 of the voters in Ashburton could not legally buy drink, there were 600 others who could get all they wanted at the club. “Now, if we are going to have Erohibition,” added Mr Louisson, let us ave it. (Applause.) This state of tilings is a scandal to the country and to Parliament. (Renewed applause.) In every district where no-license is carried the same thing, will exist, until there is an alteration in the law. Mr G. L. Denniston, as representing the wholesale wine and spirit merchants of Dunedin, dealt with the question of com pensation, and as to the advisability cf substituting magistrates for the present licensing committees. i he lattei suggestion was received with loud, apj lau.~ . Mr Bastings, of 1 nvercargill, in a vehement, oratorical effort, denounced the prohibitionists as. “ r l hese new fanatics, who are endeavouring to oust us out of our houses and homes," a statement that was greeted with cheering. Under the present persecutions, he said, they wei e not treated as free men. He objected to

respectable men, who had made the country, being hounded down by the police. (Cheering.) He described a dinner given to Mr J ustice Chapman in Invercargill. It was found impossible to get a permit to extend the hour beyond ten o’clock. The result was that at that hour the lights had to be turned out. In a rousing peroration, he said they were, to a great extent, themselves to blame for the position they were now in, and he urged his hearers to bestir themselves, and not to allow these people (the . prohibitionists) to rob tiiem of their rights and their property. Mr Bastings resumed his seat amidst loud and continued cheering and the waving of hats. Mr Daul, of New Plymouth, also spoke. In concluding-, he urged Mr Seddon to endeavour to see his way to grant Haem some remedy. “If or Gods knows, he added, “ we want it.” (Loud applause.) Mr Seddon, who was greeted with another round of applause, in replying, spoke for an hour. He made it clear that there would be an alteration in the law in regard to voided polls through technicalities, such as had occurred at Newtown. He also agreed that great unfairness gnd injustice had occurred through the carrying of reduction of licenses. In this matter the Government had not yet aome to any 7 definite conclusion. In reference to clause 9, he never was more serious in his life than when he submitted to Parliament clause 9 of the Bill of last session. (Cheers.) He pointed out that clause 33 of Mr McNab's Pill of 1895, and section 7 of Mr Taylor’s Bill of the same year, both contained a similar provisiom Indeed, in comparison with Mr McNab’s clause, his clause was mildness itself. (Cheers.) . Moreover, the prohibitionists had urged him, as late, as last year, to provide for total prohibition in the King Country. They should apply the same principle to all districts where nolicense.' was carried . In regard to Mr Louisson's statements about Ashburtoni the question arose, Mere the police doing their duty, and should the law be set at defiance ? If what had been stated was true the police officer in charge there must have been obvious to what was going on around him. Either that, or he had been misrepresented as to what he had stated. It would be his duty to refer the matter to the Minister for -Justice. They should see that their laws were observed. Referring to the club there, he said they ought to place these clubs under the same laws as public-houses. (Loud cheering.) When no-license was carried in any district, he said there should be no clubs. He would go even further, and .say that all licenses should be subject to the will of the people. (Loud applause.) He made it clear that there would also be provision in the Bill for

compensation. He agreed with Mr Bastings that the trade had brought a great deal of their troubles upon themselves. They did very little, but the other side were always influencing public opinion and the electors. He asked what were they doing. (A voice : “ Looking on.”) He pointed out that they had a free press, and a free platform, and it was their business, not his, to protect their interests. Before concluding, he made it clear that there would also be provision in this year’s Bill to severely punish servants who sold drink to children or persons the worse for liquor in violation of the orders given them. This announcement was received with loud applause. In reference to his health, he said he had come to the conclusion that he would not trouble the country with a Licensing Bill. However, there was a good prospect now of his going on with it. The Bill would be brought down in a few days, and he hoped to get it through. Mr Seddon having been thanked for his courtesy, the deputation dispersed, evidently very favourably impressed, with the Premier’s reply, one man remarking, “It s a very different tone from last year, isn t it ?” '