THE LICENSED VICTUALLERS' GAZETTE

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 979, 10 December 1908, Page 20

THE LICENSED VICTUALLERS' GAZETTE

ALD THAT’S WANTED.

If we were asked, what are the qualities most desired in a prohibition lecturer by the party who employs him, we should unhesitatingly answer, a gift of the gab, a total absence of the power to distinguish the difference between truth and exaggeration, and unblushing effrontery in perpetrating any untruth so long as it is paid for and made palatable to the people who pay such lecturers. Such qualities, it may be noted, are apparently rare or insufficiently developed in lecturers in the Dominion. The Simon Pure in all these points has co- oe imported, as witness during neec ween tne impuruauun o, one xvev. i-aimer irom blew Sonin waxes, who, alter visiting Auckland, proceeded South wnere he voiced misstatements concerning Auckland which cai.eu lortn uemais irom the Press, the police, and even irom some of the more eveniy-niinded prohibitionists of this city. This is, however, now ail a matter of history. At present we have to deal with another gentleman named R. B. Hammond, who also prefixes his name with reverend. This gentleman, also imported from Sydney, recently returned to Sydney, and was kind enough to impart his views on the liquor question in our Dominion to a representative of the Sydney “ Dai.y Telegraph.” These view's are promptly republished here by our morning daily. The Sydney paper states that the Reverend Hammond waxed enthusiastic of the good work done by the no-license party. Incidentally he had spent a couple of months urging the inhabitants to close the liquor bars. In these two months, Mr Hammond has decided that the young men of New Zealand drink more than he had seen anywhere else. This is put forward as some sort of explanation of the increased drink bill in the face of increased dry areas and an increased no-license vote. A poor, lame explanation is this one, which is a libel on the young men of New Zealand, one which is unworthy of any man who is styled reverend, and one which is disproved by the police records of the Dominion.

But when it comes to the question of women drinking, the reverend gentleman fairly surpasses himself. He has, according to the report of the interview, which appeared in the New Zealand “ Herald ” one day last week, deliberately stated that the police reported in Auck’and on one Saturday evening they visited 16 hotels and counted 728 women and 24 children in the bars. As already mentioned, Mr Hammond bears the title of reverend, and was only with us two months, so for these reasons we will simply be content to characterise his statement as a deliberate exaggeration and misstatement of facts. The facts are, and these are referred to elsewhere, that women seldom or ever go into hotel bars in Auckland. A 1 so the police reported that the women and children were found in sixteen hotels on sixteen Saturdays, and not on one Saturday night as stated by Mr Hammond. The first' report would make it appear that the case was such as the gentleman mentioned stated. But he knew, or should have known, his party knew, and who ever supplied him with the figures knew that the statement which he has taken to Sydney was untrue. The paper here which republished the interview knew, and was one of the first in March last to draw attention to the misleading figures. Yet these incorrect figures are sufficient for Mr Hammond to return to Sydney and sow broadcast a reflection and slander on the women of Auckland. We take it that this gent’eman was well paid and well treated during

two months’ sojourn in the Dominion, and it ill behoves him to cast a slur on the women, without whose vote, the occupation of such as he, as prohibition lecturers, would soon be gone, for it' is generally admitted that without the women’s vote the no-license game would soon die a natural death.

THE POLICE REPORT.

The report as presented by the police at the quarterly meeting of the Auckland City Licensing Committee, which was held last week, contains much in it that is evidence of the satisfactory manner in which Auckland licensees conduct their hotels, the report stating that there had been no complaints against anyone of them. Reference was made to the proceedings which were instituted against three hotelkeepers for offences alleged to have been committed during Fleet Week. These offences, however, were all dismissed without the hotel-keepers having been called. The chairman Mr R. W. Dyer, S.M., mentioned that there had been enormous crowds in the hotels, and the hotelkeepers had done their best. The only other charge which had been brought during the quarter was one of permitting drunkenness on the premises. This case brought out the fact that the hotelkeeper was entirely b’ameless as the man who was a boarder at the house, had become intoxicated elsewhere, and returning to his temporary residence had laid his landlord (who had contracted to find him in board and residence) open to the charge as instituted It is pleasing to note that the reasonableness of the defence of the hotelkeeper appealed to the Magistrate who heard the case and the charge was dismissed.

Further on in the report the police deal with the question of women drinking in hotels. It was seated that the police had made 242 visits to various hotels and had found in them 713 women, having with them 24 chi’dren. On no occasion had any of these women been found under the influence of liquor. This last report, though lacking in some details, is strangely coincident to the report furnished to the Bench at the meeting early in March of this year. This report as it may be remembered caused some little stir from the fact that the figures, as first presented lacked essential details without which the report looked much worse than the facts warranted. The March report found 728 women and 24 children in sixteen hote’s, the aggregate for visits on sixteen Saturdays. The first report read that these women and children had been found in hotels on a certain Saturday. The number of women and children ‘in the March report and the December report is remarkably coincident'. The latter report does n<jt give the number of hotels visited, what radius is comprised in these visitations, or if one or more hotels were visited more than once a day or week, or what is still more to the point, whether certain houses were picked out to niake up totals. It would also be interesting to know what days of the week and what time of the day or night is chosen for making the visits to discover women drinking in hotels. If the police mean that they saw 713 women actually drinking in hotels, then there is not much to be said. But the police say they found 713 women in 242 visits in hotels. This is about three women per visit, and we would like to point out' as we have done more than once before, that it does not follow that because a woman is seen in an hotel that she is there for the purpose of drinking. We feel sure that the police only wish to approach this matter fairly, but a little more explicitness would be welcome.

Tenders are called for painting work at the City Hotel, Victoriascreet.

Mr Wm. Agnew has purchased Mr G. H. Foster’s interest in the Imperial Hotel, Fort Street, and took possession last week.

We hear that Mr J. T. Gray, who has been licensee of the Anchor Hotel, Queen-street for many years, has sold his interest in that house to Mr Arthur Whitehead.

The official count and scrutiny in connection with the local option poll in Auckland city gave continuance 8255, reduction 9669, and no-license 10,395. The total number of valid voces was 18,941 and the number of votes required to carry reduction was 9471. Reduction has therefore been carried with 198 votes over the required number. No-license fell short by 970 votes. In 1905 reduction was lost by 794 votes, and no-license by 1727 votes. At the last election 2393 more valid votes were recorded than there were in 1905.

At the quarterly meeting of the Ohinemuri Licensing Committee which was held at Paeroa last Friday, the police reports were favourable in regard to all the houses with the exception of the Kanaeranga Hotel, which was stated to be in a bad state of repair. Mr Moresby, who represented the owners, pointed out that after March the house would be in the Thames electorate and out of the jurisdiction of the Ohinemuri committee. The matter was left' for the Thames committee to deal with. Transfers were granted to J. McSweeney for J. W. Shaw for the Grand Hotel, Te Aroha, and from H. McGill to Glynn Lewis for the Waihou Hote 1 , Waihou.

A rumour to the effect that' a brewery was to be established in the Selwyn electorate, on the border of the town of Ashburton, has caused some considerable excitement' in prohibition circles at Christchurch. Mr T. E. Taylor, M.P., is to the fore in entering a protest, and in reply to a telegram to Sir Joseph Ward, is assured that the Government will take steps to counteract any such proposal as the erection of border breweries.

Despite the alleged benefits of nolicense in Invercargill, it is a matter of regret to note that the sawmills in Southland closed down last Saturday in consequence of sickness in trade. The date of reopening has not been definitely fixed. About 35 mills, employing upwards of 700 men will be affected. A similar state of affairs is reported from Masterton, which place voted for a dry three years at last poll.

A petition was lodged last Friday at Masterton signed by 50 electors, to invalidate the local option poll on numerous grounds set out in the petition.

A recount in the voting on the local option poll at Ohinemuri takes place this week.

The recount of votes for Waitemata resulted in 2471 for continuance, 2967 for reduction, and 3369 for no-license, valid votes 5941, informal 94. No proposal has been carried. Reduction has been lost by 3% votes, and no-li-cense by 195 3-5 votes.

It is authoritatively stated that since the new Gaming Act came into force 12 months ago, something over £lOO,OOO has been paid in license fees bv bookmakers.

The first recount in the local option poll for Waitemata gave reduction carried by four votes. An official recount ordered by Mr. R. W. Dyer, S.M., was carried out last Friday under the supervision of Mr. H. H. G. Ralfe, clerk of the Magistrate’s Court, and Mr. Webster, J.P., resulted in reduction being lost by 3% votes.

Application has been made for a recount of the ballot papers in the Wellington Suburbs local option poll.

After June 30 next, the race meetings held at Avondale will apparently be very dry, in other words, no publicans’ booths will be licensed. This is the outcome of no-license being carried in the Eden electorate, which comprises the Avondale Racing Club’s premises. With the beautiful inconsistency of no-license yet plenty of liquor, members of the club can not be prevented from having as much liquor as they wish for themselves and friends', stored in private lockers, so that the dryness of the meetings will be more apnarent than real.

The new Caledonian Hotel at Napier is now comp’ete. The new structure is an imposing building of three stories, built of Ferro-concrete and is absolutely fire-proof. From the promenade roof a most delightful view of sea and land is obtainable. All the rooms are large and lofty and furnished elaborately. The house contains 50 bedrooms and eight bathrooms with hot and cold shower and plunge. In addition to the Dining room which measures 37 x 44, and commercial room 35 x 21, there is a writing room and meeting room, and everything throughout is finished with all modern and up-to-date conveniences. As the terms are reasonable, there is no doubt this will become a popular house in Napier. The proprietor, Mr A. C. Barnes, who is well known in athletic circles, will he pleased to renew the acquaintance of all old friends.

At Gisborne last week a unique point arose in connection with the Maori election. Local publicans were advised that under section 115 of the Electoral Act they would be compelled to close their bars from noon, the Maori election coming within the category of “ any election” in that section. All the Gisborne hotels, with one exception, where the licensee was advised differently, accordingly closed. It is pointed out that if this new reading of the law be correct, shops should also close, but they have not done so. In the South Island, which is one Maori electorate, the whole of the hotels would also be required to shut up their bars. (In the Auckland pro-

vincial district, none of the hotels closed on the day of the Maori election, it being deemed that the law was complied with by refusing to serve any Maori during the hours the election was being held.)

The. police reports regarding the various city hotels were, as handed into the quarterly meeting of the City Licensing Bench last week, entirely satisfactory. Similar reports were put m in regard to the houses in the Waitemata and Parnell licensing districts, so as there was no business to come before the members of these two benches, no quarterly meetings were held.

A correspondent who sends in the following litte ancedote remarks that he thinks it peculiarly fitting to two of the rejected candidates at our recent election. Both were for city seats, and both sought the aid of coldwater in furtherance of their designs on that three hundred a year:— “ At a dinner, recently, William J. Bryan was joking about his repeated attempts to be elected President, although Mr Bryan considers them no joke, at that. “ After a time,” he said, “ I shall be in the position of the man, somewhat worse for wear, who came into a dance in Texas. The floor manager saw him and let him out. He came back. Then the floor manager pushed him out. He came back. Finally, the floor manager kicked him out, and he rolled down a flight of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs he considered the matter. ‘ I know what it means,’ he said. ‘ They can’t fool me. Those people in there do not' want me to attend that dance!”

Beer duty collected in Wellington in November, 1907, amounted to £1289 15s 9d; last month the amount was £1139 ss.

The average Britisher has evidently not grasped the meaning of prohibition as it works in some of our electorates. Last week a case of whisky arrived at Ashburton consigned to a resident of that town from Great Britain, the case not being labelled according to law. Consequently the case will in all probability be forfeited, and the well-meaning Britisher’s intentions result in naught.

Munich is deserting the beverage for which it is famous. During the period 1886-90 each inhabitant of the city drank on an average 105 gallons of beer per annum,' but last year the figure was only 63 gallons.

In the voting on the local option poll in the three City Electorates there were 366 invalid votes, some persons having written their names on the ballot papers. The fact that only 394 persons voted reduction, and 1542 Nolicense voters failed to take advantage of the benefit of this second vote, occasions some inquiry as to the desirability of retaining this issue on the ballot paper.

“The New Zealand Times” warns traders and others to keep a watchful eye on what may be tendered as a coin of the realm. Some spurious money is about Wellington city in the shape of gilded farthings, and attempts have been made to pass them off as half-sovereigns.

Beer duty paid in Auckland last month amounted to £2399 12s Id, for November, 1907, the amount paid was £2789...

The magisterial recount of the votes at the local option pall in the Hutt electorate gave no-license as being lost by two votes.

At the quarterly meeting of the City Licensing Bench last week, the Chairman, Mr. R. W. Dyer, S.M., said that the committee had heard that weekly tenancies were being adopted in some of the hotels. Mr. Leo. Myers as representing the Campbell-Ehren-fried Co., Ltd., said that his firm was not associated with any weekly license. The Chairman expressed his pleasure at this assurance, the report being evidently unfounded.

AUCKLAND LICENSING COMMITTEE. QUARTERLY. MEETING. The quarterly jneefing of the Auckland Licensing Bench was held last week. Present: Messrs R. W. Dyer, S.M. (chairman), E. E. Cheat W. J. Rees, M. Casey and A. Rosser. TRANSFERS OF LICENSES. Four transfers of licenses were applied for and all were granted. The

police reports were favourable in respect of every application. The transfers were as follows: — David Norden, Naval and Family Hotel, Karangahape-road, to William Thomas Watts. Bridget Meehan, Gleeson’s Hothi, Customs-street', to Thomas James Storey. Alfred Adams, Star Hotel, Karan-gahape-road, to William Jones. Frederick Thomas Lipscombe, Globe Hotel, to John Earnest Parker. HOTELS OF AUCKLAND.. SATISFACTORILY CONDUCTED. The police report on the conduct of the hotels of the city was read. It said that during the past quarter the hotels in the Auckland Licensing District had been conducted in a very satisfactory manner, and that there had been no complaints against any of them. During the quarter, proceedings had been taken against the licensees of three hotels and against another hotel for permitting drunkeness. All the cases had been dismissed by a stipendiary magistrate. These complaints had arisen in the quarter which had ended on August 31. The chairman mentioned that the proceedings which had been instituted against the three hotels were in Fleet week, and the evidence had been that there had been such an enormous crowd that the hotel-keep-ers had done their best. Sergeant Hendry said that all the cases had been dismissed without the hotel-keepers having been called. Mr Dyer explained that in the other case the hotel-keeper was held to be blameless as the man who had been found drunk on the premises had got' the drink elsewhere. The position, therefore, had been that the publican had been under contract to board the man, and therefore could not turn him into the street. There was no further discussion on the report. WEEKLY LICENSES. The chairman said that he had been asked by the Committee to mention that years ago weekly licenses had been decided against. They were now informed that weekly licenses were again being adopted. Mr Dyer said that he thought that these tenancies were undesirable, and declared that if it was true that they were being reintroduced the committee would do all in their power to stop them. Mr Leo. Myers, representative of the Campbell and Ehrenfried Company. said that his firm was not associated with any weekly license. Mr Dyer replied that' he was very pleased to hear that, and said that the report he had mentioned was the first intimation he had had of a reint'roduction of the system. A committeeman: "I don’t know of one.” WOMEN IN HOTELS. As regarded the question of women drinking in hotels, the question, according to the police report presented to last week’s meeting of the Auckland Licensing Committee, remained much the same as before. The police, continued the report, had made 242

visits to various hotels, and had found in them 713 women, having with them 24 ' children. On no occasion had any of these women been found under the influence of liquor.

ON THE BORDER LINE.

Last week several telegraphic messages passed between the Prime Miniscer and Mr T. E. Taylor, M.P., in regard to the proposal to erect a brewery in the Selwyn electorate, near the boundary of the Ashburton no4icense district. Mr Taylor sent the following telegram to Sir Joseph:-— r ‘ Representative liquor men assert that a brewery will be started in the Selwyn electorate, on the border of Ashburton town. I trust that the Customs authorities will be forbidden to issue a license, as such an act would outrage public opinion, and defy the clear intention of the law. I shall be glad of your assurance that the Government will prevent the license.” Sir Joseph replied:—“ln reply to your telegram, I agree with the view you express, and if a license can be legally refused it will be refused. If we are compelled, however, to issue one, of course we must obey the law. I am getting the considered opinion of the Grown law officers on the matter.” Later on Sir Joseph sent another message as follows: —“ In further reference to your representations regarding the proposed erection of a a brewery on the borders of Ashburton, I am advised that under the law the Government cannot prevent this, but I am publicly intimating that I consider it is practically a defiance of the will of the people, as expressed recently at the polls, and that if the course is pursued I will ask Parliament to legislate to deal with it, and prevent what I regard as technically a breach of the law and certainly what is contrary to the election of the majority of the people.” Mr T. E. Taylor sent the followingmessage of thanks:—“Many thanks for your telegram regarding the proposed brewery on the boundary of the Ashburton Every fairminded elector will appreciate your attitude, and approve of your decision to introduce legislation to prevent the liquor interests from insolently defying public opinion. In the meanwhile, I understand the Government has power to disapprove of the proposed site. If that i s so, I hope the promoters of the brewery will be forced to build on the Christchurch edge of the Selwyn electorate, and thus free Ashburton from the designed insult.” . ..

THE MASTERTON POLL.

It was reported from Masterton last Saturday that the recount of the licensing poll gives a majority for no-license of 31 2-sth. The grounds of the petition against' the validity of the poll are that Masterton was a new district, and no Gazette notice was published, as required; that persons voted who were not adults,- and had not been in the D’ominioh twelve months; that the population had increased 25 per cent., and voters should have had a proposal to increase licenses placed before them; that absentee votes were recorded, and there is no power to issue such permits; that many irregularities occurred, particularly by the exhibition of placards and by fresh voting papers being issued t'o voters who had spoiled their copies; that one booth was not opened for half an hour after the proper time. It is also alleged that persons under age voted, and that some voted who were on the roll for other electorates. No date is yet fixed for the hearing.

THE IDEAL PUBLICHOUSE.

Here is a picture of the ideal publichouse. It is drawn by Mr. F. E. Smith, K.C., M.P., and Mr. E. E. Williams, in a little book, called “ The

Philsophy of the Licensing Bill.” “The ideal publichouse would be a commodious building into which any passer-by might enter and call for any reasonable kind of refreshment—food or drink, the latter alcoholic or non-alcoholic. He should be able to consume these refreshments comfortably seated in a room well lit, warmed, and ventilated.. He should be able, not only to smoke, but if he chose, to obtain the materials for smoking also on the premises. The place should be so reputable, that, whatever his social position, he could enter it openly, and even take his wife and children with him, and find suitable refreshment there for them. If he were alone he should be able to call for, or purchase in the house, newspapers and magazines. If he had any business to transact there should be a telephone on the premises for his use. If he had one or more friends, and the party desired amusement other than conversation, they should be able to call for cards, chess, or dominoes, or quoits and bowls in the country. Or, if they desired more passive amusement, there should be music to listen to. The humblest inn could provide an hour or two a day of piano-playing; the richer —the large houses in wealthy towns —could furnish a small orchestra and a vocalist or two. And there is no reason why dancing should not be permitted under due guarantees of respectability. This is the ideal publichouse. Such a house as this woulcl add to the innocent enjoyment of the people, and would be an incentive to temperance and good order. No one would misbehave himself in such surroundings by drinking to excess, or by any other form of disorder: public opinion would make such conduct impossible. Upon young people .of the working and lower middle classes such a house would exercise a positive influence for good. It would improve their manners, and might improve their morals. They would be better in such a house than in prowling streets and lanes at night, and they would avoid that boredom which is the fruitful. parent of all kinds of mischief. That is the ideal publichouse. No one who knows, French or Spanish cafes or German beerhouses would say that it is an ideal impossibie of realisation. Plenty of Englishmen, and their women-folk, who would not, or could not, enter an English publichouse to-day, frequent these Continental cafes when they go abroad, enjoy them, admire, get no harm from them, but only innocent pleasure. Yet' in them are to be found the very featured we have just enumerated as composing the ideal publichouse. If those features are practicable on the Continent they are practicable in England. It is not a question of climate, and it is not to any special extent a question of race.”

FASHIONS IN BEER.

A change has come over the consumer of beer in the Old Country. The popularity of the strong ale is on the wane, if it has not already gone. The beer-drinker now demands that his beverage shall quench his thirst without affecting his head. He also insists that his drink shall be pleasing to the eye as well as to the palate, and the old deep brown ale is being superseded by a pale, strawcoloured, sparkling article of somewhat lighter gravity, and of an appearance very much akin to champagne. The change has not come at once. For years the public tast'e has leaned towards the less-intoxicating form of beer, and at the moment there is every sign that pale, bitter ales, whiich were never more popular, will increase rather than diminish in favour. The trade have appreciated the altered conditions of things, and they have met the wishes of consumers by preparing an article which, while possessing excellent dietetic value, is shorn of the disadvantages of a

“heady” beer. Brewers view the changed tastes of the public as evidence of the spread of education. Well-ordered members of the community wish to be able to do their everyday work after a midday glass of ale, and, if possible, to perform their tasks the better because they have taken it. Working men, who consume about three-fourths of the beer brewed in England, are not behind their more fortunate fellows in their tastes, and when all sides are practically agreed upon the character of the beverage they desire, the brewer would be a bad business man to ignore their wishes. Experts at the Brewers’ Exhibition in London, one of them a judge in the largest competition for various classes of beers ever held by the trade, recently gave their reasons for the improvement in the public taste. There is no doubt that the beer of the present day is a far purer article than it has ever been. The brewers who are making headway—despit'e the “wave of temperance” which we are told is sweeping over the country, and notwithstanding the depressing effects of poor trade —are those who make a point of getting the best of material and of using them in the production of beer by the most scientific methods. The brewer, in fact, has done much in forming the public taste for the pale, sparkling, palatable ale by the improvement of his technical knowledge. The “rule of thumb” brewer has had his day. Science, based largely upon experience, has replaced the man who had no knowledge of his trade save that which experience gave him. Nowadays the expert, instead of learning a 1! the technicalities of the trade in the brewery, has to pass through one or other of the brewing schools in the country. In great' educational centres the value of the industry is recognised, and schools of brewing, such as that in Birmingham University, have imparted scientific training to their pupils, which has been of incalculable advantage in improving the standard of beer.

THE MAORI ELECTION.

The Christchurch correspondent to the New Zealand Times, in reference to the recent Maori Election stated that the point raised in Gisborne in regard to the election of a Maori member of the House of Representatives had not occurred to Mr. H. W. Bishop, S.M. and Returning Officer for the Southern Maori district, until it was brought under his notice by a reporter last evening in regard to the telegram from Gisborne, stating that the hotels in that town were closed from noon to 7 p.m. on election day. The reason given was that a Maori election is held to come with- ■ in the meaning of the words “any election,” in section 115 of the Electoral Adt, which provides for the closing of hotels on election day. In the strictest sense of the words, they do effect Maori elections, which are placed on the same footing as ordinary elections, but Mr. Bishop points out that the reading of the Act accepted in Gisborne is obviously impracticable, as the Southern Maori

district includes the whole of the South Island, from Nelson to Stewart Island. If the words are given a strict interpretation, every hotel in the South Island ought to have been closed yesterday, the day of the Maori election, from noon to 7 p.m., and if the provision in regard to hotels is practicable to Maori elections, the provision in regard to the half-holiday should also be observed. Every shop in every town ought to have been closed during the afternoon. It is obvious that the Legislative never intended that the election of Maori members should be given such prominence as to interfere with a large part of the people’s private business. At ordinary elections polling takes place from 9 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m., but at Maori elections the polls close at

4 p.m, and there would be no object in keeping the hotels closed until 7 p.m. In another part of the Act there is provision for imposing a penalty of £5 on any person who sells liquor to a Maori on the day of a Maori e’ection, which shows that the Legislature intended that the hotels should remain open. In a case of this kind. Mr. Bishop points out, the view that should be taken is the commonsense one.

NOTHING IN IT.

It is an open secret that more than one candidate who failed to secure re election for Parliament will be hardly hit financially by the verdict oi tlie electors and the loss of the £3OO honorariam. Most of the city members are fairly well satisfied with their yearly allowance, but the country representative, particularly if he had a scattered constituency in the semi-impassable back-blocks, would find the honorarium a starvation wage had he to completely depend on it for existence. The troubles of one

of these gentleme'n were confided recently to a “New Zealand Times” representative. His opinion was that £5OO per annum was nearer the expenditure of the country member than the actual sum provided for his special needs by a grateful country. An election cost's about £2OO, and, even when this is over, the annual trip to Wellington means a steady drain on the honorarium by keeping two homes going. Postages alone run into 5 s weekly, and such is the demand for the local member as an ornamental but highly profitable officer of every local institution that his expenses on this score alone run into £BO a year annually. There are pre-sessional trips around the constituency, involving a trifle of £4O for the hire of halls.

REFORM FROM WITHIN.

Dealing with the licensing question, th® ,r Christchurch Press” says:— We should prefer some legislation

which, while not interfering with private ownership would purge the present system of its worst features. If that is impossible, then we would be prepared to allow the question of municipal control to be submitted as an alternative issue to the electors, so as to give individual districts an opportunity of adopting it in preference to continuance, reduction, or no-license. If those interested in the trade are wise we think they will cooperate with the leaders of the moderate party in drafting and assisting to pass some legislation which will put the business on a footing more acceptable to the mass of the electors. This may involve some diminution of profits, at any rate at first. But the lessened profits would be compensated for by increased security. At present it would seem that unless the trade are prepared to accept lesses profita-they may see their business wiped out altogether as an occupation recognised by law in the course of a comparatively few years.

HOW THE CITY VOTED.

The following particulars concerning the manner of voting in the three City electorates may be of interest:

Auckland West carried No-license with 312 votes over the requisite three-fifths, and 1341 above the bare majority. Continuance in Central obtained 122 above the bare majority. In East, No-license was 166 over the bare majority. In. East, No-license was 166 over the bare majority. There were 371 absent voters’ and seamen’s rights, of which Continuance obtained 224, Reduction 108, and No-license 140. The 18,941 valid votes were recorded as under. 7627 voted for Continuance only. 394 voted for Reduction- only. 1542 voted for Nolicense only. 8750 vdted for No-license and Reduction. — 525 voted for Continuance and Reduction. 103 voted for Continuance and Nolicense. There were 366 invalid votes, some persons having written their names on the ballot papers. The fact that only 394 persons voted Reduction, and 1542 No-license voters failed to take advantage of the benefit of this second vote occasions some inquiry as to the desirability of retaining this issue upon the ballot paper. The valid vote increased by 2393 upon the previous poll, and Nolicense claimed 2293 of that increase. Continuance increased by 325. The Nolicense percentage was 43.52 in 1905, and 54.9 in 1908.

There is drunkenness, it is true, with its attendant evils in no-license districts, but' the people of Taranaki have that only upon heresay; they see and know of their own knowledge that drunkenness occurs in licensed districts (says the “Herald”,. It is for those engaged and interested in “the trade” to prevent these living arguments for no-license from existing. They cannot prevent drunkenness altogether, sometimes it occurs altogether apart from their trade; but they can and must’, unless they are content to see the no-license movement carry the whole field in a few years, so order their businessj individually and collectively, that the finger of reproach cannot be pointed to them. If they conduct their busi-

ness with all reasonable care and carefully avoid breaches of the licensing laws the majority of the electors have sufficient sense of justice to refrain from taking away their means of livelihood.

V.V. Con. Red. N.L. West 6680 2260 4134 4320 Central 5957 3101 2551 2802 East 5933 2670 2876 3133 Absent voters and Seamen 371 224 108 140 ■■ ■ — ■■ ■' — ■ 18,941 8255 9669 10,393