“AUTOMATIC NO-LICENSE."

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XX, Issue 1115, 24 August 1911, Page 20

“AUTOMATIC NO-LICENSE."

THOSE ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES AGAIN. THE HANDICAPS IMPOSED ON HOTEL LICENSEES. Some very unnecessary feeling appears to have been exhibited in the House of Representatives on Friday by a member who objected to the introduction of the licensing question into the debate initiated by the member for Waitaki upon the new electoral boundaries. Mr. A- M. Myers had incidentally referred to the fact that, in the readjustment of the boundaries, several licensed houses were being transferred to No-license districts with the result that the hotelkeepers in those districts have to secure a three-fifths restoration vote instead of a two-fifths vote for continuance. Thus, Ohinemuri absorbs Te Arolia, Wairongomai and Katikati, and, as a consequence, no less than six licensed houses are liable to be wiped out of existence in a manner that was clearly never contemplated by Parliament when the principle of Local Option was first conceded. It is only right that public attention should be directed towards this very unsatisfactory feature in the working oat of the new electoral boundaries, and a full and free discussion should he welcomed cn the subject. In previously dealing with the question we purposely refrained from commenting upon the unnecessary compulsion that is placed upon electors living in those portions of licensed districts that are automatically transferred to No-li-cense areas. Against their wishes, in spite of their votes to the contrary, and utterly regardless of their rights as citizens, they are compelled to either win over the throe-fifths Nolicense majority to their way of thinking, or else submit to the semi-pro-hibitive No-license regime. Nor does the injustice end there, been,use, by the transfer of their votes to the Nolicense nreii, the crmtiniiancc vole in the remaining portion of the licensed district is considerably weakened Taitranga, as staled, which voted (k/ntlnuancc in 1908, loses (llslrlnls containing six hotels to Ohinemuri, and with U/ene hotels and dlHtrfcl.H,

sacrifices a very considerable proportion of its Continuance vote, so much so, indeed, that it is quite within the bounds of possibility that the No-li-cense vote in Tauranga may gain the day next November. Oul of 5218 valid votes recorded in Tauranga at the Local Option polls in 1908, 2860 were cast for No-license and 2340 for Continuance. There was a strong Continuance vote polled at Te Aroha, Katikati and Wairongomai—the three districts now transferred to Ohinemuri, and placed under the three-fifths handicap—and that vote undoubtedly helped to save the situation so far as Tauranga was concerned. Now that vote is almost certain to be swamped by the No-license vote in Ohinemuri. which was nearly 17 per cent, greater in the Goldfields electorate than in Tauranga. On the ether hand, the Tauranga Continuance vote was 13 per cent, more than the same vote in Ohinemuri. Te Aroha, Wairongomai and Katikati have nothing in common with Ohinemuri. Yet the residents of those districts, who supplied fifteen per cent, of the Tauranga Continuance vote, are placed at the mercy of the majority in the latter electorate, and compelled to secure a threefifths vote in their favour, or go out of existence. The thing is so monstrously unjust as to savour of an outrage- And we are glad to find that all sections of the licensed trade are entering their protests against the injustice. These protests should be followed up by prompt and vigorous action, and, if Parliament refuses to give redress, the law courts should be appealed to, with the idea of having the matter thrashed out before the Privy Council. The position appears so unconstitutional, and the disability placed upon hotelkeepers is so contrary to the common law rights of British citizens in other parts of the Empire that we believe such an appeal could he prosecuted successfully.