GRANNIE GOSSIPS.

White Ribbon, Volume 24, Issue 285, 18 March 1919, Page 5

GRANNIE GOSSIPS.

Nr", my dear, I always like to be Parliamentary, and so I don't siy that the Moderate Party t»• 11 lies. I only rank them an easy first in the Ananias el.i ■>. It .i lie gets them votes, that s all ?hat troubles them. Of course they might be su< h fools that they can’t understand the Act, hut you take it from me that they’re either fools or knaves they tan place them selves which (lass they lank in—but 1 know what I think. Last night Mrs Smith was troubled because they told her that if we failed to carry Prohibi ti«*n in April, then all our No-License districts would become wet. “Well, says 1 to her. “just you read the Act and use common-sense, which, hv the way, is a very uncommon article. I've read Hansard (which my old friend. Sir James, sends me prett> ngulaily) closely, having not much else to read, and mighty dull reading some of it is, and I’ve Rot the Act and studied it, and 1 can't find any provision in it for increasing the number of licenses. My old friend Mr S. A. Adams, whose legal opinion is always mighty clear, and worth having, not being the product of whisky and imagination. says I’m right there, and tli.it we arc sure to keep what we ve gained in the .past, and get as much more as we can, all New Zealand we expect. Kvcn in the old Act there was no provision for increasing licenses. We could reduce by vote of the electors, hut no vote could in< rease. lust vou make a note of that!

Ilien they told Mrs Jones that after we had voted the trade out and paid

the 4l millions, the bars would open

again in 1 2 months. So says I, “My dear, don’t you worry any about that; do you think the Moderates would rush round holding meetings and working to keep their licenses if they could get 4i millions just to dose them for one year. Not much!’’ If we carried Prohibition there is no other p*»ll provided for in the Act. Of course any Act of Parliament can be repealed o. amended by any succeed ing Parliament, but if the people of this Dominion are going to vote out the trade and pay 4i millions to make

it «|uit at once, and then elect a Parliament to bring licenses ba< k in a year they are bigger fools than even I took them for. If we look at things in that way we’d never work for any reform. What’s the good of working to get women a vote if the next Parliament can take it away. Well, we worked and got the vote, and no Parliament would dare to take it away from us. You take my tip for it. Parliament don’t alter A< *s that the people wan*; the members arc too fond of votes to do any su« h fool thing. I’m going to do my level best to get it out this time, and let them get it bark if tD*y ran. I’m a democrat. and let tin* people decide.

Besides, no Government would grant licenses unless they first sub mitted the question to a Referendum of the people. And if we once get folk to vote it out, I’m not afraid the\ will ever vote it back again. Anyway, I in going to do my duty on April 10th; also I’m praying the Lord to strengthen the ba» kbone of some of im friends to do the same.

In ins younger days, when Clullia had just gone dry, a publican up North says to me, “Of course, we don’t object to No-License. We sell more liquor in Clutha than we did before.” And I smiles, and says, “Go on now. Do you really? Well, I suppose you’ll work hard for No--1 icensc in every electorate, as all you want is to sell more stuff.” Hut they didn’t help us to get No-License. What’s troubling the Moderate Party is that Prohibition is so great a su< - (ess, that no place ever wants to go back to License after trying Prohibition, and they know that New Zealand will be no exception to the genera* rule. Dot tors sav if isn’t healthy to lie on both sides, though I always thought that lawyers were a healthy

enough body of inen. Hut the Moderates are not finding it healthy to lie on both sides. They say to the drinker, “You know, if Prohibition is

carried you can’t get a drop, even as a medicine.” Then they tell the likes of me, “Prohibition does not prohibit.” Hut they can’t have it both ways. Wait till the numbers go up in April, and I’m prepared to bet. not being a betting woman, that Prohibition leads the field, with Continuance "Uc h a bad second that he’ll hardb get into the “Also-ran” (lass.