The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1888. THE LICENSING COMMITTEE ELECTION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1755, 1 February 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1888. THE LICENSING COMMITTEE ELECTION.

The Borough Licensing Committee election on Monday was an exceedingly quiet affair, and comparatively few of the burgesses took any great interest m it A few — a very few — enthusiastic teetotallers worked hard, and some of the Licensed Victuallers also did their best for their chosen candidates, bat the majority of those who had a say m the matter, if they chose to exercise it, were content to let things take their course without taking the trouble to cast thoir oirn individual ballots. And tho reason is, perhaps, not far to seek. First of all, the eight candidates — Messrs Harrigon, 'Jhomas, Alcorn,,. D. McLenn, Mayo, A I'rr, Grigg, and T. Realy were all good men, all of whom have done good service m the Borough Council, or as njember6 of other local governing bodies, and any five of whom it was felt woald be a good business Committee, and secondly the hotels of tlia Borough are all bo well conducted that tjb re was no special abuse or grievance requiring to be dealt with. IL nee, to a great many burgesses, the result of the election was a ttatter of entire indifference. The extent to which that feeling prevailed may be gauged by the fact that m all only 126 burgesses recorded their votes out of | a total on the roll of 408. It is truo that a study of tho roll shows that, allowing for absentees and those residing at *uch a distance that it was unlikely Jthat they would come to the poll, the 'nmnfrer of available votes may bo 6et down at wn4i l.ess than tho last given figures — probably at not exceeding 200— but even then not mow than 50 per cent of the votes which might have been recorded found their way into tho ballot-box. Among these, there svere only three or four " plumpers ' for individual cs#rijdates, tho large majority of the votes being <ep#t m favor of three Messrs Harrison, 'ihoftiafl, #nd healy, tvbo were supported by the influence of the trade, Tho question really at issue m the election waa wheth-r tho hour of dosing for licensed houses within the Borough should continue to be eleven o'clock, p.m., aB at present, or whether for the future it should be ten p.m., and the result of the election ie to affirm that the eiietiog state of thing* tfjoujd

not be disturbed. No doubt, from the teetotallers' point of view, there is a great deal to be said m

favor of the earlier hour, but on

the part of the licensees ibere is also something to be said per centra. And whatever be the respective force of the arguments certain it is that there is not a sufficiently pronounced feeling m favor of ten o'clock closing to bring it about at present. Quite possibly bad every available vote been polled the resalt would have been otherwise, but if so then it argues a dereliction of duty on I the part of those who talk m favor of ' the early closing of hotels but forget or are too supine to act when the time comes for giving effect to their opinions. We are inclined to think too that the supporters of eleven o'clock closing showed - better generalship tban those who wished the earlier hour, as the former contented themselves by concentrating their efforts to secure the return of three candidates — a majority of the Committee, while their opponents tried to secur« the return of five— tbo whole Committee— of their own way of thinking. However that may be, the result is the appointment of a Committee of good sensible men — it could not have been otherwise indeed, whatever selection had been made from the names proposed —and we have no doubt that the new Committee will see to it that there is no cause of complaint as against their adminßtration of the law. But if ten o'clock closing is really earnestly desired by a majority of the burgesses they bave certainly not shown it this time and must wait for another opportunity to declare m that direction.