LICENSING REFORM.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11487, 21 January 1903, Page 5

LICENSING REFORM.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS.

Sir, —I have seen several -'letters a adf articles in your paper lately dealing with the licensing question from the point of view of "Moderatee," some euggesting various reforms in dot-ail, some that the co -operation of t<he liquor trade it&olf, or, rather, of a portion of it, should be sought in carrying out reforms; all urging people of moderate views to rouse themselves to a greater interest in this question. • In no other way, it seems, can the exhausting triennial "conflict between, the liquor interest and the Prohibition party be eliminated from our politics. Mi»y I cay that efforts on these lines are exactly what several citizens of this province, including myself, tried to make more than three jrears ago, in the forma tioa of the Moderation League? That league was an organisation for the study of the liquor question oa non-party lines, with the object of promoting various reform! a* the fruit of that study. A small percentage of gentlemen interested in the liquor trade was admitted, to the councils of the league; but the league's constitution did not include free and open m*ofr» bership Members had to be elected, aat it was therefore always possible to exclude undesirable individuals, and also to prevent the liquor party, or any other party, obtaining a dominant interest. Consequently, the league never became n mere, we&poß jn the h&ndb of unsarupukws liquor traders ; else why did they not, use it at the last licensing poll?

But tiie great moderate party —if one may use the term—did not, in 1899, rouse itself to interest or action. The roll of the league's members remained small, ami it never acquired sufficient power or influence to do more than a small portion of tie work which its promoters had contemplated. Such work aa it was able to accomplish, particularly in regard to inebriate institutions, was non-party work, directed to the general good; and, as I have said, it is now noticeable that various writers in your pap?r and elsewhere, writing independently of the league, recommend further efforts on these lines. To speak for myself for ;i moment. WJMB I returned to my late country cur* ia 1900, I found it no longer possible to take an active part in the work of the league; and the time is now past when I can do anything personally to help this or a similar movement in this colony. It is perhaps worth observing that, thp Moderation League is not dead, though owing to.the general apathy of moderatjie its working lias been suspended for some time. The secretary, Mr C. P. Cox, possesses, I believe, written matter relating to tlw league's constitution and machinery. It needs nothing to put it in full work again but a large accession of active -working members, filled with the honest desira for reforms, and determined to secure them. I need not say that there is a great deal in the present state of tilings that is intolerable to any right-thinking person. It has been sufficiently evident for years, and increasingly so, that far-reaching reforms and stringent measures are needed. It ie to be hoped these may be arrived at by way of a moderate policy ; failing that, the lesson of the recent poll ie that the prohibition movement, however open to objection in itself will assuredly gain strength from the accession of the votes of thousands of moderates, who will further that doubtful expedient for want of a better. For my own part, speaking as a member of the Moderation League, ac one who hae striven to take a perfectly impartial and! conscientious view of the-liquor question in this country, I felt that the general aspect of affairs would not allow me to vote continuance in my licensing diitrict last November.—l am, etc., H. NORTHCOTE. Sumner, January 16th, 1903.