The Press Wednesday, July 27, 1927. The Licensing Question.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19063, 27 July 1927, Page 8

The Press Wednesday, July 27, 1927. The Licensing Question.

The 1 Prime Minister was asked in the House of Representatives yesterday for some information about the Licensing Bill, but he had no information to give beyond the fact that the Bill is not yet completed. This is rather disappointing, because there must have been ample time since the end of last session for the settlement of the Government's proposals, and it is very much to be desired that the public will have time to consider the Bill before Parliament is asked to deal with it. Although the Government has taken no steps, so far as anyone knows, to extract from the laws of other countries such facts and principles of real utility as would assist towards the drafting of a sound BUI, it will have the advantage of the study which has been given to the liquor question as it affects New Zealand by the Licensing Keform Association. The New Zealand Alliance, of course, contributes nothing to the rational discussion of the question; it does not affect to, since its aim is simply to get Prohibition by hook or by crook. The Licensing Reform Association, however, has devised a plan of Corporate Control which the Government must examine if it intends to consider that large section of the public which is utterly opposed to Prohibition but which dislikes the present licensing system. The Association is holding its conference this week, and its dei derations should be of value to every legislator who desires, to discharge his duty honestly. We do not propose to discuss the general question now, but one section of the Association's annual report, which is summarised in today's paper, deserves the careful attention of the public. The Prohibitionists, as the Association points out, i are openly boasting that they have a majority in Parliament pledged to support the main demands of the New Zealand Alliance. Whether this boast is supported by facts we do not know, but it is certainly true that the Alliance did succeed in beguiling some candidates for Parliament, anxious for votes and afraid of antagonising the Prohibitionist electors, into promising that they would do what the Alliance desired. The Association, however, is perfectly right when it says that if the Government yields to the demands of the Alliance, "it will simply mean "the yielding of the powers and " authority of the people's Parliament "to the control of a minority outside " the House." " Seeing that the Pro- " hibitionists," the Association adds, "are and have been, election after "election, in an increasing minority " [i.e., increasingly in a minority] it " is nothing short of farcical that they "should be permitted to dictate the "policy of the Government and the "activities and procedure of Parlia"ment." This is quite true, and it is quite true, also, that the Government is morally responsible for the protection of the moderate majority against the operations of a minority, as the Prohibitionists are, seeking to dominate the Legislature.