The Press Friday, November 18, 1927. The Licensing Bill.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19161, 18 November 1927, Page 10

The Press Friday, November 18, 1927. The Licensing Bill.

In another article we give some reasons why public opinion should discountenance the putting of pressure upon "political candidates by particularist organisations. The treatment of the Licensing Bill in Parliament in the early hours of yesterday morning supplies a striking example of the evil consequences of this practice. By large majorities the House of Representatives affirmed that there should be no extension of the time between polls and that the scores of thousands of persons who desire some kind of reformed licensing system shall be disfranchised through being forced to vote either for the continuance of the present system or for Prohibition. By a much smaller majority (43 votes to 32) the House decided that at the twoissue poll a bare majority will suffice to carry Prohibition. There can be nobody who does not know that many —and perhaps most —of those members who voted for the two-issue ballotpaper and for the bare majority do not believe in either of these things. They were "standing by the pledges" extracted from them by the N.Z. Alliance, and given by them in order to obtain, as they hoped, the votes of the more ardent supporters of Prohibition. The public may profitably give a little time to reflection upon this sorry fact. More important at the present time, however, is the fact that the House has given a decision that is demonstrably, and even obviously, discordant with public opinion. At the 1925 election there was a substantial majority of votes recorded against Prohibition, and every one of these votes was the vote of an elector who opposes Prohibition so strongly that he would insist, if he could, upon the Prohibitionists securing a 60 per cent., or even a 75 per cent., majority before they could force the country into so drastic a change of habit, and so serious an abandonment of liberty, as the N.Z. Alliance desires. Still more obviously that substantial anti-Prohibitionist majority would insist upon the submission of the three issues at the licensing polls. It is not certain that there is a majority in the country in favour of a longer interval between the polls, for the supporters of State Control might on this point be as keenly desirous of triennial polls as the Prohibitionists are, although, on the other hand, many who voted for Prohibition would prefer the longer interval. This, however, is a less important issue than the other two, and everybody except the Prohibitionist minority will agree that the House by large majorities flouted public opinion on the majority question and on the ballot-paper. This deplorable result, which has come of,the weakness and carelessness of the candidates for election, is illustration enough of the danger of particularist fanaticisms to good government. ! There is one point to be noted in connexion with the voting on the " bare " majority" amendment. The earlier divisions found the Labour Party almost evenly divided. But when the vote was taken on the proposal that the "bare majority" should be decisive, the Labour Party voted solidly, merely because the Party's religion prescribes that the bare majority in everything is necessary in a democracy. The position now is that the House has agreed to postpone further consideration of the Bill until Mr Coates has made some attempt to arrange some sort of compromise. The House, however, will | probably insist on having the Bill before it again, and refuse to allow the session to end until the Bill is passed. Mr Coates, in that case, will be powerless. It remains for the Legislative Council to save the country from a measure which, as we have shown, runs counter to the feeling of a clear majority of the people of the Dominion, and this we hope the Council will be courageous and honest enough to do. It is the function of the Second Chamber to revise legislation, and to prevent the House from going beyond, or against, public opinion. There could scarcely be a clearer case for positive action by the Council in this direction than the case that has now arisen.