NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 850, 23 June 1910, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Wellington gave Lord Islington a hearty welcome yesterday and His Excellency responded in a manner which at once placed' him in sympathetic touch with the great gathering of citizens assembled to do honour to their new Governor. The Mayor very happily expressed the feelings, not only of the people of Wellington, but of the whole Dominion when ho gave utterance _ to the desire to "succeed in helping you'and yours to feel in this distant isle of ours that you are really at home. 1 ' We hope that Lord Islington will feel that these are not mere empty words, but that they truly represent the sentiments of the people with whom ho has come to spend of what we trust will prove to be the plea-santest years of his life.

The annual gathering of the NoLicense party, which opened in Wellington yesterday, is expected to be of greater importance than usual on account of the vexed question of the abandoned "compromise" with the Liquor party coming up for re-con-sideration. During tho months which have elapsed since the dolegates to the Alliance Convention declined to ratify tho agreement entered into by their executive, the matter has been very freely discussed amongst members of the Alliance and there is stated to have been a change of opinion amongst a large number of them. Indeed, today it is said the supporters of the compact entered into last year out' number its opponents. If this should prove correct it may be expected that negotiations with the representatives of the liquor trade will be reopened. This, however, is by no means certain. At last night's public meeting, Me. T. _E. Taylor, M.P., dealt with the subject in, characteristic style. He is now an advocate of the •compact and a very strong advocate. On the other hand we find an equally earnest and more level-headed No-License loader, in the person of the Rev. L._M. Isitt, ranged in opposition to it. With two powerful factions in tho party ; each actuated by the highest motives, but. holding directly antagonistic views, the settlement of this most important question of policy will call for very careful handling. Mr. Taylor, having made up his own mind on the subject, is quite prepared to face the possibility of causing a split in the ranks of the party by persisting in tho demand for legislation in the terms of last year's compact. Whether there is a sufficient number of equally daring spirits, willing to risk this danger, to upset the previous decision will bo watched for with very close interest. The point which both the parties to the abandoned compact persist in ignoring is the fact that the general public have _ a right to be considered as to the issues upon which they are called to vote. To force a man who wishes to vote NoLicense to vote also for Dominion prohibition as proposed may appear reasonable enough, to the NoLicense party and even to those engaged in" tho liquor trade, although we doubt that this is the case. But even assuming that it is, we question very much whether tho bulk of the public will feel that they, under 6uch conditions, are being given a fair opportunity of freely expressing their views on this great question. And if the issues submitted at the Referendum are so framed as to render it unlikely that public opinion will be fairly tested, what right will the Legislature have to consider the wishes of either of the two parties to tho compact? This is a point which should receive the attention of tho Convention when considering' any proposals for the amendment of tho existing law. It is not a new one by any means, but it is one that is persistently disregarded.