LIQUOR TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2187, 27 June 1914, Page 3

LIQUOR TRADE.

ALLIANCE ATTACK.

A MASS DEPUTATION.

THE MAJORITY ISSUE.

TEMPERANCE ADVOCATES AND THE PRIME MINISTER. "The. years have fought for us, the stars in their courses Jiave fought for us, facts are. lighting for us," declared one of tho sneakers at the big Prohibition deputation which interviewed the Prime Minister at Parliamentary Build--ings yesterday, and.similar sontiments appeared to animate many of the hundreds of people who composed the deputation. Its total strength was estimated at betwoeu thrco and four hundred, mostly men, but including a fair number of women. The deputation started out ,as a procession from St. John's Church, Willis Street, just as the showery weather of the morning had given way to a spell of sunshine. Watched 1 at the starting point and en route by interested spectators, the delegates marched in column down Willis Street and along Lambton Quay, and approached the Parliamentary headquarters in military array. The Prime Minister received the deputatfon in the roomy vestibule of the old Parliamentary Buildings, ond took his place at a table placed at one , end. As he , moved through tho crowd to take his seat, Mr. Massey was saluted from several points with cries of "Last chance." The Leader of the Opposition (Sir Joseph WaJrd) stationed himself not far away from tbo table, and , about twenty members of Parliament stood in a group at the Prime Minister's right I hand. All parties wero represented. Many other members were scattered through the crowd, who filled the vesti-, bide from end to end. The proceedings throughout .were orderly, except when some enthusiastic individual interjected, once or twice while the, Prime Min- [ istcr was. speaking. ' . Eminently Representative. Mr. L. M. Isitt, M.P., in introducing the deputation, said'that it was eminently representative.•■ It included doctors,, lawyers, :clergymenj representingall sections of the Church, and Mayors and civic officials, by the.dczen. Mr. Massey: And politicians. • ' Mr. Isitt:. And .politicians. ,1 am quite sure that you will recognise that wo are representative of very important sections of the community. _ .Mr; Wesley Spragg (president of the, Now Zealand Alliance) said that tho deputation represented all the electorates in Nmv Zealand. electorates were' represented by residents, and tho others .'by duly accredited representatives. To a certain extent the reference to, .licensing in the Governor's Speech the duty which they hadtaken.upontheniselve3. Mr.- Spragg added : that they did not expect miracles. The prayer at the end of the memorial wa3 a very .modest ono indeed. They recognised that members of the House wero pledged, and did not expect any j man to violate his pledge in the interests of the Prohibition . movement. Tho reform'which the deputirtion represented was commanding more attention than any otlier in civilised countries throughout the world to-day. This was true even of a country like Russia, , where large measures, of. local option had been carried by b'aro majorities. In this matter undemocratic , 'Russia' -,,,, Had , given a lead to democratic Now Zealand, which Ne\V" I Ze;ala'}idrivpiil.d"'he'lvise"t6 follow. A'lirgtf':'proportion" of "tli'6 r United States territory was also under Prohibition. The system was not in all cases as perfect as it should be, but America had made great strides in temperance reform under bare majority voting. The Now Zealand Alliance and its supporters. Mr.,Spragg -went on ( ito state, would never, recede- from the democratic demand for tho bare majority in the licensing issuo, but meantime, they asked for that measure of justice which it was in tho power of. the House to give, under the pledges into which its- nioinbora had entered,. ■ (Apjflauee.) Mr. Spragg now stated thai" He would nsk +li'o B?y. J. Dnwson (secretary of the New Zealand Alliance) to read the memorial which had boon drawn up for presentation to tho. Prims Minister. It was also mentioned by the alliance president, that a Maori chief from To-Kuiti, named Moenui, would speak later on be'half of the Maoris in the King CountTy. (Applause.) ' Reading the. Memorial. Mr. Dawson now proceeded to read tho memorial. Ho waa interrupted from time to time by enthusiastic de-: lnonstrations from the crowd which filled the vestibule. Every point made was heartily applauded. When Mr. Dawson read tho' passages which refer to the three-fifths handicap, there were loud cries of "Shame." The demand for tho bare majority was acclaimed with a loud and united "Hearl heart" Following is a summary of the memorial :— . . The liquor traffic is a fruitful cause of economic waste, physical inefficiency, moral' degeneration, insanity,crime, and death; ■ The Government returns show that the voto for No-Licenso in 1902 was a majority of over 3000 of the valid votes given, and that during the last 12 years £42,572,671, at gallon rates, has been spent in Now Zealand on liquor, and there hav.o been recorded 123,021 convictions for drunkenness, and that of these 65,991 males and 3173 females (total 69,164) were "not previously convicted." At the last General Election, 259,943 votes, being a majority of 54,282, were cast in favour of the total prohibition of the liquor traffic in the Dominion of New Zealand. The desire and intention to : prohibit the liquor traffic is'not only strong,,but .11113% spread. ,' , Tho memorial stated that for tho carrying of Prohibition an arbitrary and unjust majority is required. The result of this requirement of a 60 per cent, vote is that the. minority in this matter is now ruling, and has for twelve years past ruled the majority, and that 200.000 votes cast for the contiriiianco of tho liquor traffic'are of equal value to 300,000 votes cast against its continuance. The election of a member of Parliament, the passing of a Bill, the fate of a! Government, are all determined by a. simple majority; the issuo of continuance or discontinuance of tho litiuor traffic, an issuo which is directly submitted to the people for their determination, ought therefore to require no more than a simple majority for its decision. The question of taking away or of substantially reducing this handicap has been prominently before tho people, of New Zealand, and as a result a majority of. the nrcsent members of Parliament are pledged to a reduction of tho handicap. There can neither be cessation of debate in Parliament, nor absence of agitation at elections, nor rest for the country until this question has been, settled; The statement concludes :— ■ "Your memorialists, while maintaining the principle of the simple majority for the settlement of all , licensing issues submitted to tho electors, recognise that ' the Bill ' circulated by. you d& the close of last session of "Parliament makes provision for the granting of all instalment of this reform, and in view of ' the pledges given by the present members, urge that the Bill be introduced into the House in tho early days of the present session, and , that .every effort be made to secure its speedy passage through both Houses of Parliament." Concluding his reading, Mr. .Dawson stated that the memorial was signer! by , .representatives of all the electorates in

the Dominion. Sixty-six of the signatories were delegates resident in the electorates concerned, while accredited representatives had signed on behalf of the remainder of the 7G electorates. The Throo-nftlis Handicap, Mr.- A. S. Adams said that it would be futile to inquire why the three-fifths handicap was ever placed on' this great moral reform, but tho reasons which actuated the legislators of 1893 to impose a condition that had made the reform well-nigh impossible of accomplishment, did not apply to-day. In the intervening 21 years important facts had boon discovered in medical, physical and social science, all of which went to show that the use of alcoholic liquor was in no way a necessity. Alcohol was never proscribed now as a medicine by reputed medical men except in abnormal cases of disease. It was now never claimed that alcohol was good for tho healthy man. Opinion had strengthened in favour of the good of total abstinence, and he maintained that total prohibition was eminently desirable and perfectly practicable. Tho argument that a large margin in favour of either side on the question was necessary to ensure stability was fallacious. The three-Sftlis margin had secured stability, but stability only for the continuance of tho evils of strong drink. A Great Moral Purpose. Behind tho Prohibition movement .there was a great moral purpose. They were not ouo for political or personal advantages: They did ■ not say that their party was better than any other party, but they did say that the pur? pose behind their party was an unselfish one. Some had grown old in the movement, and they now looked with intense earnestness to Mr. Massey to give them one last opportunity—for j>olllo it would bo the last opportunity— of casting a vote which might liavo the effect under the blessing of God of ridding this land for over from what so many of them believed to be its direst curse. They had, been patient for a very long time, but their patience was being worn, to a very thin edge, and tho time might aeon como when, they would be forced to enter the political arena. There was no middle course between government by majority and government by minority. Parliament had -hitherto said a minority must rule on this question, but if they should decide that a- majority should rule then it must bo only a simple majority—equality plus oner They could not now ask Mr. Massey to do impossibilities, and they did not ' therefore now ask himto introduce a liill to provide for the bare majority. They know, that Parliaimj.it would riot pass such a Bill if he asked them. What they asked was that Parliament should put an end to their long suspense, and pass tho Bill introduced last session. It was said that the danger urged against tho bare majority was that there might be such a number of peoplo opposed to the abolition of liquor that tho abolition oculd not bo enforced. As against that ho would' point out that the people on tho other side were not even ready now to obey tho mandate of a three-fifths majority. He ' urged' that it was high tirao that the majority should bo reduced to 55 per cent. He wished, on behalf of tho. Temperance party, to express gratitude to Mr. Massey for his. , promise to bring in this Bill, and to reiterate that'he (Mr. Massey) was doing as much as ho could.under the present'eircurastances. He hoped.that when the Bill was passed into law, Mr. Massey would be ablo before many years wore over, to look back upon it as the finest thing he had ever dono, for the people of this Dominion.. (Applause.) Mrs. Don (Suncdin) spoke on behalf of the Women's Christian Temperance .■Union:. 1 ". ' I '-'--■■''■■ ■' '." '■'-'."■■ ■■ '■ Politicians Warned. Tho Rev. It. , S. Gray (Dunedin) said that the deputation recognised that. a duty rested upon tho Uoveriimcnt and Parliament of deciding impartially between what they migat esteem to.bo two nearly equal parties. It might suit editors of newspapers, ho went on to remark, to.sneer at what had been done in other countries, but no states-'i man could afford to ignore what ■ had been accomplished in Canada and the United States, under bare majority voting. No .one believed th'at the average American was a fool, and it was .impossible to believe that these people would go on voting for this reform as they did, year after year, if it was what their opponents said it was, or if it wero true that there v/as no stability under bare majority voting. The votes cast for Prohibition at last election in New Zealand exceeded by 5000 the votes cast for all political parties in New Zealand. They claimed that they represented tho highest moral sentiment of this Dominion. Men who were Liberals becamo reformers—(Laughdor and apglause.) Mr. Gray: "And jt is within the , bounds of possibility/that'the same may happen again. But it does not happen with our niovemont." Whether they toiled or ceased from toil, this great sentiment developed. When they began to touch. it before each poll they found that then'. voting strength had -grown. Men changed their political predilections sometimes ' without having any high convictions at all. (Laughter.) Ho was not speaking of leaders, but of tho men who voted for them. Mr. Gray went on to state that, representing that great, irresistible force of the highest moral sentiment in this country, they were not prepared to be thwarted by Parliament. They wore determined not to voto for any man who said this year's Bill should not be, passed, and would not pledge himself to a substantial reductiorTof the present unjust handicap. Thousands and thousands of their people had taken this stand. This matter was not germaue to tho present Parliament, but was a suggestion to future candidates. (Laughter.) Mr. Gray added that no consideration must bo given to the suggestion of the Trade that the period of four years (which under tho present lav,would intervene between the carrying of National Prohibition and its coming into effect) should be increased. It ought to be decreased. , A deputationist: Wipe it out , . Mr. Gray: Well, no, I don't think it ought to be wiped I was not always a parson; I used to bo a banker — (hear, hoar)—and I may he again. Strange things happen in New Zoaland. Any dislocation of finance and trade that might bo caused by tho extinction of the liquor trade, ho continued, could probably bo made up for by an enormous reduction in the expenditure upon povertv'and crime Even if it were otherwise it would pay them to bring up a sober nation at almost any cost. In the. Upper House. They were intensely grateful to Mr. Massoy for his promise that Ins Bill would have a free passage through Parliament. They would like now to have his promise that when the Bill passed tho House, as ho believed it would, he would use his influence to have it passed through the Legislative Council, for ho (Mr. Gray) had been given to understand that the Council invariably passed a Bill which was backed by the Government. "If I were Prime Minister, and I envy you your opportunities, sir' he said, "I would rather go down fighting this fight With my bade to thj wall than be the greatest man in the Empire. (Applause ) Liquor in the King Country. 1 Mr. Moenui, a Maori Chief of the Kin" -Country, spoko of the agreement entered into in the early history of New Zealand that no liquor should be taken into the Kins Country. He hoped that that undertaking would still be observed, believing as he did that if liquor were introduced into the King Country m»ny of his people would be pauperised. Mr. ,Kingi Topia, of Taiuape) cup-

ported the plea tJiat liquor should wot be introduced into Iho King Cauatry. i ... * j THE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION, I PMMB MLNISTJEa IN REPLY, j Tbo Prime wuch J.ifl cswe to reply, said that lie _wanSeil iit tin first placo to espi'css Ms appreowtujti of the, on tho wjieic, rcasoUaOlenesi and : moderate manner in ivhich the speakefs had expressed their views. He might not agreo with arny opinion tliat.lwd been expressed, bat- lie appreciated tLg moderation of tile- g|»oafeerß all the game, j As far as the Bill was concerned it "was not necessary that lie should discuss it at any length. Be had stated last session, as head of the Govcrniaent, ' that Parliament would be given ail op' porhinity of dealing with the liquor question this session by thfi intronlue*. tion of a Licensing Rill, Tiro Bill was introduced and circulatotl last stssiftn,") , and it was mentioned in tile Governor's j Speech this session. Trio pkdgo that j-| ho made last session ivoukl be 1-upt this 1 f session, and in tho very flear ft.tcre, j (Applause.) As a. matter of fact, he pto> posed next Tuesday to more tiio ati-o-duction of tho liiceusing Bill, fch* hijysi that it might bo dealt with lictwoea tho discussion of the A<fclr.e.ss4»-lMpl.y and tho discussion of ifcj financial Statement. (AppJijaeo.) Beferouees j had been made to plfldp^s;, they wviild < understand -tihat •■the Licecsmg Bisl j would never bo a party measnre- in th-D I ordinary sense of the word, foi tiie reason that men in ovary seciton ef politics were pledged in. different Mays. Ho had not the very slightest «ic-«bt but that every Hi«n&er 01 'i'ariiament liad made up his mind as to tb<! tlii*o.ction in which he weald vote oil the | Bill. There were meinbefs af the jwc- j eent Government vilio were so pledged | that. they could not support UK! j Licensing Bill in th? form i» which it! , would.bo introdijced.. fh wasted to say emphatically that h& hoped every member of tho Mensa «'ot.r.id foiop ]■].& j pledge to his constituents made, β-u tho ! { public platform ether b e y direct stato» j i ment 'or by implicatieu." Duty of the Omieftutiont.. So far as the other points were eon- j corned, ho said it was tie duty cf tho Government to g?ve an opportunity, if it desired the oj/pßrtuiTO.v, of expressing its opinion cm i'very tim't'ter of public interest and importance, and undoubtedly the Lioettsiag lssyo. Was one of importance. The question of ' '."ovenuo had been moniioaied, and it was a question which,Mβ GovCTJimeMt | could ult'ord. to iseglcet. Tho cowif.ry 1 'derived'£9oo,ooo a year'in revenue frain tho liquor; traffic-,- r-,wl if l'rohibitioii»vcro carried that revenue would go. The Government Could not. carry an ■ without that money, and tamo was re* quired to make it as. An intorjector: Miero isn't £000,000 nett, or anything like it. Mr. Massey did not hear the mte* , - jection, and did rxit reply to it, fk said that timo must be given to tho j Government to make »p the loss in te- ■■ venue, for tho revenue must bo ftiaift- j ■ tained, and tho deficieitey ausfc' he wado j up from some other soiirse , . That was j the position. So for as the King Oniiitry was concerned, )\c- h&sif fi'oni liaving visited it frequently, a.hd fraiii i.u- ■ formation conveyed to him ky fritank ! of tho Prohibition Party that "the petition in tho King Country was not satis- I factory./ He was net- going to suggest j a romedy at'present, but something ' should bo done to ijtifirovo tfre state of | things in the King Cijimtry. <A Voice: ! Administration!) if it was poaHihle to ! improve tho administration then it j should bo improved; but members of j tho police force Isacl told i'liin tfet ! although it was kiiown that liqifor Was j sold there, it was fihuost im(K;s9il)le to eecuro coiivictietis. It.was stated to him that in the King Country .there ! were 20 cstnblishiuCjits wlreffi Kqnoi" J could he procured. : A voice: What do yoii : propose ? J Mr. .Massey: Jjjr pK?jto.*ak-. ivill ho 'j ! submitted to Parliainoirt'. I pratixsto to i do what I believe.to foe the I'Khi th-wg J■: for the country as a, whole. Jioforrisg; J again to the Bill, ho said t»t lie- eon- {. ■ sidorod it was tho duty of the Go'vcsrii- ; meut to givo the representatives of il» ; pcoplo an opportunity- of considofisg any matter of interest or iniportance. . Ho would introduce the JBiH in tho very near future, probably nest week, <