THE LIQUOR CAMPAIGN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 304, 12 September 1918, Page 7

THE LIQUOR CAMPAIGN

MR. SEMPLE'S VIEWS. Discussing the liquor campaign yesterday, Jlr. It. Semple, agent lor tlio New Zealand Coal Miners' Federation, remarked that the present campaign was rather interesting from the Labour point of view. "Tho Labour Party had always stood l'or tho bare majority upon this and all other questions at tlio general elections, but, strange to say, tho prohibition movement oppospd tin; Labour candidates, and, in preference, voted for men who stood l'or tho 'three-fifths majority.'" Subsequently the Labour Party decided in favour of the State control , proposal being placcd upon the ballot>. paper, and that Was the party's policy i at, tlio present time.' Having travelled about tho country a great deal, he .aottltl) spy from personal expei'teaice that this policy met with the general approval of the Labour people, and there was greater unanimity in the political field of Labour than ever belore. Ho believed that it would be inadvisable for Labour to allow any outside interference with its policy, firstly, because tho drink question was merely a sido issued and consequently of secondary importance. • The Labour movement stood for basic principles, aud in his judgment should not be side-tracked by any side issue. Labour's present policy gavo the individual a perfect right to express his opinion upon any one of the questions, placed upon the ballot paper, namely, Continuance, Prohibition, or State Control. "While I quite appreciate tho honesty oi' purpose that lias actuated many hardened fighters in the Prohibition movement in the past," said Air. Semple, " I view with suspicion the intervention of a certain section _ of wealthy people who have rushed into the Prohibition movement, a.'d who are claiming to bo actuated by humaniti)}'ian and patriotic ideals, 'i his policy ;s pursued by those men under the guise of efficiency and patriotism. In my opinion such a policy is nothing short of commercial' cannibalism. Knowing some of the firms who are very live advocates of tho present Efficiency Board's proposals, and who are finding untold wealth for tho propaganda, I cannot bring myself to realise that they are actuated bv any other motives than personal selfishness, and I am strongly opposed t-o the singling out of any section of the community and placing it upon the altar of commercial tion"Labour stands for the socialisation of all industries, and I personally stand for the placing of the liquor question in tho same category. In other words, I am a hardened State controller, believing that this is tho only practical solution of the liquor question. "In voicing my opinion in favour of State control, 1 feel pretty confident that I am expressing the opinion of the overwhelming majority of the miners I. represent, most of whom take their glass of beer after li hard day's work in the underground infernos, and who shall say that thev should not?"