THE LICENSING ISSUE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 166, 8 April 1919, Page 8

THE LICENSING ISSUE

EFFECT OF THURSDAY'S POLL

! THE QUESTIONS TO BE I SUBMITTED

j, The electors of New Zealand are being ' ■: asked to vote on Thursday on the issues

I laid down in the first portion of the }■■ I Licensing Amendment Act passed by ' j. „ Parliament last session. They are to ° h choose between—(l) The of V I tho liquor trade on its present footing, !■ and (2) the complete extinction of the I , r trade, with compensation to the interests _ J involved. The maximum amount of ' [ compensation to be paid to the people i. interested' in all the branches of the • trade is fixed by the Act at .£4,500,000. i The issues are to be stated in tho t j: ballot-papers.jn,the following terms:— t j, I vote for' National Continuance. t ! ' I -vote for National Prohibition with 1] ! : compensation. , T ' j The voter must strike out the proposal !■ for which he does not wish to vote, leav- « !' ing untouched the issue that represents n i his choice. If a voter fails to strike t j out one of the proposals the voting paper I ;■'■ will be invalid. c ;: Tho electoral districts for the purposes n j of the lice'nsing , poll are the electoral f i districts as existing at tho date of the n I', last general election. New rolls have |. been prepared,»and ■no elector may rej ' cord ■a ; vote, with certain exceptions, c j unless his or her name appears on n n ! '■'■' roll. Electors must vote in their own C j districts unless they are in possession « ' 'of absent voters' permits. Special provi- i i eion has been made for recording the s !-:: votee of members of the Expeditionary j ! Force. The soldier will vote in England, \) • Egypt, and France, on troopships at sea, t ! • and in hospitals and convalescent homes s I itt New Zealand. Voters niay make use 11 j: of: a provision of the-.Legislature' law t \ ' under which an elector who, reeorded hijs t j vote at - the last general election and i: ! who .finds on polling day that his name t I is not on the roll, may record his vote t '.after making a declaration before the t j: returning officer. u *■ The offence of personation is the subi . ject of a clause of the Act. Every perj eon who applies for a voting paper in \ , the same of some other person, living ;; 3ead, or of a fictitious person, or who i having voted once at any_ polling booth i; again for a voting paper, is I [.- guilty of personation and is liable on j i summary conviction to a fine not ex- '■ j ceeding .£SO or to imprisonment for any 1 I term not exceeding three month;. ' [ The electors are- to vote in their elec- f j - toral districts, and the first- count of j i the votes will be made according to electoral ' |-toral districts. But. the poll is national, } j. and the votes recorded in all the die- J i .tricts will be added together in order ( i 'to determine the final result. The re- c I cording of a majority'of votes for pro- j I hibition in a particular district or dis- < i tricts will not close the hotels unless ' ' there is a majority for prohibition over !■ the whole country. The carrying of con- [ tinuance will leave the existing position !:• changed,- Thus a district already I under no-license will not change its , ['"-.- status by recording a majority of votes '.'■for continuance. ■ . * !<-" The issue will be determined by a i bare majority of the votes cast on Thursi day. The official announcement of (lie [.result will not be .made- until all the ■ • .votes, including the Expeditionary Force :''•'' votes,, have , been counted and the results - ;• communicated to the Minister in charge i of the Electoral Department. But it has been announced that the results of thei preliminary counts made by the return- ; ing officers in the various districts will i be made public on the. evening of polling > day, as soon as they become available. I The provisions of the electoral law ; with regard to"a recount of votes and the. 'appointment of scrutineer's are embodied I in the Licensing Amendment Act. Any. !• six. electors mjy apply, w'thin seven days u' after the r publication of the official : figures, for ! a recount of the votes cast • in any.electorate. j In the event of national prohibition j- being carried! it will come into operation i on June 30' next. All licenses will then : lapse, and it will become "unlawful for ' any person to have in his possession ! for the. purposes of sale, cr to import into j'■; New Zealand, or to manufacture or sell, ! .intoxicating liquor of any description." J Any person who "imports into New Zen- [;. land, manufactures, sells, or has in his V possession for the purposes of sale, any i. . intoxicating 1 liquor, or who attempts to ! commit any such ofFcnce, or who aids, i abets, or procures (he commission of any '• such offence, shall be-liable on summary i conviction, to a fine not exceeding .£IOO i in the case of a first offence and to im- ! prisoninent for any term not exceeding I j three months in tne case of .a second or ;. any subsequent offence." If the.offence v-is committed by a body corporate the ! fine will be any sum not exceeding £M] ■. for' the first 'offence . and not exceeding i .611)00-for a second or. any subsequent i' offence.- '■ ■ ■ j-....The Act contains a proviso that none j. ,of the penalties' shall "extend or apply to tho importation, manufacture or sale, in accordance with regulations made by the Governor-Geiieral-in-Coiiiicil on that bei- half, of intoxipating,liquor for medicinal, i scientific, sacramental, or industrial puri poses exclusively." The regulations tin- [ ■•■ der this section would be framed by the , !.. Government in the event of prohibition ■ ! being carried. [r -Clause -22 of the Act states that "no :-.licensing poll slull at c.ny time be taken ! I.in any district after the carrying of nnI : tional prohibition with- compensation." ;:;,.This clause is subject to repeal by Par- '■ liament in any future session. j ' The method of paying compensation to L, tlio'i:rade interests, ofler Hie carrying of. i prohibition, is set forth in much detail j in the Act. Compensation is to be payI." able to brewers, owners and lessees of ■ hntei premises, hotel licensees, wholesale I ■ licensees, chartered clubs, wineinakors, I maltste-rs, owners of vineyards, brewery j porkers, and hotel workers. The bases : payments are to be depreciation f of the. value of land, buildings, and plant, j oud termination of trade. Workers will. I be compensated on the basis of "loss of i:-'opportunity of occupation." ! .The assessment will be made by Courts I of Compensation, each, court consisting of I a stipendiary magistrate and two assesi sors'. The total amount of compensatMn : paid by the Government is not to exceed J ,£4,500,000, which sum will bo raised by p loan. If the- gross total of the sums ! awarded by the courts exceeds this 1 amount, a proportionate reduction will i be made in each grant so as to bring the j total within the limit. !' If national continuance is carried on i Thursday, the licensinu issue will come i before the electors' again at a licensing ■ poll to be held at the time of the i .general election. There will be three '■ 'issues on the ballot paper on that occa- [ eion,,.namely— S National Continuance. I National Prohibition' Without Conij pensation. ■ '. ! State Purchase and Control. i T'ne elector will be required to vote for ; one of the three proposals, and no iiro- ! . posal will .be carried unless it receives ! a majority of the total votes cast. If j no proposal is carried, the existing con- ' ditions of the trade will be unchanged. 1 No questiun relating to district no-license i will be submitted to the electors, so I that there will be no further opportun- ! ity of carrying no-license in a license ! district. In no-license districts the quesi tion of local restoration will be submiti ted' under the old conditions, a three- '. fifths majority being required to effect !' the change. ! National prohibition without compen- ' sation if carried, would come into effect i on June 30 next after the date of the i poll. The conditions, with the exception ! of the payment of compensation, would l>e similar to those laid 'down in the i case, of national prohibition with coin- : pensation. i State purchase and control would operi ate on , the date to be. fixed by the Goveminent, within one year of the date of ■ the poll. The Government would ap- ; p'jiiit a controller of the trade in liquor. . The controller would take over the liquor trade and pay compensation to : the existing interests. Tho cost has been ' estimated provisionally at .£10,000.000. • '['he controller would have the sole risht ■ to manufacture, import and sell alco- - ImiHc liquor, wholesale and retail, the \ nut ■'profits to be paid into the Consolidated Fund.