The Daily Telegraph. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1884.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3935, 29 February 1884, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1884.

The election of the Licensing Committee resulted in the complete defeat of the Temperance party. Until the poll was declared the teetotallers had been credited with a strength that it is now seen they never possessed. It may be accepted as a certainty that every member of tbe party entitled to vote went to the poll, and that: their numbers were strengthened by the addition of some friends and sympathisers. Thus, for instance, Mr Laws, who is a popular man, received 7, 8, and 8 votes more than his colleague, Mr Townshend, in the three wards respectively. Supposing, therefore, that Mr Townshend received every vote the teetotallers could give him, we find the strength of the party to bo 49 in the North Ward, 40 iv the Middle Ward, and 44 in the South Ward. The Temperance ticket was Messrs Ormond, Locke, Coleman, Laws, and Townshend, and by deducting from the first three named prentlemon the number of votes polled by Mr Townshend we find that tho ticket was closely adhered to, Dr. Spencer and Mr Price being just about that number short of the head of the poll. We suited on a previous occasion that the teetotallers, according to their proportion to the population, wero probably entitled to one representative on the Licensing Bench, and they-wero offered that: one if thoy would forego a contested-election. With the characteristic obstinacy of the party the offer was refused, with the result that'now they have no representative at all on the Committee. They have tho consolation, however, of knowing that, whether thoy are represented or not on the Licensing Bench, the Act will be fairly and impartially administered, a reflection in which tho other side could not havo indulged had the result of the poll; been reversed. It is for this reason that wo think the peoplo of this town aro to be congratulated on yosterday's election. How different isthe state of things at Auckland, where men wero elected who were sworn to oppose te the utmost the system and tho law that they were called upon to administer.' We quote from the Auckland Free ■ Lanoe the following most sensible remarks on this subject!:—" What, it must now bo asked, is to be'the result? We hear of: meetings to arrange what is ; to be done, arid no doubt such meetings will be held, although clearly contrary to the intentions of the law. Caucuses have carried the elections, , it is only natural that caucuses should now rule the proceedings; of -what: is meant for a County Justice. Certain licenses, it is said, are doomed to extinction, and we have no reason to doubt the statement;; although it shows that instead of judges prepared to hear evidence and decide upon it, nve have elected partizans prepared to carry- out the wishes of a" faction under the forms of; law. Let no one say this is an extreme view" of the case. - The apparent excellence "'of the objects aimed at may shut our eyes to these facts, but it cannot alter them. Nevertheless. we don't blame the Good Templars. By no means. The law-set up the: liquor traffic as ah'annual battle ground, and:they have only fought and won their battle. All the world over the rule-prevails that it is woe to thp vanquished, and the spoils to the conqueror. The fault liesnotwith Temperance Societies, nor with the Licensed Victuallers, but with the Assembly. Instead of..considering tho question,- whether or-not public-houses should be f permitted, and deciding it on large'public- grounds, the . AssrcraTblyl Has shirked the question, and professed to'regard it as a mere matter of: taste. • -Whatever it may be, it is certainly not a matter of taste. The people either ought, orthey ou^frn'ot,',,

to have liberty to buy liquor when they want it. If "they ought to havo this of right, it is not for their next door neighbours to take it from them at their pleasure. If they ought not, in the interests of < themselves and of society, then it should i just as little be left to a local majority to grant so hurtful a permission. But what will the Committee do now that they have < secured their places P They are, we believe, nearly all strongly temperance reformers. Most of them as Good Templars are sworn to aid no fellow-creature to drink, but to use evey effort to prevont him from drinking. In a few weeks they are re decide as to granting some ninety licenses to sell I drink. The Licensed Victuallers, of course, will do the. selling of the article, but they will merely do it by the kind permission of theGoodTemplarLicensingßenchos. Itmay be said that we already know what they mean to do. We know very little about it —we suspect. They certainly did say they would be in favor of no licenses extending beyond 10 o'clock ; but did any one in his right mind suspect them of being in favor of licenses up to 10 o'clock ? .Wo may be quite sure the new Committee will carry . out their programme. : There will be no 12 o'clock licenses in Auckland after the end of June next; but how many will there to keep open until then? Of course, we cannot say, but it is quite certain that every house licensed will cast a heavy burden on the conscience of every honest' Good Templar on the Bench. We do not profess to regret this for a moment; indeed, wo don't at all regret it. It_ is well to know where we are, and in this way we should do so very quickly. If it is to bo no public it is fiiir tlisvt people should not bo harassed year after year by struggles over each fragment of the system. If this year it is to be shorter hours aud no bars, and next year shorter hours still and no barmaids, it would be better for all parties to have done with the thing at once. People would in that case know and make up their minds to their loss. They might even try ' whether the Stpto would grant them compensation, rather than allow. themselves to pine away until their closing would be a happy release, and a subject of congratulation rather than for compensation.