The Daily Telegraph. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1884.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4113, 26 September 1884, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1884.

Incessant tinkering , with the laws regulating any trade must be bad for the trade's interest. Such is the unfortunate position of those engaged in the liquor traffic, and men at present are deterred from entering into the business because of the licensing laws of to-day and the disposition ever shown to keep on amending them. 11----would be a great blessing if, after the passing of an amended Act, the trade could, bo left alone for a period of ten years. Sfojor Steward's bill, which was read a second time by a large majority, is sure to be strongly debated in committee, indeed tho opponents of that measure see in the discussions which will there take place a chance of burking the measure for at least another year. The bill, it will be rsmembered, is one substituted for that drawn up at tho Licensed Victuallers' Conference in Wellington some time ago, of the provisions of which generally wo approved. Of course, the clause on which the great battle will take place is the one which seeks to give compensation to those whose licenses may be taken away from them, not because of any misdeed of their own. but by the expressed will of a neighborhood. Turning' to our files we learn, that the Victorian Ministry have promised to deal with tho question this year, and the three principles upon which the bill will bo founded are thus stated by a member of that Ministry : —(I) That no bad or adulterated liquor should be allowed to go into consunrption ; (2) that all disreputable houses should bo closed; (3) that where a respectable man is conducting a respectable business, the peojjle who object to his occupation in the abstract must reasonably compensate him if triey elect to blot him out of existence through no fault of his own. These principles, he added, would give satisfaction to all except extremists. A local journal noticing the bill says, '' And possibly in local option we have the best way of dealing with the difficult Sundaytrading question, for here agrin circumstances vary materially in different places. To open the publichouse on Sundays in many country villages is to establish a boozing den, and every decent man in the hamlet would cast his vote unhesitatingly against unbarring the doors ; but about tho great centres of population there are popular resorts where at some hours it is a material convenience to people to be able to obtain bodily refreshment. A great deal is to be said in favour of the proposition that the Legislature should name certain hours during which it should be lawful for ihe publican to supply his customers, leaving ty optional with tho districts to adopt those provisions or not. We might then obtain arrangements suited to tho locality, and tho law, whatever it was, would be locally enforced. So far it has been found impossible to prevent Sunday trading—perhaps not so much in as around the metropolis. The customers have presented in numbers, and they have been served. How unsatisfactory such a provision is must bo patent to all. It is not good that the law should be at war with a considerable section of the honest and decent portion of the populatiou. It is a bad thing that any law should be systematically evaded, and it may be still worse to drive men who seek chance refreshment from the licensed hotel to illegitimate houses where there is shame as well as liquor." The article proceeds to refer to the compensation clause, and pithily points out that the rule with the Legislature is never to abolish or injure vested interests without compensation. It points out that a district can object to certain industries being , carried on in their midst, but the only way to get rid of those obnoxious trades is to buy the proprietors out, and we fail to see why the same rule should not apply to tho publican and his business, a business i»<iaet which he carries on by payiner to Government foes for being allowed to go on vi it. All classes are agreed that disreputable houses should be closed, but tho moment compensation is spoken of we get two camps as regards respectably conducted houses.

The clause in the bill dealing with the abolition of the present licensing benches is also a good one. It is certainly not fair that men in the same street, but on opposite corners of it, should bo differently dealt with because they happen to be m different districts, and one publican thus gets an advantage over his rival. The bill generally meets with our support.