THE WINE LICENSE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1013, 16 September 1881, Page 3

THE WINE LICENSE.

The new Licensing Bill contains a provision that licenses tor the retail sale of wine, the produce of the colony, may be issued for the nominal fee of LI, the object being to promote the manufacture and use of colonial wine. This clause was struck out by the Legislative Council, and the Colonirl Secretary, Mr Dick, moved in the other Chamber that the amendment be agreed to. Thereupon a division was taken, with the result that 34 voted with the Ayes, for striking out the clause ; and 29 with the Noes, for retaining it. Mr Sheehan then took up the runnmg, and was followed by Mr Pyke, both speaking in favor of the wine license from different points of view. We now reprint the speeches of those gentlemen, which are instructive from two points of view. Firstly, they illustrate the absence of topographical and geographical knowledge on the part of some members of the Assembly ; and, secondly, they disprove the oft-re-peated saying that “No one was ever converted by a speech.” On this occasion when the second division was taken there were 32 in favor of its retention. The result was that the House formally rescinded its first resolution, and insisted in refusing the amendments of the Council. What is yet more surprising, we find on reference to the division-list that no less than 10 members changed their opinion after hearing the arguments :

Mr Sheehan pointed out that those honorable members who voted against the proposal appeared to forget the climatic conditions of this country. In the South they could not manufacture the grape, and therefore they could not manufacture the wine, but in the North, which had a semitropical climate, they could grow grapes. Now, they had struck out the New Zealand wine license, and it was proposed to perpetuate the bottle license, which was the most insidious, destructive license they could have. If they retained the bottle license, he should ho prepared to vote against the whole Bill. There was no more demoralizing feature in the Bill than the bottle license. Now, with reference to the wine license, they had a Committee appointed for the purpose of encouraging local industries. The part of country he came from was semi-tropical. It produced grapes in abundance, and they manufactured from the grapes large quantities of a wine, which, although colonial, would compare favourable with the sherry and port that the holders of bottle licenses were in the habit of supplying their customers. Had it come to this : that Otago could abolish the geographical position of this part of the country where they could grow the vine, while Otago could not. He had seen in a vinery in the North Island over 25 tons of grapes, and he asked the proprietor what he was going to do with the grapes, and he said, “I cannot manufacture wine because 1 cannot get a license, and these grapes are meant to feed my pigs.” If the people in the North Island could produce a wine that the people living there could drink, why should their Otago friends, who drink something harder, interfere in this unparliamentary and unfair way? Australian wines were now admitted at a comparatively nominal duty. Seeing that they made this concession to people who taxed New Zealand oats in order to kill their trade, and when they could get people here to supply them with wine equal to what Australia supplied them with, he would ask where was the great Liberal party, that they should vote against what might be a large and profitable industry ? When they came to the bottle license clause he would be most happy to vote against it.

_ Mr Pyko said there was a lovely inconsistency about the actions of honorable members that was charming to be behold. He found that some gentlemen who were members of the Committee on Local Industries recommended that manufacture of whisky should be encouraged by a differential duty, and yet they were found voting against a clause which tended to promote tho manufacture of colonial wine, cider, and perry. He did not hesitate to say that tho promotion of local industries depended greatly upon the action of the Legislature upon this clause. He had taken no part in this discussion during the dreary weeks that the Bill had been along the floor of the House, but he felt bound to say on this occasion that the House made a great mistake, and ho would ask it to reconsider the matter. The honorable member for the Thames, (Mr Sheehan) displayed a great want of knowledge with regard to the colony ho was living in. He was not astonished at honorable members not knowing whether Turkey was in Asia, but he was surprised to find such ignorance displayed with regard to the colony they were living in. More ignorance was dispayed by honorable members with regard to the geography and topography of New Zealand than with regard to any other topic that came under consideration. As to the grape, ’any one who knew anything at all about the matter knew it was grown under very favourable circumstances in Nelson, and that wine was made there. In Wanganui also the grape was favorably grown, and he could say, from personal experience, that very good wine was made from the grapes grown there. With regard to the South it was supposed to be acold and inclement region where nothing would grow, but he would take the liberty of reading to tho House a short extract from the County Railways Commission report respecting this very matter. It was as follows:

“ In addition to its agricultural capabilities, the district can produce fruit and vegetables of all kinds of surpassing quality, the consumption of which is at present limited to tho immediate vicinity. The cost and delay incident to land carriage by heavy waggons arc prohibitive of fruit

being sent to Dunedin. The total cost to th o colony for imported fruit is above Lloo,ood annually, the greater portion of which might be supplio I locally. Near Clyde we saw vines growing in the open air loaded with grapes, which were ripe and well flavored, some of the bnnehes weighing 31bs each. Peaches, plum«, apples, pears, nectarines, strawberries, and other fruits, were all growing in profusion, of largo size and of excellent quality. At Clyde wo were much gratified by au exhibition of fruit, vegetables, and grain, the produce of the neighborhood, which were all of remarkable excellence and quality. This fruit-bearing zone extends as far as Pembroke, on Lake Wanaka. The growth of fruit might be indefinitely extended, leading to local manufactures. Mr J. D. Ferauil, Monte Cristo, near Clyde, carries on a considerable trade in spite of the expense of carriage, and sends fruit, wines, bitters, and liqueurs to Dunedin to a considerable extent. He has obtained a large number of awards for his productions at the Sydney and Melbourne Exhibitions ” He .did not hesitate to say that, with slight encouragement, the district he had the honor and pleasure to represent could grow a sufficient quantity of grapes, apples, and pears to produce alljthe wine, cider, and perry that the people of New Zealand desired to consume, leaving a considerable residue for exportation. But what did the House do? It said, “We shall not encourage this industry We shall encourage the growth of sorghum ; we shall encourage the manufacture of whiskey. We shall encourage the growth of olives (which is a very small affair) ; we shall encourage the growth of the mulbery (which is a smaller affair ; but in this matter of fruitgrowing, which is right in your hands, and for which nature has designed the colony and the climate, we shall not give any encouragement.” He hoped the H niso would reverse its judgment on this question. He would appeal to the honorable member for Rangitikei, if he were sincere in his professed desire to promote temperate habits, to do everything in his power to encourage the production and consumption of wholesome light wine in the colony, instead of the foreign imported drugged wines and spirits which constituted most of the liquors consumed by the British public in the colony.