Feilding Star. SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1884. Zealots

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 31, 15 March 1884, Page 2

Feilding Star. SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1884. Zealots

We learn from the Press Association that it is stated a conference of the Dunedin Licensing Committees has j been held, and a decision come to to close all the hotels in the city but the foui' principle ones. This has roused the licensed victuallers into activity, and they have discovered that the time has now arrived when more unanimous action should be taken in reference to their interests. Assuming, for the purposes of this article, that the telegram is correct, if the Dunedin Licensing Committees are permitted to carry out their views as stated, a direct monopoly Avould be created. This is contrary to the spirit of the Licensing Act, aud should, by all legitimate means, be prevented. One would think that the Dunedin Licensing Committees had a personal interest in promoting the welfare of the four favorite houses. Sly grog- selling — or what our Scotch friends in Otago would better understand as " shebeening" would be the dix-ect outcome of limiting the number of hotels to four. Even as it is now, the police find the utmost difficulty in keeping down these places of infamy, and if the Licensing Committees be permitted to carry out their intentions, their number would be so increased that the cost of additional constables and detectives, with the price of that " meanest of all men," the sly-grog informer, would be enormous. The Licensed Victuallers' Association may hold meetings and pass resolutions, but the amount of real work done will be very small. There is neither unanimity nor cohesion in that body. Its members are composed of men who, from theei surroundings, are not likely to understand that unity is strength. No Licensed Victuallers' Association in the Colony has ever lasted for much more than a year. The members have no confidence in each other, and the nature of their business prevents them giviug proper attention to other than their public duties. If the whole of them were to combine and form an Association for the whole Colony it would be a most powerful and influential organisation. It could return a majority of members to the House ; it could control Licensing Committee ; and last and most important to them, they would have an amount of control over the wine aud spirit merchants and the brewers, which they now lack. 1: may be said that any other organisation of men would be equally powerful. Experience has, however, taught us that such would not be the caso, as compared with the publican. Anyone who has watched a contested election must have observed the amazing amount of influence that may be exercised by a popular hotelkeeper, and when it is remembered that there are hundreds of hotelkeepers who are not only personally very popular, but much respected by all classes of the people amongst whom they dwell, the reason of such influence is patent. There can be no doubt it is fortunate for the Colony at large that such a combination as we mention is impossible. We think that the temperance bodies are making a greivous error in attempting to assume the control of the liquor trade. It appears to us that their efforts should be directed towards obtaining individual converts to their opinions. This can be done by good example and persuasion far better than by striving to have the power to dictate as to who shall or who shall not sell strong drink. The success of the Blue Ribbon Army has been greater in the last years of its existence than the first, for the very excellent reason that its working members have been quietly and steadily gaining recruits to their ranks without any of that blatant touting which in the beginning had so repellant effect on the sensitive or intelligent.