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Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 157, 30 June 1891, Page 3

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ASSOCIATION.) June 27. HHWrepntat,ion< from the New Zealand waited on tbe Hon. the Premier to-day to confer with him on the Licensing Bills at present before the House. Mr T. W. Glover, who was spokesman, said it was- a unanimons desire of the temperpance organisations and the Christian Church in New Zealand that sieps should be taken to decrease the liquor traffic in the colony. He agreed with Mr Fisher's bill to prevent the sale of liquor to children under 13 years, and also spoke strongly in favour of Mr Joyce's bill providing for prohibition of the liquor by the ballot-box. Replying, the Hon. the Premier said, he agreed there was a great crisis in the Temperance cause at present. The Government had not considered the Licensing Bills at all. He was in favour of prohibition, even if it took the' whole of the consolidated revenue from this source to-morrow, provided' it was the wish of the people. "^ Where persons had invested money in property he held they should be considered, and he was therefore favourable to granting compensation where licenses were taken away for no offence. No compensation should be I given, however, for licenses issued in future. With regard to the option vote, h*e would give the people cojnplete power, except as regards 1 compensation. He be--lieved the temperance p s ai ty, in refusing compensation, . were.' taking a wrong means to obtain their end.