THE LICENSING QUESTION

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 583, 29 November 1902, Page 4

THE LICENSING QUESTION

SIR ■IOSEI’H WARD'S VIEWS. At the conclusion of his recent political address at Winton, Sir Joseph was asked several questions relating to this subject. LOCAL OPTION. Asked as to whether he was in favor of the abolition of local option and the substitution of a colonial vote with a bare majority to rule, he said that, personally, he favored colonial option, which was in accord with the remarks he had ruado at the first meeting ho addressed in 1887. Ho had never believed it was possible to effect the reform by district prohibition. His opinion was that it would be far better to have a vote taken from end to end of the colony on an important matter like that at stated periods, and that the people should decide for themselves. (Applause.) He would further like to take the opportunity to state that he bad all along believed that the present system of regulating the liquor traffic required amending in many material respects. He had no hesitation in saying what his opinion was. Ho held that the laws should be altered so as to have a double licenso in the first instance—one for the hotel itself and ouo for the man who had the hotel, whether he be an owner or lessee, so that, in the event of any impropriety being committed by the man in charge or the lessee, there could be a proper opportunity of rendering it impossible for any such men to get into any 1 other hotels in the colony, and if the owner of a house allowed an improper person into the hotel, that owner, in turn, should render himself liable to have the • license taken away from the hotel, In : his opinion what was required was a rational law to remove some abuses that were distinctly existing, and which did so much harm to some of tho best people who wero carrying on their hotols in a respectable way. noun nr closing, lie had no hesitation in saying that tho hour of closing in towns and cutes should be eleven o’clock, and the law should be to provide that men found in tho hotels after eleven o’clock, as well as tho hotelkeepers, should Unpunishable. (Applause.) He was also of opinion that it should bo mado illegal for hotelkeepers to * SELL TO YOUNG J'KOI'LK. Under twenty-one yoars of age. lie held j those opinions, and believed if reform in , this direction were taken in hand by 1 people approaching the question in a rational way a great deal more good would bo effected than by a majority, no matter how small, trying to make a I minority shape their views according to . their wishes. So long as human nature was what it is tho minority, no matter how small, would resent bitterly tho mandate of tho majority that they were not to drink, and any system that kept up a continuous friction and strong fight of that kind did not effect the reform aimed at, but it was to be effected in a proper , way. THE LICENSING TOLL. 1 In reply to a question as to whether ho ' was in favor of dispensing with tho ncces- ; sity for half the electors going to tho poll in the event of an uncontested election, ' Sir Joseph said tho matter required to bo carefully considered. The difficulty was that, if there was a catch vote taken where there was a great deal of feeling on I both sides, it would only mean a recurrence of the trouble a short time after--1 wards. There was a great deal to be said on both sides, In effecting the change they should have a fair representation of tho people desiring it. It would be a pleasure to any representative man to have the honour of a walk-over on political grounds, and it was unfortunate that the question of polities was, at all events, for the time being, wrapped up with this other important question, He thought tho question of She date on which tho TWO ISSUES wero submitted to the people should bo considered with a view to making a change, "but that a small majority should bo able to go to tho poll aud settle a largo question like that would bo wrong. A small vote should not settlo a largo question on which thcro was a great deal of feeling at the present tirno. CLUU LICENSES. lie was of opinion that club licenses should como under the same control as ordinary hotels, and that tho hours of closing should bo tho samo—if eleven o’clock was fixed as tho closing hour for hotols, clubs should have to close at the samo time. He thought tho proper courso was for tho Parliament of tho country to take tho question of licensing laws in hand, and define distinctly and definitely, and in a fair and impartial way, the matter of packet licenses, and river, club, and hotel licenses. If they asked him whether those matters should not be lIEI'EIIIiEI) TO THE I'EOi'LE ho would reply that he thought ii would not ho proper to do so, because the outcome would not give satisfaction. During tho next Parliament be would accept his full share of the responsibility'. He thought the licensing laws should be remodelled on lines that would prevent abuses, and he was prepared to assist to put legislation on the Statute Boo!-: for the proper control of the liquor traffic throughout the colony,