Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1918. A DEVISED ISSUE.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 August 1918, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times TUESDAY, AUGUST A DEVISED ISSUE.

A remarkable change in the issue to he put before the people at the next licensing poll is likely to take place. A tele- j gram from Wellington published on Saturday intimated that at a . meeting of the licensing trade it had been re- , solved to ask Parliament by petition i for a change in the licensing ballot pa- j per. This stop wns taken, it was ox- • plained, in view of tho expressions of | opinion by Mr Massey and gir Joseph i Ward, that a proper solution of the j licensing question must he found, and that it would be necessary, to meet nil requests on the matter, to revise the j form in which the issues are put to the people through the ballot paper. The licensing question is a very disturbing and upsetting one for Parliament all along, and a finality on the* matter would be. welcomed. But with so many | expressed views from different stand points, it will be hard to please all factions by a stroke of the pen. The Prohibition party have varied their main demand by asking now for no-license with compensation. This is a long stride towards allaying a great volume of oj)position to no-1 icen.se without compensation. Just ns the Prohibition party has adopted a more conciliatory attitude on the broad question,’ so the Trade show a disposition to be substantially fair in the submission of their side of the question to the popular vote, la the new request from the Trade, the former issue of “continuance” is to be dropped out, and a straight out issue of State Control or prohibition put before the people. The Trade arc agreeable apparently to accept the proposed offer of compensation, and to leave it to the. people to decide if their shall be liquor in the country and if so, it shall he under State control. The alternative to that is total prohibition. And the Trade in this generous mood have gone further: It is prepared to accept the decision of a bare majority on the question. This concession goes a long way towards meeting tlq. request of the prohibition -party that if compensation is to be granted, a bare majority poll must settle the issue. The Trade proposals go a step further still. The issue as they propose it should be put, is to be a “national’’ one over the whole Dominion, and not as hitherto, each electorate to decide its own predictions on the liquor question. In 1911 in this country, 259,942 votes were recorded for prohibition as against 205,661 for continuance. Three years later (the last poll taken) the voting for national prohibition was 247,217 and for continuance 257,442, for 191.1 there were no less than 59 districts which showed a majority of valid votes for prohibition, as against 31 in 1914. These figures are somewhat confounding when one goes to strike an average and no adequate reason can be given for the. peculiar variation of the polling in the three year’s interval. Assuming that- the poll will be taken next year, there will be an interval of five years to speculate upon as regards the swaying of public opinions and a great deal has transpired within that period to assist in varying ideas on the liquor question. Harking back to the issue proposed by the 'Dade, it will bo noticed that it contains in point of fact the broad principles! for which the Moderate League has been contending. Whether the Trade are. making a virtue of necessity cannot be determined, but with the Moderates fused with the Trade there will be considerable strength on the clearcut issue proposed. Before finality can be. reached there will be much discussion in and out Parliament, and in the meantime the average elector will be enlightened in various directions by the rival forces at work.