The Hokitika Guardian TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1921 STATE CONTROL.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 November 1921, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1921 STATE CONTROL.

WiiKtiiEit or not State Control will bo tin* ultimate solution of the many difficult problems that beset the liquor question, only time can _ tell. .Meanwhile, however we are at one with our Wellington.correspondent in thinking that this issue either should bo removed from the ballot paper at the licensing poll or should be determined with the other two issues, under a.

system of preferential voting. As it is it merely tends to vote splitting, as more than two candidates do at parliamentary elections and to minority determination, as we have in the present House of Representatives. For ourselves, we should prefer to liav t . the issue preserved, not bectqiue we have any great faith in State Control after what we have seen of it in operation in this country, but because we believe there are a number of people who honestly believe it to b* the most promising remedy for the evils of the drink traffic. No idea of its populnr-

itv or lack of popularity, could be obtained from the voting at the poll of two years ago. Everyone knew perfectly wall that with the three issues on the ballot paper the real contest lay between continuant-,. and prohibition and many thousands of people wlm would have 'preferred State Control to either of these issues, did not cure to exclude themselves from the main tight. It was only the stalwarts, ready to disfranchise themselves in recognition of a principle, that voted State Control. Had the poll been taken under a wsteiu of preferential voting, requiring the elector to put the figure one against hia lirat preference and He figure Iwo against bis .second or alternative preference, the respective totals beyond doubt would lune Keen very different from wlial. t ley were. BiiLnotir point just now is that if there are thre,, or more issues on the ballot paper, they must in common fairness to all the contending parties be determined by preferential voting. Mr Massey having won his way into ollice and held it by t!i 0 first past the post system of election, may feel some diflidence in adopting any other system of voting for the determination of the licensing question, but. none ot tlq. objections that have been urged against preferential voting for parliamentary elections can be urged against it for licensing polls, and in the event of the third issue being retained wo shall expect the Prime Minister to do the fair tiling, to use a favourite phrase of his own, I wtween the contending parties