WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 October 1922, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE LICENSING QUESTION

THE MODERATE LEAGUE’S ATTITUDE. SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. WELLINGTON, Oct. 20. The deputation from the Moderate League wlricli waited upon the Prime Minister yesterday to urge very material amendments in the licensing law cannot have expected Mr Massey to undertake this formidable task on the eve of the prorogation and dissolution of Parliament, lint whatever its motives may have been in delaying the presentation of its views to the Government till this late stage in the session, the League deserves the thanks of the community for having directed public attention to the glaring defects of the existing law. As one of the spokesmen of yesterday’s deputation implied, successive Governments, in their anxiety to keep on good terms with both parties to the liquor controversy, have made concessions first to one side and then to the other till the whole law on the subject is a bundle of anomalies and contradictions. To attempt its amendment at this stage is, of course, out of the question and the present Administration must take the blame for the question again being presented to the electors in an extremely unsatisfatory form. STATE CONTROL.

In particular the Moderate League deserves the thanks of the community for having suggested an intelligible definition of “State Control” which would remove much of the ambiguity fiom the existing legislation. The Government and the House wore content to leave this issue on the ballot-paper without any refimtion of its scope and meaning, and had it been carried at the last licensing poll, Parliament would have been faced by the necessity of determining what it meant. The position has remained unchanged dining the life of the expiring Parliament ami the Prime Minister was compelled to confess to the deputation yesterday that if he thought there was the least possibility of State Control being carried at'the approaching poll, he would immediately ask Parliament to repeal the clauses of the existing Act providing for the payment of compensation to people financially affected by the extinction .of licenses. Surely a much more statesmanlike manner of dealing with this issue would he to eliminate i-t from the ballot-paper altogether. As it stands it serves merely to becloud the other issues. THE LIBERALS.

It is understood that the Liberal Labour policy, which has been in the process of incubation for the last few weeks, will make its public appearance within the next day or two. Judging from such information as can lie gathered from those who have been engaged in its construction it will he found progressive enough to satisfy the most ambitious friends of the party and sane and loyal enough to reassure the most timid. ' Electoral reform, land settlement, sound finance and stimulation of production arc among its pro min cut planks, hut its framers have nrt confined themselves to. the beaten oath of party controversy. Their appeal is to the electors at large, and from all accounts it is comprehensive enough to command itself to every progressive individual, who stops short of the extravagancies of the extreme Labour Party. Mr M illord and Ins associates in the revival of the old Liberal-Labour combination scorn to h;tvo brtn extremely fortunate, so far as the North island is concerned, in the candidates they have found ready to carry the party banner at the gen-' oral election. They have not been quite so fortunate in the South Island, where the approaching contest is attracting less attention than it is doing here; but altogether they profess themselves well satisfied with the response to their efforts. THE SESSION.

The general opinion about the lobbies appears to he that the session will he brought to a close at the end of next week. Members, anxious to he among their constituents, preparing lor tho getn-ral flection, are growing very impatient and will put no obstacle ill the way of the Government, pushing through the remaining business at break-ne-k speed. The “Dominion.” referring to the subject this morning predicts the usual scramble. “At most,” it says, “if the general election is to he liehl on December 1, members will have a day or two over live weeks in which to woo their constituencies. This means that the representatives of extensive country electorates will have to go like the proverbial whirlwind in order to get over all the ground in the time available. Ho it always has been, and probably always will he.