King Country Chronicle Saturday, October 4th, 1913 THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 608, 4 October 1913, Page 4

King Country Chronicle Saturday, October 4th, 1913 THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

—^»«0 In view of the projected alteration in the licensing law by the Government the New Zealand Alliance representatives are taking stepa to advance the no-license interests. The KingCountry, in consequence of restrictions placed upon it many years ago, occupies a peculiar position in respect to the licensing laws, and the Alliance representatives intend visiting Te Kuiti on Wednesday in order to :onfer with local people concerning recommendations to be made to t the Government. It is to be hoped the forthcoming conference will not take similar form to the one which was held a few years ago when members of the Alliance visited the town in force, and entsrtained the audience in the Town Hall to a seriei of prohibition addresses. Nobody objects to addresses being delivered upon such an important social question, but when the residents of a town are invited to confer with the representatives of any public body the nature of the proceedings should be consistent with the ostensible object of the gathering. . In connection with the forthcoming visit the correct method is being adopted of inviting representatives of public bodies and prominent citizens to meet the visiting delegates in the afternoon. Exactly what can be attained by a conference between Alliance representatives n iKl Te Kuiti residents is difficult to discern. The principles advocated by She Alliance are widely known, and supporters of the cau?e exist in every community. The crusade waged by the Alliance is not only in favour of no-license; it is against liquor in every shape and form, national prohibition being the natural objective. The conditions obtaining in the King Country provide for liquor being obtained as in other prohibited areas, but the restrictions placed on the district deny to King Country residents the right of declaring whether or not licenses ehall bo introduced. The claim of the King Country for equal rights and privileges with other districts has bean persistently urged, and if the Alliance representatives see fit to alter their attitude and lend their support to that claim, they will be doing all that can reasonably be expected of them. Under prevailing

conditions there is little fear of a vote in favour of the introduction of licenses being carried. There is no

doubt, moreover, that any such ballot would be regarded by a considerable section of the community as failing entirely to reflect the opinions of the people. If the real opinion of the people is desired, why limit the proposals to what is considered by many to be a choice between two evils? The King Country has never yet had the right of voting for licenne with any possibility of obtaining it, even if the vote was unanimous. Nothing has been lost thereby, except the liberty granted to the remainder of the Dominion, but if alterations are to be made to the licensing law there is no reason why a ballot should be granted to the King Country on broader lines than ia the case in other districts. The alternative of State control as representing something infinitely better than either license or prohibition, is claimed by a large number of people j to be the best method of dealing with i ;h; question. Whether these con ten-

j siona arc correct or not there appears io be no reason why the people should

not have the right of choosing between throe systems instead of two. Many reasons may bo urged in favoir

of euch a course by those who are not tied to either of the present contending parties, but whether the Government is sufficiently courageous to nek antagonising a strong political party by dealing with the liquor question on independent lines i 8 very much open to doubt. It Uto be hoped these points will be discussed on Wednesday afternoon next.

It is to be hoped the e3say competition being promoted by the Te Kuiti Chamber of Commerce will be widely supported throughout the district by both children and adults. The subject '■ ih one which is calculated to make competitors think on lines which tend to promote the best interests of the Jiatrict. Parochialism in a business sense is altogether admirable, and is \ essential to the general progress and prosperity. It is customary to cite parochialism as an attribute of the narrow minded and sh«rt-sighted section of mankind, but this is only in cases where the narrow sentiment is imported into the wider issues of national life. Local interests are in their jußt proportion just as important as national interests, and as such are worthy of every consideration. If people do not exert themselves to the utmost to further the concerns of their own district both in a business and a social sense, it can hardly be expected that outsiders will undertake the work. By promoting the competition on open linos and affording the growing generation an opportunity of studying the question with a definite objective the Chamber of Commerce is doing good work. Such efforts are bound to sow the seeds of the growth whereon public spirit thrives, and opens up avenues of thought leading toother affairs of local public interest. It is to be hoped the competition now being promoted will be but the first of a series. With a reasonable amount of support evinced in the project by the public there is no reason why other subjects should not be submitted. The fostering of a spirit of local patriotism, and an interest in local affairs generally is but the firßt step towards a broader education, and a more profound knowledge of the things that matter in life, and the Chamber of Commerce is to be commended for its action in offering nn inducement to all to deal with a subject of the greatest local importance.