Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, DEC. 8, 1896. The Licensing Poll.

Manawatu Herald, 3 December 1896, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, DEC. 8, 1896. The Licensing Poll.

m ■ ■ To morrow it is the duty of every person who records a vote for the election of a representative to Parliament to also record his vote on the licensing poll. There must be no ignoring the fact, the question is one of immense importance and the abstention from voting may be the means of ruining many unfortunate people who have embarked their savings in a trade made lawful by previous Acts of Parliament. Those persons desiring total prohibition do not hesitate to acknowledge that by the cuteness of their representatives in Parliament they have secured an unfair advantage in voting power. The voting paper to ba used tomorrow permits a prohibitionist to vote for two issues, both for a reduction in the number of licenaei and also that no licenses be granted. This handicaps the moderate drinker by two to one. We will suppose that it is possible tbe moderate drinker might like to see an increase in the number of license, but he is not allowed to vote in this direction. If the voting paper had been printed in the interests of fair play every voter shou'd have been allowed to either vote for, an increase in licenses, or for lioenses to remain as they are, and then allow the other two questions to remain as they now are on the paper, either for redaction or no license. We trust no one who is not a prohibitionist, and we even hope that not all prohibitionists will vote for a reduction in the licenses. We can understand a vote for total prohibition, but simply to throw ruin upon certain publicans to the great advantage of those who are not closed up appears to give a possibility of inflicting a very great barm without the slightest good result. Those voting for a reduc tion are also casting a vote in the dark, they will be unable to say what the result of their action may be, as the following quotation from that gentle tract, the N.Z. Alliance Voter's Guide will show :— " If it is only a redaction of lioenses in the district which is carried, then the number of the several kinds cf lioenses will have to be reduced by any number from a twentieth to a quarter of them, at the discretion of a licensing committee of five persons to be elected in the following month of Maroh, with the Stipendiary Magistrate as chairman, So that the amount of reduction will depend on the sort of committee which you then elect. But in any case if the licenses in the district do not exceed ten the committee will be bound to reduce them by at least one ; if they do not exceed thirty, by at least two; and if they do exceed thirty, by at least three." We bold that as the prohibitionists have had so many concessions made to them, the wisest act the general public can do is to vote so that the licensing question remains as it is.