Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 24,1908. The Licensing Committee.

Manawatu Herald, 24 March 1903, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 24,1908. The Licensing Committee.

On Thursday the election of a Licensing Committee will be proceeded with and the .districts will be placed at much expense, and for what ? It is well-known that in the colony we have two great parties—the Prohibitionists and the Brewers, but what of it ? and who can say how much the .Licensing Committee have to do with either ? The Committee is supposed to be a judicial bench, its members are supposed to support and to ad minister the law as laid down by Act of Parliament, and it passes many people’s understanding why five persons are needed to assist the Magistrate in these duties. We have looked upon Licensing Committees as most unsatisfactory, when they do what is right and keep to the Acts of parliament they are correct, and when they attempt to do some new thing they go wrong. The election in this district is as fine an illustration of the folly of all these proceedings as can be found, There are ten men nominated to fill five vacancies, and the electors are asked to make a choice. How can they ? when even the names of some are strangers to a large number of the electors. Why have ton come forward ? and what claims have they on the support of the voter ? It is a small matter this election but its uselessness is further shown by the apathy' of the candidates, who neither seem to care whether they are elected nr not. It is well-known that each candidate has to deposit £lO, which is liable to forfeiture if a certain number of votes are not polled, and where there not something underground it would bo surprising that men should be so reckless of their dollars as they appear to be. They appear to feel certain that the loss will not fall upon them, Supposing this to be the case, and we believe that that is the case, we must suppose that those who are putting candidates forward and insuring their return, have something which they hope to gain by doing so, and it must be taken that the candidates for either side must have a leaning to the side that puts him forward guaranteering him against all loss. Any candidate who is placed in this position cannot claim he is unbiassed, and ho cannot take his seat on the Committee wholly free and untrammelled. Wo understand that it is claimed no sane man would be a candidate in such an election without saving hia deposit, and if this is so it shows that the principle adopted for the return of a Committee is most unsatisfactory and unlikely to lead to a judicial position being taken up into the inquiry of any case’s that may be neceesary to consider. We do not expect to find any interest being taken into the election generally, though undoubtedly each party will do its best to secure that its candidate does not lose the £lO deposit.