THE PROHIBITION ISSUE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 858, 28 June 1910, Page 3

THE PROHIBITION ISSUE.

WHAT THE ALLIANCE DEMANDS.

The demands that are to be made by the New Zealand Alliance as the result of the convention in Wellington were explained to a reporter on Saturday night by Mr A. S. Adams, of Dunedin, ex-pre-sident of the Alliance.

‘‘The resolutions finally arrived at by the convention,” said Mr Adams, ‘‘do not revive in Mr Laurenson’s Bill, as had been erroneously assumed in some quarters, but are a new presentation of the platform and policy of the Alliance. They were arrived at after a full discussion of the socalled compact, and with substantial unanimity by the largest convention ever held iu the Dominion. In effect, the resolutions formulate a demand for a special vote on Dominion prohibition on the day of the next general election. Tf carried, this will have full effect, but the demand does not include successive polls. By this, I mean, that the demand is for one poll only, to be taken at next election, leaving future polls to be a subject of future legislation if desired. ‘‘The vote is to be taken on separate papers, and counted entirely apart from the local option poll. The required majority is to be ascertained by a reference to the total number of effective votes recorded on the Dominion prohibition alone. The party reaffirms its demand for a settlement of both local option and Dominion prohibition issues by a bare majority, and the passing of all the amendments dealing with local option law which were affirmed at the last annual convention in Christchurch in June, 1909. These include the abolition of bottle licenses, the suppression of the locker system, beer depots, and the various other evasions of the law which have crept in in NoLicense districts. The Executive of the Alliance, together with a consultative committee, consisting of leaders in every part of the Dominion, are to draft a Bill to give effect to the above demands, and take the necessary steps to secure their passage or to organise the party in anticipation at next election. The most gratifying feature of the convention,” Mr Adams concluded, “has been the splendid loyalty of the representatives, which has finally cleared away all possibility of trouble within the ranks of the party itself.”