CONTROL OF LICENSES.

Patea Mail, 23 June 1881, Page 2

CONTROL OF LICENSES.

Because an amendment to the Licensing Bill has been carried, making licensing justices elective, there is talk of dropping the bill. Really, what principle is it that the Government want to enforce ? Do they consider that the people in a town or district should be shut out from all control of licenses ? It is a universal experience that excessive facilities lor drinking promote drinking. Publicans who are in the trade will have their interest ill-served by the creation of public-

houses in excess of public requirement. Their interest happens to be identical with popular interests, to the extent of combing to prevent undue increase of public-houses. Another thing to be put down as a public nuisance is the facility to get drunk. Any publican, who goes on serving a sot till he becomes incapable is doing a wrong thing, for which he deserves to lose his license. An ill-conducted house may be a demoralising nuisance to a neighborhood. The liquor trade will be put on a sounder footing when the people who are affected by it can exercise direct control. Publicans will not have excessive competition, and they will exercise stricter care to avoid complaints - In the small towns of this district the evils of drinking are less palpable than in populous centres I but it is important to lay down a sound system of popular control over licenses. The teetotal element in society is wholesome without being troublesome. The popular majority who can use drink without abusing it are interested in providing, reasonable, facilities ; dnd the control of licenses will be safe with the, common-sense majority.