WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, 5 December 1918, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

LICENSING BILL THROUGH THE HOUSE. WELLINGTON, Dec 4. Only the leader of a National Government with a very compliant following could have got such a measure I through the House of Representatives | as Mr. Massey did yesterday, in ra- j ther less than eight hours. The Bill 1 was read a first time on Monday, distributed during the afternoon, and made its first serious appearance in the House after the luncheon adjourn- | ment yesterday. A number of mem- i bers did not care to give a silent vote ; on the measure, as the phrase goes, ! usually in excuse of a certain amount of garrulity, but most of them were concise and to the point, and there was no attempt at deliberate obstruction, It was generally understood in the lobbies that if there was any factious opposition to the Bill it would be withdrawn for the present session and probably the fear of being saddled with the responsibility of killing the measure restrained some of the ardent partisans who would have liked to secure all the advantages for their own side. PROVISIONS OF THE BILL The Bill provides for a special poll to bo taken during the mouth of April in accordance with the suggestion of the National Efficiency Board. The ballot paper at this poll will contain the two issues National Continuance and National Prohibition with compensation, and the result will be determined by a simple majority of the electors. The Bill as brought down j provided that the amount of compensation should be fixed by a special Court set up for the purpose and that the amount should be entirely at the discretion of this tribunal; but a proposal by Mr. Lee. the member for Oamaru, to limit the amount to the four and a-half million suggested by the Efficiency Board was accepted by Mr. Massey and embodied in the measure. Another amendment moved by Mr, Wilkinson, the member for Egmont, and ultimately carried by a majority of one, was in the direction of making six o’clock closing the permanent law of the land.

FUTURE ISSUES, i If National Prohibitidn fs carried at | the special poll in April it will take 1 effect on June 30, that is only two l months will elapse between the de- ! cision of the electors and the cessa- | tion of the sale of intoxicating liq- | ours. If, on the other hand, national I continuance is carried the ordinary | licensing poll will be taken at the j next ensuing general election for the I return of members of Parliament, and 1 the issues submitted at the ballot will |be National Continuance. State PurI chase and Control and Nationol Pro- : hi'bition, while the local option vote | w iR be omitted. The triennial polls on these issues will continue till the ; law is further amended and each issue j will stand on its own merits, there be--1 i Q g no provision for preferential voting. The carrying of State Purchase I and Control at any future poll would | involve the equivalent of compensaj tion, but the carrying of national proi hibition would be without any payI mont to the trade. I A COMPROMISE. Of course Ministers 'were twitted during the debate with having produced “a thing of compromise” ini tended to “propitiate both parties” j an d to “remove responsibility from ! their own shoulders.” But though j the Bill is necessarily a matter of | compromises it must be said in justice |to Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward • that they expressed their own views I quite frankly and without any desire |to shirk responsibility. So far tho I Prohibitionists appear to have got | rather the best of the deal. They have ; secured the special poll on a bare nia- j I jority with a limited compensation 1 and they have the House’s confiima- | tion of six o’clock closing as a per- ! manenf measure. Anyway the officials ! of the New Zealand Alliance are not 1 grumbling this morning. The buryj ing of the- three-fifths majority and of i the four and a-half years’ grace to the ! Trade represents to them a great vicj tory apart from any other advantages j j they have obtained. They expect, however, the permanency of six o’clock closing to be challenged in the | Legislative Council.