THE LICENSING QUESTION.

Taihape Daily Times, 3 July 1919, Page 4

THE LICE N SING QU E STION.

We believe that at the next general ‘ poll, when the people will be invited, unless the law isialtered in the nlean—l time,‘ to choose" between three issues——l 1-"l'ollibit.ion, Continuance and Staten Control——the majority against Prohibitioinwill be greater than it was in April. Everyone knows that this will eertainlynot mean that a majority of the people are in favour of maintaining the liquor t.rade as it exists today. It will only mean (1) that a. majority of the people believe that, properly regulated, the sale of alcoholic liquor can be carried on with no greater detriment to the ultimate good of the nation than results from any iother trade, and (2) ‘that the right of {the individual’ t.O use. wine and beer ‘wisely is one for the abrogation of i wllich no valid reason has yet beer; put t'orwal‘d. We are quite eer ain, 10W- . ever, that unless some thorough reform |——inVolving* an alteration of tlie genelral character of hotel bars, and some I change in the kind of drinks that shall sbe sold——is carried through_. Prohibiltion will ultimately come through "the :{l.SSlSl?i1IlC0 of those who, disliking it, yet dislike an ullrefol'nied Trade Still more. There is; unfortunately. Very little reason to hope -that the pl'CSCll'flParlianlent. will attempt. to deal with itlze question. The new Parliament, 1 however, cannot avoid taking it up.—lchristehureh Press. .

Of the people on the rolls in New Zealand on April 10th last. over 14S_.000sdi<1 not vote, while many of the soldiers were disfranehised, and some who could have done so did not record their votes. We estinizrte the adult population in April, including the absent soldiers, at about 680,000 to 090,000, and of this total the number ‘that voted for Prohibition equals onethird. And yet Prohibition was so nearly carried that 3 t.urn--over of one per cent a.nd 3. fraction would have made this a. dry country. This margin ought to be close enough to make all those men and women who dislike Profllibi‘tion think very fseriorisfiy. Our coiivbtion is that the Prohibition minority would have been much more

f -onounced but for the unpopularity of Continuance. Nobody can doubt the e.\:ist.ence of a« large body of public opinion that could not express itself by voting eitlier for Prohibition on the one hand or for the Trade on the other hand} Very nfany people are so despairing of real reform while private traffic in liquor is permitted that they are driven into the Prohibition camp, while many others simply refrain from voting. The remedy lies in State owner. ship and control, and the elimination of private profit and the establishment of a system under which liquor may be dispensedlwithout the temptations fo sell and the inducements to abuse that now exist. That the majority of people would support a'p‘ractical scheme We do not doubt, for very few people are found to defend the present, method or express themselves satisfied with it. At all events. the people have shtown once more that they do not desire Pro-hibition.~L,»-ttelton Times. '