SIDE TRACKS OF THE LIQUOR LAWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 15 October 1907, Page 2

SIDE TRACKS OF THE LIQUOR LAWS.

QUESTION OF CLUB CHARTERS. JOLONIAL SEOUETARVd lUiJ?L¥ TO u NO-LICEiNSE DEPUTATION. i, u SO MOWS TO BE GRANTED. t l PK FINDLAY'S VIEWS ON THE „ LOCKER SYSTEM, t i'er Press Association. B Wellington, Last Night. t A deputation from the New Zealaud „ Alliance waited on the Colonial Seen:- e tary (liou. Dr. l''indlay» to-day With- t reference to tile granting of dub , charters. ,i iiiiiiJl s T he Rev. J. Dawson said they understood the Cosmopolitan CHiib at Uisborne was applying for a charter. They \ quite undeisiuod the Government had | power to grant charters, which permits h of the disposal of liquor under eertam ■ conditions, but they thought that tne licensing law was very empiiatic that there should be no increased iacit.t.es in the way of licenses, except in the way of certain special conditions. Char--tcrs in clubs had a very serious effect indeed. The Wellington Working Men's Clu'o was ostensibly a literary club, but the takings at the" bar during tlte first six months of this year amounted to £5202 13s 4d, and for refreshment tickets (whatever that meant) the total was £147 10s Bd, while the library deposits amounted to £8 17s fld. 'Since last election, club charters had been granted at Fcilding, Hastings, and Masterton, although, as he showed by figures, the people at the local option poll had voted strongly in favor of nolicense, while at Gisborne, also, the same state of things prevailed. He was informed that the Cosmopolitan Clu bat Gisborne had about 100 members. They expected that the grantting of a charter would increase the membership, but they were also informed that there was only a majority of two members of the club in favor of applying for a charter. A member of the Wellington Working Men's Club had informed him that since the lockers were introduced there, their Sunday drinking cost them 2s 6d instead of, say, one shilling previously. The locker was supplied and they were expected to pay. From what the Alliance had learned of these clubs, it appeared that the whole tendency was in the direction of drinking, and they thought ■ there were already nutticient facilities for all. Those who wanted the facilities of club life should not have liquor thrust upon them. The Rev. F. W. Isut said that when he was in Gisborne he found a feeling that the Government was showing favoritism to the liquor sellers. The police inspector had laid an information against certain publicans for selling whisky in bottles which were wrongly branded, and at the same time informations were laid against certain tradespeople for not having had their weights and measures stamped. A telegram came instructing the police to withdraw the informations against the publicans, bu not against the tradespeople, and that action was greatly resented. Dr. Findlay: I am sure that is news to the Cabinet. The Colonial Secretary, in replying, asked the deputation to bear in mind that the present administration should be made responsible for' its own conduct only, and that it aid not commence a very long time ago. With regard to the clubs referred to by Mr Dawson, the .Government was met with this difficulty in regard to the Masterton club. There was a definite promise made to the members that if they built thoir club-house ( a would be granted. That promise hud been made by a responsible Minister. The same applied to Feilding and Hastings, and it also applied to tue Cosmopolitan Club at Gisuorne, whose application lor a charter came m eiguuen mouths i<-so. Tlie Gisborne people ..ere led to believe that if they erected a building costing £3OOO a charter would follow in good time. Again, the Government was confronted with the question whether, as a matter of common justice, that promise should not be made good. He asked the deputation to remember that in the present administration they had some of the best friends of the cause they advocated, and who were constantly vigilant to see that tho will of the people was not defeated. The matter came before the Cabinet on several occasions, and it perplexed them very considerably. If it had come before them as a matter of first impression, there would have been no question that tue charter would have been refused, and if siinyiar 'circumstances aijjsc in future, tliese char, era would be refusej, every one of them. (Hear, hear), The Cabinet had pissed a resolution that no charter should bo granted in future, and by virtue of that resolution he, two days ago, promptly refused an application for a charter for a special artistic club in Wellington. Applications from other parts of the Dominion had also been declined She Cabinet's perplexity, however, in regard to the special cases referred to lay in the lact that promises had been made, and while they, did not wish to escape responsibility or cast any reflection upon Ministers or a Ministry which took a different view, it was due to the present Goyernment to iinpreus upon the deputation the fact that their hands were tied. The rule that no further charters would be granted would be adhered to so long as the present Government 'remained in office. As to tho remarks of Mr Isitt, the quesion of withdrawing informations in certain cases was entirely new to him, and he was certiin to the Cabinet. It would be investigated, and if it were found to be true they would have something to say to the officers responsible. As to club charters generally be thought it was in anomaly that where local opinion was so widespread as it was in New Zealand, the question should not also be voted on as to whether licenses should be granted to clubs. He spoko entirely for himself in this matter. He had not discussed it with any members of the Ministry. As to the locker system, he thought it was even worse than the system ot ordinary licenses, because it was not subject to control nnd led itself to what was described by Mr Dawson and when the p'-opoT time came be agreed that something should be done to check" it.