THE LICENSING QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 260, 9 December 1909, Page 2

THE LICENSING QUESTION.

THAT BREACH OF COMPACT. THE TRADES' RESOLUnuA. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night The following resolutions were adopted at the conference of the licensed liquor trade of New Zealand, on the motion of the Hon. Louisson, M.L.C., seconded by Walter Johnston:— 1. That this meeting of delegates from brewers, wine and spirit mer-

chants and licensed victuallers' of New Zealand views with surprise and indignation the action of the i\'oLicense Party in deliberately repudiating an agreement entered into between their officials and the representatives of the Trade, for the amend-

ment of the licensing laws, and emphasises the fact that at the date of the meeting of the conference of No-1 License delegates at Wellington, at which such repudiation was' decided on, the alwivc-named agreement had already been signed by the official representatives of both parties, and a draft of the proposed Bill, embodying the agreement, bad bee-a agreed to by the solicitors of both parties through the Una! arbitrament of the Hon. Dr. Findlav, and the suggestion coming from the No-License Conference that an alteration should be made in the terms of the agreement came too late, and was simply a weak attempt to justify a most ignominious repudiation of a written agreement.

2. That this meeting and the Trade of the dominion will oppose by every! proper and legitimate means in their power any attempt to depart from the three-fifths majority for either local no-lieenso or dominion prohibition., except on the express condition that the

principle of "one elector one vote" 1 shall tic introduced; two issues only to be on the voting pamper, namely, (II) 1 local continuance and (2) local noi license and dominion prohibition; and 1 that the time limit in the case of local no-license being carried be not less than two years from the date of the poll, and in the case of dominion prohibition being carried, be not less than five years from the date of the poll. 3. That this.' meeting is of opinion that the Right Hon. the Prime Minise ter should, in the interests and welfare e of the public and the dominion, introy duce and pass into law, as outlined •in his financial statement, such legislation as will carry out the agreement I, entered into on the Btli November last, t between the representatives of the j New Zealand Alliance and the Trade, j and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to him, with a respectful „ Tequest to give the same effect.