NEW LICENSING ACT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 204, 7 December 1910, Page 8

NEW LICENSING ACT

EXPLAINED BY REV. J. DAWSOX. A meeting of the Temperance Reform party was held in the Baptist Church last evening. Mr. G. IT. Maunder was in the chair, and the Rev. H. Sharp opened the meeting with prayer. Rev. J. Dawson was the speaker, and he explained, in many details, the new Licensing Act. He said that the party was not satisfied with the new Act, but was in a measure gratified. The Act was not a Temperance Act, nor a Brewers' Act, but the Act that the present Parliament was willing to give. Many people expected more from the new legislation than they now had. However, they would still press forward to demand all they considered the people should have in regard to voting power. The reduction vote was gone; and the speaker did not very much regret it, because it was not sufficiently used in the last elections. Xational Prohibition would not, however, come into operation for four years after the proposal had been carried at the polls. The new Act gave more effective protection to the Maori. The Maori had the right now of settling the liquor question among .themselves by the simple majority. Why not then, said Mr. Dawson, let the pakeha also settle this question by simple majority? The clause which .dealt with the locker system was explained, and its strict character pointed out.The reduction vote was goiie, but instead they had the Xational Prohibition vote, which was a valuable addition. He then explained the working of the two voting papers. There would be two papers of distinctive color, which would be kept separate, and counted separately. It would still be "strike out the top line" in every case, and in each paper. Local no-license when carried in any district would come into force on the Ist July following the election. The party still demanded more, and three things in particular: The removal of the three-fifths majority; that breweries should be brought under the popular vote, the same as bars; and the removal of the four years' grace before national prohibition could come into operation. A number of questions were answered by the speaker, and then a vote of thanks was accorded him for his lecture.