ATRIOTISM v. PARTY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 80, 26 August 1914, Page 6

ATRIOTISM v. PARTY.

J ELECTION AND LICENSEV, POLLS | QUESTION OF POSTPON liuii'OT. I HIE TXiADJC AND PRUIJ ILI HON" | PARTIES. ' ill a recent 'S-./uu of the -\ _i ■ i tost there appeared a, wnir .. a i«a article headed •'Patriotisiu, at..' Piufiy." • lluun Jf otliCT suggestion*, tii.. ivrUtr put ii-i'tvard the 'proposal that, to the : *«»ou* linanciui effect, v.'h Wiu pres . | i.'iii European crisis would li;m ; on New ' and the consequent necessity «f i in every poasibic direutio.i, j legislative steps should be UiK is to po<i> | pone the General Election au.t i;h; |>i;j. j-jsc,ie ou the liquor question io> twal.'e i ii.onths, ithe Trade and Pronation Pa • l 'w contributing to the Patriotic Fund i.he amount which fhey wuuJd »:'herw.(.j ; spend on this year's campaign. The writer ; conjectured that Uie sums wouiu amount j 'to £150,000 —£30,tXK) from X l-ule . and £!'(>,000 from thL iOl ni is v.'liie'h would be a v e iy «1 o t idit to the Patriotic Fund W oUung oi 'the expense which would i* avoid j-i ay the postponement of the Uoneru Election. A representative of the p./t .brougit the article in question, under ifa« notice oi a prominent member of the ,Trade, and was informed that so fin- tlie proposal had not- been considered ofl'ieia,. v hy the National Council, which is the governing body of the TradK Uiviri i hss. personal opinion, howex er, he bej licved that, although the Trade had their | organisation well in hand an,l were looking forward with confidence.' m the result of the polls, if they \v: : officiailv approached mi the above- lines'l>y the other side, there was ever-, reason to think that the suggestion would receive very careful consideration. PUBLIC INTEREST. | "In the first- -place, it is quite evij dent,' he said, "that tile, public are gr. I absorbed in the titanic istruggiG now I'going on in the Old World, that tihey | are unable at 6he moment to give adij qu-ate attention to any question of 3 J. I eal interest, no matter how imoontanr. j Then we have to face the 'act that ii> jail likelihood .there will be over 10,Ou)* | voters absent from the' Dominion wh*n I the poll is taken. That is a very sci'lims i aspect, from the point of view'of boili . sides, as the majority either wav mijrjt ! be so narrow that the votes o r the New ' Zealand Contingent would be suffieie to turn tlie scale had tliey been recorded. .! FponMng ft'omr ttie Trade's: pcin; of..view, II can safely say that if 'Prohibition were [curried under tlie.se conditions a. Urg« ] proportion of this electors'would be in ; a very rebellious fracn-e of mind, and j would, protest in no uncertain voice ! against what they wonli have (ivory ] reason to consider an unjustifiable inI fringe, me'nt of their personal liberties. I Need I say that in a drastic change of ; this nature, it'is desirable, u'bove aJ! j things, to have public seintiment btSbin,! | the law? Another ipoint which should 1 weigh jcrynmtcrially is that at the pre- , sent time \ ew Zealand derives ari annual | revenue of about £1,000,000 front the j sale of liquor. The Government has just i <i*kcd and obtained authorisation to ! float a war loan of £2j000,000 to meet the 1 extraordinary expenditure which lias | been forced upon us, and this is a coni vincing proof that at this juncture the , Dominion is not in a- position to risk ! j the violent change in its ilscal system | which must inevitably follow the carryj ing of National Prohibition. Lastly there is the fact that the people of this Dominion, irrespective of *party, are now working shoulder to shoulder to assist i the Mother Country in -her hour of peril; but in the natural course of thincs 1 thev will fcoon split up into two camps - perhaps I should say throe, now that the Moderates,have taken the field —ahthough it is highly desirable that the Wirty elements should be entirely eliminated just now, every m;tn devoting all the time, energy, and money at his disposal to assist the Empire in the lifo-land-death struggle'in which >ve a.re engaged. These arc some of tile reasons which make me believe t'hsu ihc ] 1 ro(Kxsa'i of your eorrowpondent is cne which , should command itself to all sine men cn both sides. Personally, I have no doubt that if the, Prohibitionist Party give some indication that thev are pre- ' pared to tike this broad and patriotic view of the situation, they will find . members of the Trade ready and willing to discuss terms." J ATTITUDE OF TITE MODERATE LEAGUE. | in view o- the ri ported intention of j the Government to proceed with the General Elections ot: the usual date, despite the unsettled state of things )n the Dominion, the eomanittae of the local brunch of the New Zchlantl Mudera!e > League has addressed the following let- | ter to tile Prime Milliliter: "The committee of tlie Wellington branc'li of the New Zealand Moderate League, having seen and considered a report in the 'press of (the Dominion to th,e effect that it is the intention of vow Government to proceed with the (JeniT-il Mentions for Parliament and the licensing poll on (he usaal date, begs leave to i'i»i)ecifully meniora!isc you upon the subject. Tje committee would vested fully poir,:. out that to hold the lienoral Election',' and decide such issues for e'.amiple. national prohibition, in Ahe abseiue of a large number of (Hiiu-ny, who will b, disenfranchised in consequence of their jiatriotic resnonse to the call for an Expeditionary Force to assist the Empire. I would tie, unjust to i.iicin. 'i'he ciwiuinittee would further urire that to hold the. ; General Elections whilst the Empire is | at war would 'prejudice ilc proi i>eet of | I anv calm answer ait suuh a time to the questions in coiiln.'vcrs.y in the Government of the 'Dominion, and vonhl thus be unjust, to the people of New Zealand :isa whole. Should it-be imperative ihat the elections b' 1 held at the usvr.il time, then the committee would that legislative provision might, tie made to: rrconling t3ie votes of tlio-;,e who obev the cull 01 duty to Uie Empire foeyonl