The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1919. AN UNDEMOCRATIC LAW.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 November 1919, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1919. AN UNDEMOCRATIC LAW.

Towards the end of the session, Mr. Massey said he did not wish to see a minority holding the reins of Government in New Zealand, and "that he was far too democratic for anything of that sort." Mr. Massey's reference was to the elections that are now upon us. Mr. Massey is, therefore, clearly against minority rule. It may not be out of place to test his sincerity in respect of a social political subject of the first importance. We allude to the coming licensing poll. If the conditions governing the poll do not tend to entrench minority rule in regard to the liquor traffic, we would like to know what does, for a better method could hardly have been desired to maintain minority rule than the voting system provided for in last year's Licensing i Act. For this Mr. Massey, as head of the National Government, was largely responsible. The other Ministers, Liberals included, were responsible in a lesser degree. They, no doubt, will say that they only gave effect to the wishes of the two extreme factions, the Prohibitionists and the representatives of the Liquor interests, but, after all, the interests of the people as a whole are paramount, and as such should have been given first consideration. Let us see what was done, and how ill it accords with democratic majority rule. At the next licensing poll, three issues will be submitted to the electors. • Ouejof these issued can be carried by a minority so small as to be insignificant; each of the other two must receive an absolute majority of the total number of votes polled in order to' be carried, and the vote is to be taken in such a way as to make it enormously difficult for either of these issues to obtain an absolute majority. The three issues are Prohibition, State Control, and Continuance, i Neither of the first two issues can be carried unless the number of votes cast in favour is an absolute majority of the whole number of votes cast. If neither of these issues receives such a majority then Continuance is carried, though only half a dozen people may have voted in favour of it. Suppose that the total number of votes cast is 100, then this may happen:—Prohibition receives 50 votes, State Control 49, and Continuance 1. Prohibition falls short of the absolute majority by one vote, State Conjxol by lv twp l .an«L|he solitary, icdi-

vidua! who voted Continuance carries the day. The illustration is, of course, the worst that can possibly happen, and it is not likely that so bad a case will be found in actual experience. It is not at all unlikely, however, that the minority will prevail. Most people will be surprised if the total number of votes cast for Prohibition and State Control do not exceed the total vote of Continuance, but there is at least a strong probability that the votes for Continuance will, be sufficiently numerous to prevent either of the two issues from obtaining the required absolute majority, in which ease Continuance will be deemed to be carried and the minority will win. "We would like to know what Mr. Massey thinks about this burlesque upon democratic Government. We would also like to know, since he is speaking at Eltham to-night, what his Government, if given a pew lease of life at the forthcoming elections, is going to do about it. Surely this extraordinary state of things is not to be continued. Both Government and Opposition have, as a matter of fact, been singularly reticent about their intentions respecting the liquor traffic. They evidently prefer to let "sleeping dogs lie," but this is a question of the first importance so j far as the social life of the coun-' try is concerned, the people are vitally concerned with it, and we are entitled to know the minds of the heads of the Various parties Upon it. At the present time the liquor interests have an undue advantage that the public are not going to tolerate. The public want j a fair deal in this as in other poli-1 ! tical matters, and they certainly [have not got it. The National Government had no right to legislate at the instance of the extreme parties. It should have consulted the interests of the country as a whole, not mere sections, and preserved inviolate the right of the people to express its voice on this important question. The discussion of the merits, or demerits, of the issues to be decided may be left over. "We merely wish just now to draw, 4 attention to their undemocratic nature, and, to ask whether it is the intention of the Government to alter the-law with a view to permitting the country to express its true views at the polls, a right it certainly won't possess in respect of the poll to be taken next month.