THE LICENSING ACT

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10690, 9 August 1912, Page 5

THE LICENSING ACT

A PROPOSED AMENDMENT. AN INTERESTING" DISCUSSION. (By Telegraph — Fress Association.) I WELLINGTON. Last Night, In the House of Representatives this afternoon, Mr Malcolm moved the second reading of the Licensing Act Amendment Bill, providing that at the next and every subsequent licensing poll tho majority required to determine any question (submitted to the electors at the poll shall be 5o per centum of the tatal number of votes recorded in each district, or throughout Now Zealand, as the cast may be, and the Licensing Act, 190 S. shall be read and construed accordingly. He s.iid the principle endorsed by the Bill was so well known to members that be did not intend to speak much on the measure. Al! members were pledged to vote oils way or the other. He hoped the friends of the Bill would refrain from ■ speaking, and so help the measure. Mr Dickson said he was pledged to ' support the three-fifths majority, :tnd 1 must oppose tho Bill. He mentioned the fact that there was no provision i _ * in the voting paper for national continuance. Ho hoped the error would ,be rectified. He strongly objected tc ' a private member introducing the Bill. It should be a policy measure of" the Government. Mr T. M. Wilford said he was in favour of 5o per cent on local option., and 60 per cent on national option*. The measure had been badly drafted. He endorsed what Mr Dickson had siid that the measure.should have emanated from the Government, and mot from a private member. There was no doubt th.it prohibition would come. It might even como on ine bare majority, but if it did it would not be stable. He belonged to the great, third party, who were not represented by executives or committees of amy sort. The moderate party was the greater party. The indifferent many was formed of a bulk of the business ■ people of the community, and especially of farmers. The cause of the fomenting of temperance legislation j was the system of tied houses. The huge prices demanded for the goodwills of hotels made it impossible for lessees to keep within the four corners of the law and pay the interest on their money. At +b« same- time he referred to tho great monopoly poss- i essod by brewers and hoteikeeperc. simply through being in possession of j a small piece of paper issued by the State. He strongly urged the inspection by the Government of all liquor sold in the hotels. Mr Bradney said he belonged to the great moderates. He was returned to support the three-fifths mijority, and he would do it.

Mr (i. W. Russell said it was not possible to wipe out me national usages of the people by a bare majority vote. Ho asked would Parliament lay it down that all who were used to alcoholic liquor and had met been harmed by it were to be deprived of it? Ho suggested the setting up of a Royal Commission consisting of all sections of the community, including scientiii'.' men, to be*g:vrn- twelve months to inquire into the whole liquor question. :>nd advise Parliament what was possible in a country like New Zealand. The commissir-!. could also consider the great fiscal iroue« invo'.v-

ed. Virtually the people now n;< much a?, they did years ngo', despite tho activities and accomplishments of the No-Ixerise P'.rty durinsr that period. It was to be hoped that the House would chicly the reasonable wants of the moderates of tho conn-

Mr E. Newman said he was unwillingly compelled to vote against the Bill." -

Mr .1. A. Hnnan yiid tho Government had deliberately ignored the Bill. The only deduction was that the Government was not in favour of the Bill. The Premier had informed a deputation that the Government session. The motive of the Government in handing the Bill over to a private member to lead the Nolicenye members to believe they were shepherding the Bill. The No-li-cense people had mow got the measure of the Government in regard to their candour and honesty. Mr Robertson said He would support the Bill,, because it was Democratic frte-p towards the attitude that a majority should rule.

Mr Stratham said he stood for the abolition of drunkenness, but he was nnta prohibitionist. He favoured the throe-fifths majority, which gave proper stability of the question. They might find they would be prohibited from smoking on a bare majority vote ; that they must go to some particular church ; and what food they must eat. Mr R. McAllum did not agree with 'national prohibition. He had no objection to the 55 per cent majority for loeni option. There was no logic in the miserable compromise of 55 per cent for national prohibition. The House should pay some attention, to what would occur in the case of restoration. Mr Isitt said the handicap the Nolicense party had to submit to was the fifty wv cent handicap. War* that right? The party had to poll 104.000 votes before it could count one. He would be ashamed, as a Democrat, to defend such a thing. If membois were anxious to do the fair thing to ensure stability they might impose a reasonable handicap. Mr Campbell regrc-Led that the Bill did not contain some clause dealnig with tied houses and the quality of the liquor sold. Mr Glover said tho measure was too drastic, and should not bo brought foiward at this jucture. Tho country did not desiro legislation on the question now. Mr Coates said he had told his constituents that he would support the three-fifthfj majority, and he intended doing it. It was, to his mind, sound logic to insist on a substantial majority in nia matter. Ho was in favour of State, or municipal control, and preferred the latter. Mr Rayne said there were 17,000

who derived a living from the trade, and who would be thrown out of employment. The State should undertake to fkd employment for those people before prohibition Mas carried. Mr Davey was opposed to local option, as it was manifestly unfair to close up the man on one side of a street and leave the man on the other side. The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher announced that he would vote for the Bill in accordance with his election pledges. Ho never way a prohibitionist but he had always voted for prohibition. They had oio right to give to any section of the communities facilities to ruin another section. Mr H. Atmore favoured the State monopoly of the trade. Mr J. Vigor Brown said if the Bill had asked for the local option po.. to be take' I .] on some day or other than general election clay he would have supported it. After further debate the motion for second reading of the Bill .way put and lost on division, the ayes being 32 and the noes 42.