THE LICENSING POLL.

Waikato Argus, Volume I, Issue 63, 1 December 1896, Page 2

THE LICENSING POLL.

Tim; Licensing Poll tmts, be taken in every district on the day of a general (lection whether there he a contest for the seat or net. No poll is valid, in the case of no electoral pell being taken, unless at '.cast ov>c-half of the roll number vote. In the case of a contested elections, a bare majority of votes decides whether the number of licenses shall remain as they are or whether thev shall be reduced. To carry lcc.il prohibition it is neees saiy that three-fifths of those who record their voles shall vote that no licenses Ijj granted

THE PROHIBITION QUESTION

Aicortlinsj to announcement, the Rev. 1). Roes preached on Sunday evening on

" Prohibit!' ii: "Should we have it or not?'' lie prenrscd his remarks by saying iio hid not chosen the uibjcet himself, lmt it had been decided by the General Amcinbly of the I'res'ytetian Church of New Zealand that the subject of " Temperance " should he dealt with in every Prcsby erian Clui'c'i in New Zealand on a Sun.'ay during November. Tie had no pcronal animosity against a single person engaged in the trade, amongst whom there were many warmhearted, hind and generous people, with son)'? ot whom lie was on terms of friendship, lie had, however, received personal testimony from the governors and masters cf the gaol-, lunatic asylums, benevolent homes ami iudu.si.iial schools in Otiigii tl;at strong drink, cither directly or indirjetly, was the most potent factor in filling the several institutions, lie had r.o desire to influence a .-ingle elector as to wlveh way he or she should vote —the respoisbility tested jvith each one individually, but he crnestiy counselled his hearers to consider well the ipicstion bef re casting their votes o'i I'liday, as to whether they should not embrace this opportunity of ridding New Zealand of the banc of strong dr.nU. Ho ndir.ittod that New Ze.ll n 1 wai essentially a sober c nut.y—more :o, p-rhaps, than any other pliioe over which the B:itisli flag flics--: nd that h \v is in the van in t.ie niatt-r of temp .'ran e legislation, but liad it yet reached perfection so that no further progrc « was neeWsvy ? In dwl ng witli tli! figures put forth by the Liberty League in Lhr.stohureh that fiu'y "2j per cent of the p puiation of the colony to 1 sietima to strong drink, Mi i!os3 caustically i.sked if a diseasi broke out anion,' the sheep of the c l>ny and runic 1 o(T 2J per ecu' of the "total number whether, if ur cll'ecive remedy of de ding With the dise.se were discovered, 1 gt-datiin woald not.be passed within hx mo it lis to compel sheepowners to avail theniiilves o c it. If tli it wire to with r.'inrd to sheep, how much more s!:o't'd the same priueii.de apply ii the easj of hum n beings. A cheap aid i IT ctive i \ me !y was now prnvidi.l, whcivi y 2', per i• • iit. ot our fel n\va could lie ravel ; should it rot be taken advantage if? With regard to the objection tint prohibition would interfere with the liberty of the .subject, h! ftiiil there wis not a law in the Statute-book of this or any other co.i'itry which did not, in some dogr.c, circumscribe the liberty of t'i; peop'e, and no per on in any c nnnunity, civi--1 sed f.r savage 1 , oiulcl do exactly as lie pleased. The fuiulalit'iital pritieiple of all law was fS«!n* pnpitli iU/nrmtt vH bx (" the we'f.ire of the p ople is till! supremo law") and he m iutiineil that the welfare of the p ople, in tit: face of the '•?.', per c :lC before r-.'ferre 1 to. demauds the p orib'tlon cf stroiiu drink, anil personify he wis detirm'ued to vote in accordance with these convictions The prcichcr (ieilt with his subject in a clear, forcible and !ogi al manner, and was attentive'y list med to by a huge congregation. " Strike out the top line " is the cry of the rabid professional p ohibitioni.st throughout New Z aland at the present: time, ami (writes the To Aroha Time.-) is taken up by his satellites without knowing in the slightest degree what the coii-cipienee of such a course would be. rolling day is close at hand, when it behoves all liberal-minded voters to thoroughly understard what cfl'ect the striking out of any particular line will have on the community at large before using their pene'l. I'o not be led away by the wild shrieks of extremists, but use your own judgment. Now take cur own little community as an example, and let its see what effect the striking out of the lop Ikiewoud have. Wo have at present in our midst three licensed houses -and better conducted houses ate not to le found in the eo'ouy, the most extreme prohibitionist must admit that - take away their lice': ses and what wruld be the result '.' Te Aroha is favoiue 1 by ratilfe in many ways, and large numbers of tourists conic til's way ; the curative p oprrti s of our natu al springs are I; coming known far and wide, in consequcree of which invalids flock here in soorc?. It is a pie mint holiday icsort, and the tr.r'ns pour hundr. ds of visitors into our mills'-. What would all these people do :f there were no licensed houses in the town ': (!<) to boarding-houses, say the extremists Yes bin could boarding-houses supply the necessary accommodation ? Wc say emphatically No. Hoarding-houses cannot compete with hotels in better class aeeommodatiiii. It would not pay them lu attempt it A boat ding-house god up in the same style as a lirst-cla = s bote 1 , with every possible convenience and comfoil for patrons, will not pay expenses without a license. As an iiistanci we will nfer to a company formed in Sydney a few years ago with the object ot running a first class hotel on temperance lines. A luagnifie nt building was erected in a first-class position in the he it of the city, no ex pi use was.■•pare I in furnishing and titling up generally, ami when iin'shel was ctjnnl, if not superior, to the be: l hotel in the colony. It was opened under the name of tin Claud Central Coll'ce I'alacc Hotel, and the object was to prove that a li-st-ehss hotel could be run on temperance lines. For;, year or t>w> every effort was tried to make the eoneer.i pay expenses, but without success. The shareholders then became di satisfied, and tlu directors at hit decieeil, after many meetings to consider ways and nrans, to apply tor a license. The application was successful, business improved rapidly, and instead of empty bedrooms the house is nearly always full, and frcipi"titly wou'd-be patrons have to liiul accommodation else where.