MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 1891.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3876, 3 August 1891, Page 2

MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 1891.

If the so-called moderate party in the present licensing election was really and truly a moderate party, it would be our duty, holding the views which we from time to time have expressed, to give it a hearty support, but it is to all intents and purposes a publican's party, and we have to ask ourselves "has the publican party in the past done its duty as a Licensing Committee, and is it on this ground entitled to public confidence ?" An emphatic no ! is the only answer we can give to this question. For the past six years the publicans have elected Licensing Committees which have unduly increased the number of hotels in this town, and made not the slightest effort to regulate and control the traffic. As far as we can learn, legitimate hotel accommodation under their auspices has absolutely deteriorated, and abuses have grown up in connection with it which would have been promptly suppressed by efficient Licensing Committees. Of course it is possible that the publicans, alarmed at the growth of the Temperance party, are now endeavouring to return a better set of men than it formerly put up for election, and the present candidates, if returned, may constitute a more efficient Committee than those which have hitherto been brought forward, but we cannot concede the right of the publicans to call their nominees the Moderate Party. We may venture to hope that the latter, if elected, will prove to be a moderate party, but they can scarcely claim, at the present time, the position of independent candidates. Still, as a whole, J;bey are decidedly better than any previous team. One argument used on behalf of their cause is very objectionable, viz , that the Borough will lose a certain amount of revenue in license fees if n, «mperance party suoceed and ~ t 1 " -* -"ake the deficiency good will have to n. .. nu j t j a to our by increasing the mind revolting that local boaieo... in any way seek to extend the liquor traffic in order that they may squeeze a few miserabe pounds out of a superfluous hotel to augment their revenue. Still, local bodies, to their shame, do sometimes favour the extension of licenses on this ground, but now that they are compelled by law to provide for the poor it must be pretty evident that what they gain in license fees is apt to be spent m poor relief and even from the pound, shilling and pence point of view they do not benefit by their share of tLe liquor traffic. Our own idea has always been that in a town like Masterton there should be a small number of well conducted hotels instead of a large number of ill-conducted houses. We do not Bay that all houses in this

town have been ill-conducted, but w I certainly believe that the majority have encouraged the needy parent of perhaps a large family to spend in liquor the food and clothes of his children. The control has been lax, and there has been in the conduct of the traffic absolute deterioration, so much so that if the working men of the town demand that licensed houses should be done away with, we while regretting that certain hard ships should fall on individuals, would admit the right of the people to protect themselves. Indeed, if we have to choose between a traffic such as that which has prevailed in this town for the past few years and prohibition, we would give a preference to the latter. Whatever be the issue of the present election, there is some reason to believe that there will be an improved conduct of the traffic in this town. During the past six years hotels have been wont to do most of their trade at unlawful hours, and even on Sundays drunkenness has become habitual, while prohibited persons have been enabled to get ample supplies of liquor. It is these things that have given the Temperance parly their opportunity to carry prohibition, and it is these things which must in the future be suppressed either by an adequate control or by a withdrawal of licenses.