THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4126, 1 June 1892, Page 3

THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

Jheßev.E.Walli&'s Lecture,

The Rev. Edward Walker, of (be New Zealand Alliance, addressed a public meetiog last night in the Salfion Army Barracks, Masterton, Mr W. Woodroofe presiding. The recent decision of the Appeal Court respecting fhe Sydenham Licensing Committee, which be coneiderad an important triumph for the prphibitlojijsts, was djs'q|fsp.d by the lecturer, It made the law clejir that renewals pf licenses could be refused as the result of the expressed wish of the rate- • payers, irrespective pf the conduct of the licensees. '■ this abolished the last shadow of a pretenso tbftt there was any vested imprest in a license and completely disposed pf the compensation question. .Tho judgment followed the lines of the Wanganui case. The Licensed Victuallers would bo wiser than to court a more crushing defeat by carrying the appeal to the Privy Council unless their infatuation led them to illustrate tho classic proverb; i' Whom the gods would destroy they first dement," It would take more than a year to get a decision, and cost them several hundred pounds. The jatd'decjsioh would; greatly Stimulate jm ' 'prohibition' : move Sent,' The pnawaiu paily Times 'jna repent leaderette said;'—"Tile depision of the ftourt of. Appeal in the '(Sydenham licensing paso is a roostiuportant one, end practically settles ib.B questions b to whether the people have already in their own hands the power of prohibition under the laws in force in this colony. The Court held "that a Com* mittee was entitled to consider the Wishes of objectors os well as the Wants of those who desired to pur« chase liquor, in deciding whether a publichouse was required jn the neighs jjourhoodi" -is the Committees are

eleotod by the ratepayers it therefore follows that the public in any locality haw tho opportunity of determining whether licenses shall he issuer) or not, and the decision- has been a signal victory for the Prohibitionists after a bard fought struggle." Tug-of war was tho order of tho daj and seemed litaly to be so in respect of prohibition, At the North Eust Valley (Dunedin) on the 23rd inst, a prohibition meeting called to form a prohibition league received an invitation to send a prohibitionist team to meet a team of moderates for a ttig<of«war, The Secretary whs in* struoted to reply- deolining with thiinkß and'inviting the moderates to a final pull at the next licensing election which they promised to make as interesting as their opponents might desire. The Masterton Prohibitionists might issue a similar invitation.

The powers of Licensing Committees were now well known and the Otago Daily Times had been recently warning the local licensed victuallers of the . progress of. tha prohibition movement and the ■ effect. that law breaking would have in increasing it and then addressing'the licensing Commissioners said, " If the members of the Committee know that tbe law is in any instance being habitually broken their duty is to inform the police and direct them to prosecute, or take direct cognisance of the offence as they are empowered by tbe Act, nnd refuse to iigain issue a license to tbe offending person." Referring to habitual Sunday trading the article proceeded: "The Committee if they know this are bound as administrators to take nolico of the fact, and will fail most shamefully in tbeir duty if they do not do so," It comes to this that in as much as licensing commissioners havothe power and are under obligation to refuse renewals whore of their own knowledge there is habitual law-breaking, they, if they do not re., fuse such renewals, become the chief offenders, morally responsible for the continuance of the lawlessness, and hasten prohibition by exasperating the law-abiding public,

Prohibition liaß become our settled temperance policy becauso experience has begotten despair ol regulation, Last year Prohibition was nearly carried in Dunedin, Oatnaru, and Mas* icrton and was 'actually carried at Sydenham, Waipu, Maungaturoto, iluogapai, Mutakana, Port Albert, hoteo North, Tauhoa. Birkenhead borough, Birkenhead riding, Nowton, Kemuera, Mocraki, Mount Albert, Roslyn, South Molyneanx, and some other places. There was, no doubt, the list would be considerably ins creased at the next licensing elections, But it whs unfair that the burden of prohibiting should rest on the shoulders of five citizens when, it ought to be borne on the shoulders of all, and therefore the Alliance was seeking to get tbe law so altered that the adult residents should be able to vote at the ballot box on the simple issue, licenses or no licenses, and if the majority voted for no licenses their "vote to be final'and no committee be elected to hear any applications for licenses. The true temperance Parliamentary policy was therefore to return only such candidates to Parliament a3 would vote for this reform,

The liquor traffic corrupts municipal and colonial politics and administration, restricts settlement by itupoi j verishing would-be settlers, increases tbe cost of living through the enhamced charges for commodities necessary to cover bad debts and other commercial losses through drink, and enhances taxation to meet tbe cost of tbe crime, pauperism and other injurious consequences of it and therefore ought to be swept away. The supposed gain by revenue from it was a fiscal delusion, and to.grunt licenses for thn value of local revenue was so suicidal as to remind them that ■ " A smiling young lady of Niger Went out for a rido on a tiger, They returned from their ride. With the lady inside, And the smile on the face of the tiger." The usual vote of thanks concluded the meetinp.