THE LICENSING BILL.

White Ribbon, Volume 24, Issue 282, 18 December 1918, Page 1

THE LICENSING BILL.

Long- expected, eagerly looked i«>l - ward to, sternly petitioned tor. e:trnestl> prayed for, at length Cabinet has brought down the Licensing Bid. It is divided into two parts. Th-e tirsi part provides for a special Licensing Poll to be taken in April next. It grants the prayer of the petition of over 240,000 electors, and gi\es a Referendum on the Kfticiency Board s The two issues are (1) National Continuance, (2j National Prohibition with Compensation. It limits the compensation to a sum not to exceed four and a halt .million IMiunds. It provides that if National Prohibition be carried, it comes into force on June 30, 1910, and that the issue he carried by a bare majority of the valid votes recorded. It alsu gives finality as far as such < an be given. Section 20 provides that no Licensing Poll shall be tak< n alter th" 4 arrying of National Prohibition. No Parliament can hind succeeding Parliaments, but this Bill makes it impossible to take another poll without fresh legislation The second part of the Bill deals with what follows if Prohibition is not carried at the forthcoming Special Licensing Poll in April. Should National Continuance be carried next April then at the next Licensing Poll, to be taken at the next General I'lection, three issu°? are to be submitted to tlm voter: (i) National Continuance, '2) National Prohibition Without Compensation, (3) State Purchase and Control of Liquor Trade. No vote is to be valid unless two issues arc s‘r\nk out. For either Prohibition or State Control to be carried, it must secure more than half the num-

her of valid votes cast. Th..i is to say, that neither of these proposals tan be carried unless it secures an absolute majority of the valid votes cast. But : f neithei Prohibition nor State Control he carried, then the Bill provides that National Continuance shall lx* deemed to have been carried. This ballot paper entirely favours the Trade. It is .1 case of “heads they win, aid tails we lose,’’ since National Continuance is tire only issue that can be carried by a minority vote. Should National Prohibition be carried at this poll, it comes into operation on the thirtieth day of June next after the taking of the General Licensing Poll. No person is to he compensated and no licensing poll shall at any time hereafter be taken in any district. It settles the question finally. Should National Continuance be carried at tie* Licensing Poll next April, and also be carried at the next General Licensing Poll, then the local n > license vop' shall be cut out, and we have the three issues to be submitted at each poll. Our readers will see from this brief summary how very necessary it is to carry Prohibition .it the Special Poll ncxi April. We have a straight-out vote, Prohibition versus Continuance, to be carried by a bare majority, and to be immediately operative. It carries with it compensation not exceeding four and a half million pounds. Mow true that we suffer for our mistakes as well as for our sins. The Parliament committed a ghastly mistake when they consented to allow the will of the electors deliberately expressed at the ballot box to be flouted for 4 1 years. For that mistake we now have to pay. But who that loves his fellows would begrudge the cost. L'*t us hold the scales anti weigh im-

partially! On one side we place 4) million pounds; upon ’he other side (1) 45 millions the trade would (ost in hard cash during 4} years; (2) a., the lives cut short by alcohol in that period; (.3) all tin ruined homes, broken hearts, d*g< nerate lives, and all the moral and physical wreckage caused by drink in 4J years. “Shy lock” lamented alternately his ducats and his daughter, but what Christian elector would grumble over the loss of our ducats if we sav°d our sons and daughters? Get bijsy, pray devoutly, and hammer away stoutly! The Secretary of the Licensed Victuallers’ Asso< iation assures us that they will fight. We quite believe the Trade wi l l fight a most determined battle; in very truth, the fiercest fight of all our long campaign. But arc we to allow the men who are fighting for dollars, out for gain, pun* and simple, to beat the Mothers who are fighti.ig for their sons and daughters? Start work at once. Do not wait for meetings; speak to friends, neighbours, tradespeople, and to every on*' you meet. Hein to enrol electors, to educate electors, and to get electors to the poll. From now until the Poll is over slacken not our effort; other things ran stand on one side. God’s work for us now is to cut-vote the liquor traffic. See that we do it “so bravely, so wisely, so well, Angels will hasten the story to tell.” In this great campaign faith and work must go hand in hand. Covd is on our side, and “He wins who fights with God.” “For ligTt is right, since God is God, And right the day must win; To doubt would be didovnltv To falter would be sin ”