AROUND THE FIRE, ON A A WINTRY NIGHT.

White Ribbon, Volume 32, Issue 375, 18 September 1926, Page 1

AROUND THE FIRE, ON A A WINTRY NIGHT.

A. What is your opinion of the Licensing Bill which our M.P’s. were considering, and have had to drop owing to lack of time. It.: A slaughtered innocent! And there’s nothing innocent about it but the name. C.: Right you are! It’s absolutely the worst Licensing Measure that the House has had to consider. And 1 say this from a fairly wide experience extending over more than a quarter of a century. B. Absolutely one-sided. Evidently the man who drew it up had little imagination, and was utterly destitute of the ability to see both sides of a problem. Mrs. A.: I know one thing. It’s ♦■ntirely a man’s Bill. Everything in it to protect Vested interests, nothing in it to protect the Home and the child. A.: But, my dear, you must remember that Vested interests are Sacred. Mrs. A.: Am I likely to forget it while we are governed by men who will set up a Commission to investigate the cause of the mortality among lambs or pigs, but views with complacency the slaughter of the children by “vested interests.’’ A.: The Bill is entirely a retrograde measure. It threatens the •oss of Reforms won by years of toil and strenuous endeavour. D.: True for you. old man. For over a quarter of a century in spite °f our great increase in population f h* number of licences hns remained stationary.

A.: Not on your life. Do you forget our No-License Areas, all th«*se have lessened the number of licenses, as also did our reduction vote, while we had it. Mrs. D.: Will this Bill affect the number of Licenses? A. Certainly, because it makes provision to increase the number of luenses. B. Quite an astute move that! Some time ago the Trade wanted a redistribution of Licenses. Mrs. I).: What exactly do you mean by that? Mrs. A.: In many places there are licenses now held where population has left and gone elsewhere. It would suit their book tine if these licenses could be transferred to growing and thriving townships. Mrs. D.: Is that not permissible now? Mrs. A.: No it is not. Licenses can only be moved very short distances, I think it is a mile in a county and half that distance in a Borough. B.: Now they are going one better than Redistribution and are asking for power to grt.nt issue new licenses. E.: My! It was a brainy man, who drafted this Bill. Fancy taking a Referendum in regard to lengthening the time beiween the Licensing Polls. I).: A Referendum! A.: Yes, it.proposes that at next election the voters shall say whether the next Licensing Poll shall be in 3 years or in 6 years time. E.: Well that seems fair enough! A.: Probably some of our M.P’s. will agree with you. After promising to vote against any extention of the time, it will be quite a relief to

throw the responsibility back upon their constituents. B. I think a very serious feature of the Bill is the proposal to increase the facilities for drinking. Particularly do I dislike the proposal to make it easier for young people to obtain liquor. Mrs A.: The fight centres round that point, if we can keep the young people from acquiring a taste for alcohol, then we win the fight in a generation. Mrs B.: And well the Trade knows this. Hence, the large number of people before the courtß for supplying liquor to youths under 21 years of age. This is one provision of the Licensing Act which the Trade can’t afford to obey. Their very existence depends upon a fresh crop of drinkers growing up to take the place of those who die. And, drinkers don’t often make old bones, as the Life Insurance records prove. C. If Cabarets are allowed to supply liquo r after hours, then licensees who pay a license fee, have a grievance, and soon they’ll be asking for permission to sell liquor after p.m. D. Does the Bill provide for a Referendum in the King Country? A. No! but a Minister of the Crown has given notice to introduce an amendment to that effect. B. Pity a Cabinet Minister should advocate breaking a solemn compact entered into by a predecessor. especially in \iew of the strong protest put in by the Maori Chiefs. D.: Any provision for a two-issue ballot paper? A.: Not much, but ail M.P. has giveu notice that he intends to intro-

duce an amendment for a two-issue ballot paper. Mrs B.: It is time we had the straight-out issue “wet or dry.” Why are they so afraid to give it to us? E.: What about the State Controllers? Mrs B.: Well, if the dry issue is carried, then they ran have a ballot as to whether Licensees or the Government are to sell the poison. I).: I don’t object to three issues, if they give us the same conditions as candidates have, i.e., first past the Dost wins the fight. * B.: What do you think of the suggestion that both sides should confer and come to some agreement. Mrs A.: Well, whatever you men do. I’m sure our women will not consider it. .And, if we did confer, we should never agree. II.: Why are you so sure of that? Mrs A.: Because the liquor trade wants our boys to drink their liquor and so increase their profits. But, we mothers want our boys to grow up sober, self-respecting citizens. Both want the boys; both can't have them. Hence, no agreement possible. A. Well! the Bill is shelved for this session, and it’s up to us to see it’s kept high up on the shelf. B. Well, I hope every dry voter will note this Bill and learn its lesson. If w’e don't advance wv must go back. There is no standing still in this great fight. Eternal vigilance is the price of safety. Wake up! wake up! What, if your armour is broken. What, if your sword is bent? Fight if only in token That courage is not yet spent. Fight though the foe surround you! Fight through the dust and the din! Fight and let none confound you! Fight, fight till you win. C.od is not foiled; the drift of the world will Is not stronger than all wrong. Earth and her years Down joy’s bright way, or sorrow’s long road, Are moving towards the purpose of the skies.