PREMIER AND LIQUOR.

Gisborne Times, Volume X, Issue 937, 9 July 1903, Page 2

PREMIER AND LIQUOR.

A FORMIDABLE DEPUTATION.

MR SEDDON’S DIPLOMACY.

WANTS PROHIBITION IN PRO HIBITION DISTRICTS.

(Per Press Association.) Wellington, last night,

Mr Seddon was interviewed to night by a deputation of about 120 delegates to the No License Convention, and S 3 members of Parliament. DEPUTATION’S VIEWS.

Tho deputation urged that no licensing poll should bo liable to be set aside by mere technicalities; that when a poll was declared void a fresh poll should immediately be taken ; that the clause of the Act should be repealed which provides that a poll shall be void unless one-half of the electors on the roll record their votes ; that invalid votes should not count in the total out of which the temperance party have to get a three-fifths majoritythat Clause 33 of the Act of 1875 should bo made clearly applicable to the King Country, aud that steps be taken to curtail irregularities at polling booths. MR SEDDON’S REPLY. Mr Seddon replied that the representations of the deputation would have the careful consideration of Cabinet. With regard to a fresh election when a poll was declared void, he said the question was whether they would make the legislation on tho subject retrospective. He only knew one case in which Parliament had made legislation retrospective. He agreed that heavy penalties should be imposed with the view of preventing irregularities at polls. Club charters should bo subject to the local option poll. He would go further than the deputation, and say that he would not allow anyone in a prohibition district to have grog in his own house.