The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, MARCH 2,1909. THE LICENSING COMMITTEE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2439, 2 March 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, MARCH 2,1909. THE LICENSING COMMITTEE.

It will have come as a surprise to most people that, after all, there is to be a licensing election in Gisborne during the present month. The fact that the No-License League and the Licensed Victuallers’ Association mutually agreed not to bring about an election was popularly supposed to have settled the matter. These organisations had come to ail arrangement whereby each body was to be represented in what was considered to be equitable proportions, and it was anticipated that no objection would be raised to this course. The Trades and Labor Council was the first to draw attention to the fact that the sole rights in such an issue could not properly be assumed by the bodies mentioned, but the members ultimately decided not to run a candidate for the reason that they had no desire to put the borough to the cost of an election.' Then at the last minute—strictly speaking, four minutes before closing time—-the names of five other gentlemen were handed in to the Registrar as candidates. It seems curious that there should have been such secrecy over their action as appears to have been observed, but that, of course, is their own affair. Presumably this is a question of tactics, though at the moment the only definite result appears to be that the Labor party hasbeen prevented thereby from having a representative nominated. Until the candidates take the public into their confidence and state'their Views, it is impossible to form an accurate conception of the position that will bo created by the unexpected advent of the five candidates who were last nominated. All are well known in the town as men who could worthily take a place on a licensing committee, and the diversity of their views on the liquor question should preclude the possibility of an allegation that any mere spirit of partisanship has brought them forward. In all probability, Mr. Lissant Clayton,, in the letter which he publishes is this issue, expresses the attitude of the other candidates to whom we have specially referred. If that is the case they are to be complimented upon their jmblic spirit r in offering their services. We have not a word to say against the gentlemen who in the interests of public and party economy agreed to a compromise so as to avoid an election. They undoubtedly acted from, tho best of motives, but, really, the- principle underlying such action is absolutely vicious. The whole spirit of the Licensing Act is to give tho people as nearly as possible direct control of tho liquor traffic," not only in regard to the issue, of licenses, but also in respect to-the conduct of licensed premises. To permit this latter highly inporfcan’t aspect to become merely a matter of arrangement between two partisan bodies seems to fall a long way short of tho democratic ideal of the statute. We know not Avhat the terms of the compromise, between the No-License; League and the Licensed

Victuallers have been, but they will almost certainly have involved a mutual agreement upon a pre-arranged policy, and in such an event the public would be extremely fortunate if their interests did not suffer as a result. Not only that, but it is eminently desirable that the public should have an opportunity at least once in three years of reviewing the work of such a. body as the Licensing Committee, and this can only be done through the ballot box. On tho whole the committee which at present holds office has done excellent work, but there, has undoubtedly been room for improvement. The police records, as well as individual observation, are quite sufficient to indicate that the management of the hotels in the district could on various occasions during the past three years have been materially improved by the adoption of a more determined policy on tho part of the Licensing Committee. For these reasons we welcome the opportunity that is to be given to tho community to select from a number of capable citizens those , whom they believe are best fitted to administer in a firm and judicial manner the various provisions of the Licensing Act.