The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, MARCH 9,1909. TO-DAY’S POLL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2445, 9 March 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, MARCH 9,1909. TO-DAY’S POLL.

By some extraordinary mental process our evening contemporary lias discovered-that there are no outstanding issues in the Licensing Committee election to be held to-day, and that under the circumstances it docs not matter who is elected. The actual words in which this sagacious finding is couched are as follows: It is idle to protend that the one set of nominated by arrangement would not perform tlieir

duties as judiciously and satisfactorily and prove '"as zealous moral reformers as the other set sprung in the “surprise packet.” It is quite immaterial which five of the ten candidates (the eleventh having notified liis desire to withdraw) the electors select.

It may be well, first of all, to. point out that our contemporary has absolutely no warrant for dividing the candidates into “sets,” nor are the electors justified in permitting any partisan element to ’dominate their action. It is true that three of the candidates are supposed to represent the No-Licens© Party and two the Licensed Victuallers, but it is apparently clear that the remaining five are entirely independent in their candidature. AVe do not advocate the election of these five, but we do say that it is ridiculous and unfair to.oppose them collectively or individually because they have not identified themselves with the special interests of one or another of the existing parties. Rather should the independence of their candidature count as (an additional claim to support, for, in a distinctly judicial capacity they ‘must,, other things being equal, have an advantage in bringing a perfectly 'open mind to bear on the matters which come before them. It, is suggested by our contemporary that the Bench is simply “ornamental” body, and that

the' adrhinistration of the Licensing Act is, after all, a matter for the police and magistrates to see to. As a matter of fact, the police arc scarcely likely to display much zeal in the detection and reporting of abuses by licensees if their reports and recommendations are ignored by an “ornamental Bench.” Our Contemporary is correct in saying that the general concensus of opinion is against an extension of the present hours of closing or the issue of conditional licenses, but apart from these definite issues there is still very responsible work to be carried out by the Licensing Committee, and .a body with a strict sense of its responsibilities can exercise a very great effect upon the condition and conduct of the licensed houses in the electorate. For these reasons we trust that the electors will recognise the importance of the occasion and will select the' most capable from the number submitted irrespective of whether they bear the hall-mark of a particular organisation or stand as independent citizens.