LICENSED VICTUALLERS’ CONFERENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2679, 8 December 1909, Page 5

LICENSED VICTUALLERS’ CONFERENCE.

THE RECENT COMPROMISE DIS-

CUSSED

fPisu Pubes Association. | WELLINGTON. Dec. 7. A representative meeting of the Licensed Victuallers’ Association was held, to-day. About a hundred dele-1 gates were present from all parts of New Zealand. Mr. Martin Kennedy, president of the Brewers, Wine and Spirits Merchants’ Association, was in the chair, and explained that the repudiation of the agreement by the New Zealand Alliance was the chief matter before the meeting. Mr. Myers, after referring to the desire of the No-license party to have no-license carried on a bare majority, and the wish of the trade .to have tho present dual veto (reduction and no-license) confined to only one of those issues, went on to say that his party recognised-that besides itself and the prohibition ■ party there was .another section of the community whose interests had to be protected. It was the great moderate party. Tho trade had sought to evolve issues that would protect this party’s interests whilst conceding at the same time to prohibitionists that for which they were agitating and remedying to some extent injustices to the trade. On the Hon. Dr Findlay’s suggestion a conference was arranged. An assurance nvas given by Mr. Wesley Spragg ■and the Rev. J. Dawson that they had authority to act. The trade would iot have disclosed its hand had it had any idea that this compromise vm Id not mean finality. After dealing 'with the three issues submitted through Dr. 'Findlay, Mr. Myers remarked that it was in compensation for concessions given in the shape of national prohibition and a reduced majority that extension of the respite to the trade was stipulated for in case prohibition was carried. Prior to the agreement being signed by tho Alliance leaders, tho Alliance executive approved of the compromises. In view of this Mr. 'Myers was at a loss to understand how the Prohibition party could honestly claim that its leaders were not representing the whole of the people bound together in the name of the New Zealand Surely the monopoly of all 1 -he virtues arrogated to themselves by the leaders of the No-license party was inconsistent with such a reprehensible action. What would have been saia had tho positions been reversed, and the repudiating party been the trade? The action should conclusively satisfy the moderate party, which had been so sorely misled by the Alliance in the past,as to what could be expected of the Alliance in the future. The indignation and disgust ,of the trade did not arise from the fact that it was enamored in any degree with the terms entered into but Irom the fact that the Alliance had so unworthily repudiated an agreement entered into only after much mature deliberation. General discussion followed, a vigorous protest being voiced against the action of the No-license party. The opinion was also expressed that in the circumstances the trade was entitled t 6 protection and assistance from the Legislature. The meeting then went into committee. The Licensed Victuallers Conference sat in committee until 5 p.m., all the business being completed by that time. A resolution was passed to the effect that none of the decisions should be made public until they had been placed before Sir Joseph Ward. This will probably be done to-morrow. It is understood that- the Government is to be asked to legislate on the basis of the agreement arrived at recently between the two parties. The conference does not insist upon legislation being put through this session, but is anxious that the law should be altered in the direction indicated before the next general election. A long discussion also t-ook place on the question of rents and bonuses. A fair rent agreement was advocated by several speakers, who pointed out that licensees trafficked too much in their businesses, and the result was that in many cases they had no interests to protect at the time of the general elections. No resolution was put to the meeting on the question.