National Option.

The national option clauses, which have been now twice passed by the Lower House exactly in the form in which they were introduced by the Government, and were of an extremely effective and satisfactory character (except that an absolute majority of those who vote should determine the issue), provided as follows :—There was to have been a fourth line on the voting paper—namely, " I vote that no licenses be granted in the Colony, " and the voter could vote for any one, two or three of the four proposals, so that ho would need still only to strike out the top line to record the most effective temperance vote. If three-fifths of the people who went to the poll throughout the Colony voted that no licenses be granted in the Colony, this was to be deemed a determination by national option in favour of the prohibition of the importation, manufacture for sale, and sale of liquor for beverage uses throughout New Zealand, and was to come into force when the licenses expired, which would be granted in the June following. This would practically have given about twenty months notice of the complete extinction of the trade, from the general election day on which the national vote in favour of prohibition was cast.

From the date of such final extinction of the traffic it was to be unlawful for any but the Government to import, manufacture for sale, or sell liquor, and the Government was to do so only for medicinal use, and use in the arts and manufacturs.

Liquor for these purposes was to be made up in various sized bottles, or other ceptacles, enclosed under Government [unclear: seal] and bearing labels declaring the kind, [unclear: quan]tity, quality, and price of the [unclear: content]. Chemists were to be appointed as [unclear: customer] officers or Government agents for their [unclear: sales] under the following conditions :—These [unclear: com]toms officers to receive no profit or [unclear: commi]-sion upon their sales, but a fixed rem[unclear: aning]tion for their services. Liquor for medi[unclear: cial] uses to be sold by them only upon the presentation to them of a duly qualification medical practitioner's certificate autho[unclear: rising] the application. The liquor to be sold with unbroken seal (and therefore pure and [unclear: us] touched as it came from the Government depot) for cash only, and for the [unclear: purfing] stated on the label; the medical certificate being registered and retained by the chemist acting as customs officer. The [unclear: solod] customs officer had to satisfy himself of the bona fides of any application for liquor for use in the arts and manufactures and duly register every purchase for [unclear: the] purposes, discretion resting with the officer to refuse any doubtful applications. He was also to report periodically [unclear: wa] page 29 the disposal of all liquor received by him [unclear: for] sale from the Government depot. [unclear: Scrept] as above it was to be unlawful to [unclear: be] say alcohol or alcoholic mixture which [unclear: would] be used as a beverage, the Governor [unclear: being] empowered by notice in the Gazette [unclear: for] declare any alcoholic compounds or pro[unclear: duction] of alcohol in any alcoholic comm[unclear: ands] which should be unlawful—chemists [unclear: and] others being held responsible for a [unclear: prea]able interpretation of the law in [unclear: event] of alcoholic compounds, or com[unclear: stions], which had not been thus [unclear: proceted].

Any liquor imported, manufactured, or [unclear: sold] contrary to any of the foregoing pro[unclear: cisions] to be forfeited and destroyed, [unclear: and] any person concerned directly or indirectly, in unlawful importation or manu-[unclear: facture] for sale was to be liable to a penalty if not less than £100, nor more than £500, [unclear: imp]overable with full costs of suit, by any person informing in respect thereof; or in [unclear: default] to be imprisoned for not less than [unclear: free] not more than twelve months. Ships [unclear: during] within New Zealand waters were [unclear: in] keep under seal, while within such others, all liquor not imported by the envernment. Persons wishing to make their own fermented liquors for domestic [unclear: coverage] or other uses were, on application, [unclear: of] receive from the Commissioner of [unclear: customs], for a nominal fee of one shilling, [unclear: in] annual permit for the domestic making [unclear: of] the same, such persons not to sell any [unclear: such] liquor or to make it for removal elsewhere, and to be required to report to the Commissioner the quantity and kind of [unclear: liquor] made from time to time. Special [unclear: others] of Customs were to be appointed [unclear: for] the purpose of preventing or detecting [unclear: probt]ions of any of the foregoing provisions [unclear: wi]thout diminishing the responsibility of [unclear: dice] [unclear: othic]ers in the same respect. National [unclear: prohi]bition was to continue in force until [unclear: over]sed at a subsequent poll by the same [unclear: ma]jority as that required for carrying it. [unclear: The] national option clauses constituted the [unclear: must] important and valuable portion of the Government Bill, and on both occasions [unclear: for] Upper House was solely responsible for [unclear: their] rejection.

When the national option provisions were rejected by the Upper House in [unclear: other], the Lower House adopted the [unclear: follow]ing statement of reasons for objecting to the action of the Upper House in the respect. The reasons were drawn up [unclear: by] the Hons. Messrs Seddon and Mitchel[unclear: es] and Messrs M'Nab and Meredith, who [unclear: were] appointed a committee for this pur[unclear: suote] by the House of Representatives. The question of national prohibition has been exercising the public mind, and [unclear: being] a question largely affecting the social [unclear: work] being of the peoplo, it is necessary [unclear: for] every facility should be given to the [unclear: customer] to express freely and unfettered [unclear: their] opinions thereon. It is contended by [unclear: very] large section of the community that [unclear: national] prohibition is the only effective [unclear: method] of dealing with the liquor quest[unclear: ion]. Under these circumstances, to deny [unclear: of] apportunity being riven for an expres[unclear: tion] of the opinion of the people of the [unclear: anyway] at the ballot-box is an undue inter[unclear: xection] with the liberties of the people. It [unclear: has] been conceded that the voice of the [unclear: state] should be taken, on local option, and it therefore follows as a natural consequence that the same course should be followed in respect to national option. Further, the principle of national option was affirmed by the Bill last session; and this session it has been further coufirmed and unanimously approved by the House of Representatives."

Reasons such as these, so endorsed, were abundantly sufficient to justify the demand that the national option provisions should be brought on again as they were last session. And since they have been again rejected by the Upper House there is abundant reason why it should be demanded of all candidates at the forth coming general election that a renewed effort shall be made to place them early upon the Statute Book.

Policy of the Party.

A special meeting of the Executive Committee of the Prohibition Colonial Council was held on October 9, to review the situation consequent upon the rejection of the Liquor Bill by the Legislative Council. The questions to be put to Parliamentary candidates were reconsidered, and it was resolved to stand by the principles already approved by the whole Temperance Party of the Colony and mainly expressed in the Bill introduced in Parliament for the Party by Mr M'Nab, M.H.R., in 1895—via., (1) The enactment of the national option provisions of the Government Bill, which have now been twice passed by the House of Representatives, except that the issue shall be determined by the majority of those who vote; (2) the majority to determine the issue in local option also; (3) club charters to be subject to the local option vote; (4) every form of license other than publican's and wholesale to at once cease to be lawful; (5) a wholesale license to authorise sale from one place only, and within specified hours only; (6) all license fees to go to the Public Account, and all expenses of administering the licensing laws be paid therefrom; (7) the strict enforcement of all laws relating to the liquor traffic; (8) the enforcement provisions of section 33 of the Act of 1895 to be made to apply to the King Country and all prohibited areas; (9) liquor selling in the Houses of Parliament to cease; and (10) the legislation necessary to secure these ends to be sought early in the first session of the new Parliament. The following resolution was also adopted :—" That this Executive Committee of the Prohibition Colonial Council protesta against the attitude of the Legislative Council in relation to moral and social reform generally, and the Liquor Bill in particular, and maintains that some reform of that Chamber is urgently needed."

Note on the Majority Vote.

If a three-fifths vote is required to carry prohibition in a district, obviously equity demands that a three-fifths vote shall be required to restore licenses. But if a large majority short of three-fifths voted for restoration and did not get It the position would be declared to be page 30 intolerable. There can therefore be no finality short of letting the majority settle the question either way. As to national option, there are about 300,000 electors in the Colony. If all voted, three-fifths would mean a majority of 60,000, equal to all the electors in the four largest cities of the Colony put together. What would the feeling of the country be if licenses could still be maintained against an opposing majority say of 50,000 ? Or if prohibition were carried by the majority of 60,000, and then a majority of 50,000 could not reverse it ?

"Nay, my comrades, do not urge me;
Not again these hands of mine
Will ever touch the sparkling goblet,
Ever touch the flowing wine.
Yea, I'll vote for Prohibition !
Prohibition is for me !
Only that will stop the traffic;
That alone will set us free,"

The Reformer says: " Only a small fraction of the people are allowed to sell Drink. Why is the larger fraction prohibited? In the interests of the whole Well, why not, if so it seems good, prohibit that small fraction which remains, just as we prohibit the larger fraction, and for the same reason—the interest of the whole."

A dispassionate verdict: "The general results of Prohibition are beneficial, decidedly so when the Prohibition is genuine and actual; in exceptional and local instances the results are unsatisfactory when measured with the fruits of real Prohibition, hut far from unencouraging when compared with the effects of all systems of license."

Speaking in the House of Commons in 1890 Mr Gladstone said : " I am one of those who see the utmost incurable radical and profound mischief from what is called the publican's monopoly, and not through any fault of the publican, or indeed anyone. My firm belief is that as long as a monopoly connected with private interests belongs to the trade we shall never have full and true police supervision exercised over the publichouses, and without that they must continue to hold the disparaged and unsatisfactory position which they hold now and have held for so many generations."

Chili Beer—Two quarts of water, two and a-half pounds of sugar, and thirty chilies; boil twenty minutes; add two ounces cream of tartar; boil five minutes more; strain; add ten quarts boiling water; when cold put in two teaspoon ruls of essence of lemon, and bottle.

The late Dr. Guthrie, of Edinburgh, said: " I have had four good reasons for being an abstainer—My head is clearer, my health is hotter, my heart is lighter, and my purse is heavier."

Names like those of the Bishop of [unclear: pon]don and Canons Famar and Wilbercarce, among many others, are a tower of strength to the movement in England.

The Farmer's Barley

We are asked, If the Liquor [unclear: Trust] suppressed where would the farmer market for the produce now [unclear: conscane] manufacturing alcoholic drinks !. [unclear: The] following facts will show how [unclear: impressed] the farmer would profit by the support of this traffic :—

In the year 1880 (and probably [unclear: they] have not greatly improved since) [unclear: three] a half millions of people in the [unclear: United] Kingdom applied for parish relief, [unclear: and] was estimated that about seven [unclear: days] more were on the verge of [unclear: destited]. This destitution is mainly, may, [unclear: also] wholly, due to the fact that in the [unclear: United] Kingdom over 300 millions of [unclear: capities] invested in the Liquor Traffic, [unclear: with] otherwise invested, would employ as [unclear: the] mously increased amount of labour that upwards of 140 millions of [unclear: that] is annually squandered, and largely [unclear: for] most wretched of the people, upon [unclear: during].

If the Drink Traffic were abolished would therefore be not merely the [unclear: way] but millions of people (now d[unclear: esfitute]) position to properly supply [unclear: there] with food and clothing, thus consuming increased amount of the farmer's [unclear: people] even more vast than the enormous [unclear: should] of good food stuffs now destroyed to [unclear: the] alcoholic liquors for a starving people [unclear: pro]ing not to be drenched but to be Similarly in New Zealand the bulk [unclear: of] destitution and diminished [unclear: purches] power ia due to our squandering [unclear: over] millions annually on drink. So [unclear: also] other countries where our markets [unclear: are]

Labour Employed by "the Trade"

Then we are asked, What would be of the labour employed in the manuf[unclear: act] etc, of liquors, if the traffic stroyed ? The answer is that no[unclear: been] makes so large a return to capital [unclear: any] small a return to labour as does the Traffic.

Mr W. S. Came, M.P., was shows a brewery in which a million of was invested, which employed [unclear: out] men. Mr Caine was himself [unclear: interned] iron ore works in which only a [unclear: quarter] million of capital was invested, which employed 1,200 men; so that if the invested in the brewery had been in the iron ore works it would be employed, not 660 men, but 4,800. [unclear: Show] the manufacture of the iron into [unclear: the] for use, and the sale of the articles, [unclear: for] vastly more people than the [unclear: distribute] the liquor, for a given amount of invested.

If the Liquor Traffic were [unclear: supported] capital invested in it would [unclear: be] other channels of investment, and [unclear: this] to engage an enormously increased [unclear: of] labour.