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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 74

National Option

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.