The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-05-17
SLOGAN FOR
CIVIC FEDS
Local Option and High
License the Ends
in View.

4
be Local Option and High License.
There are other reforms considered de
sirable by the members of the Fedora
ton, but it will be for the ones named
In their warcry that they will press
at the present time This was decided
at their meeting yesterday afternoon,
at which an important report was pre-
scented by the committee on Law and
Order.
This committee had been instructed
to institute an inquiry into the prac-
teal working of the present liquor law
and to submit suggestions for legisla-
ton on the subject The report sub
mitted was as follows:
Pursuant to the vote of the Execu-
tive Committee of the Civic Fedora
ton at its April meeting the Commit
tee on Law and Order proceeded to
institute an inquiry into the workings
of the present liquor laws and prepared
Itself to formulate suggestions for their
amendment provided any should seem
called for as a result of the investiga>
ton. 1t was decided by your commit
tee as perhaps the best means to ascer-
tain the facts desired to issue a ques-
t1onnalre. Consequently a letter and
sheet of questions, of which the ac-
companying exhibits, A and B, are
copies were drafted Conditions in Ho-
nolulu being well known it was deemed
unnecessary to send the QUESTIONABLE
to persons in this city with the eXcep
ton of one or two where duties called
them to travel in the country districts.
One hundred and sixty-eight persons
were addressed. comprising all of the
plantation managers and district gov
eminent physicians, number of public
school inspectors, agents and princi
pals, two clergymen, several liquor
dealers, legislators, merchants, mechan
les and other citizens known to be con-
versant with affairs in their respective
neighborhoods. Although a little more
than week has expired since these
letters We're sent replies from 50 have
been received covering all of the
classes addressed. This is above the
average of answers received in investi
cations of like character. The decisive
replies are as follows:
l. Has the present liquor law, MAX
ing cheap licenses, increased the num-
Der of saloons in your vicinity2 Yes,
40; no, 3.
2. Has drunkenness increased since
the new license law went into effect
Yes, 81; no, s.
3. Has poverty inereased9 Yes, "a;
no, II.
disturbed Yes, %; no, IA.
s. Has lawlessness inereased2 Yes,
81; no. -.
6. Have there been more cases of
minors securing liquor? Yes, 16; no, Z.
7. What other effects can you or
will you mention.
s. Do you favor continuance of the
present license lawR Yes, 6; no, 45.
9. Would you prefer a high license
lawa Yes, 40; no, IA.
TO- How much in your judgment
should be the fee for conducting a
saloon.
H. Do you favor local option? Yes, |
81; no, 16-
II. If you. do favor local option
would you have it for precincts, repre- |
sentative districts or islandsg Pre-
cinets, &c; islands, s.; representative |
3.
Two correspondents present plans for
state control of the liquor traffic, an
other set of suggestions on "high
Iicense' Six of the sixteen, who do
not favor local option, base their OPP
position upon the nature of the elect |
prate or upon the likelihood of result |
ING corruption in political campaigns.
The greatest reported multiplication |
in saloons since the enactment of the |
present law is in a locality where from
,ne they have increased to nine. In
another the increase has been from two
TO twelve In two of the three dis
tricts where no new saloons have been
licensed it is rather minated that
plantation influence has been used
against further licenses.
Figures suggested for license fees
.ange from 100000 a week to $3.50
Der year. The ''average desired is
$1,000 per year. 1t is quite well agreed
hat the present law has reduced illicit
selling and has all but stopped the
manufacture of ''swipes.
Your committee concludes from this
from knowledge of con-
'itions in Honolulu, from what it has
,een able to ascertain through personal
tudy of the conditions in country dis
riots. and from statements of other
areful observers both that the present
iauor laws are a menace TO pubic
Welfare and that there is large pub
ic sentiment in favor of radically
them.
For several years attempts have been
made to pass through the Legislature a
ocal option law giving to the voters of
very precinct at each biennial election
he opportunity of registering their will
,pon the question of the sale of alco-
lolic liquors within the precint Tor the
nsuing biennial term. The bill pre-
ented last year almost became law.
,ur QUESTIONABLE and the investiga-
ionS made by your committee WOULD
eem 40 indicate that public opinion
avors the enactment of such
We recommend that the