THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 51, 29 February 1916, Page 9

THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION

SOME MODERN PHASES. In the course of an address at the East Street Mission Hall last night, the Rev. W. Cocker dealt with some modern phases of the temperance question. He referred to the spread of the prohibition nwypm4mt,..iiv,.AniericA r ,.a.n4 said in New yJcaJiinrt they.. h;id,,,d,pscd (Jie bars in 12 electorate.-., and .but for the three-fifths majority, every public bar would have been closed in the Dominion. A modern pliafio of the temperance movement was the restrictions put upon tlio liquor traffic ac soon as war broke out. Industrial inefficiency i n munition factories and shipyards was found to be duo to alcoholism. Then prohibition was demanded during war-time. It had also been found that the more money the British workers got the more they drank. While the husbands were away fighting in France, their wives were drinking their pay in England. If the Zeppelins would only blow up the ibrewcries it would bo the ibest thing they could do for England. (Laughter.) Now they could only get liquor for four hours a day in some parts of England. An anti-shouting bill had also been passed. Mr Cocker also referred to JSiißsia'e prohibition of vodka. Although that entailed a loss of sixty millions to the Government, it was not a real loss, because tlio working people put thirtyone millions more in the savings banks. France had also prohibited the manufacture and sale of absinthe, also the sale of spirits to soldiers. In Germany, when mobilisation took place, the towns were put under prohibition, but tho soldiers were given drink on the field of battle. Mr Cocker urged, therefore, that soldiers in New Zealand should not be supplied with liquor. When a man donned the King's uniform he became something more than a mere citizen.