"GOOD-LUCK TO NO-LICENSE."

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 259, 2 November 1925, Page 9

"GOOD-LUCK TO NO-LICENSE."

(Published by Arrangement.)

FAMOUS PREVIA DONNA'S VIEWS ON NEW ZEALAND'S FUTURE. WHAT AMELIA GALLI-CURCI THINKS. It was in the parlour car of the Wellington-Auckland "Limited" when Jladame Galli-Curci and her husband, Mr. Homer Samuels, were leaving for Auckland after their wonderful Wellington concerts, that the opportunity came to our special correspondent to talk of a subject which must come close to the great passion of the premier vocalist's life —the happiness of the people through sobriety. That it is a controversial subject in which one who takes sides makes enemies, Jladame was cheerfully aware, but she watched with equanimity the rapid-flying pen of the note-taker as he used his shorthand resources to the limit in recordng her rapid-fire talk on the subject of no-license.

"A wonderful thing for the future of New Zealand —No-License, as you call it! Think of the temptation of your fine youth from the open saloon. Take it away from your fine people, living in a wonderful country. Everybody in the middle of their soul believes no-license is right," added Jladame earnestly, "but there is much business involved, and there comes opposition.

"But look at it from the business side," continued Jladame. "It is not so terrible, this prohibition, in the end, because the money does not .50 away from the country!" "And you will all be very thankful!" declared Jladame Galli-Curci. "And among tbe thankful people will be those who now have the alcohol habit. They cannot break a habit with temptation so close, always, but prohibition will make it easy to free themselves from its slavery!" "Wo hear a great deal about the boot-legger in the United States," suggested the interviewer. "That seems to be an extensive evil. . . ." "Pardon!" . . . Jladame was extremely anxious to deal with the bootlegger, and dispose of him. "The people who have strongly formed habits give the bootlegger his opportunity, because they feel they cannot do without alcohol, but the big benefit of No-License is to the coming generation. Nobody will patronise the boot-legger to form the alcohol habit! .He will disappear in time—he is disappearing now, you may be sure! "We cannot do without some things," continued Jladame, "but we can do with--1 out alcohol. I have never drunk intoxicating liquor, either before I became a singer or since. Am I not energetic and I well? I give you tbruls enough!" "Hear, hear," declared the interviewer, with a never-to-be-forgotten impression of Jladame's glorious coloratura vocalism. "This does not come from alcoholic stimulus," said Jladame emphatically. "I drink nothing but milk and water. My 'thrills,' which you encore, come from sound and constructive effort—above all, a clear brain!" "No-License will come in New Zealand—this beautiful country—without question," declared Madame, earnestly. "I wish you well in your efforts." "■What do they say in New Zealand against No-License?" inquired the great singer. The interviewer was now being interviewed, and he responded with an outline of the familiar arguments against Prohibition; Interference with the liberty of the individual; the service rendered by hotels in maintaining accommodation for the travelling public! and the destruction of an industry in which very large sums of capital are invested. Finally, there was the threat of a new and illegal "industry," boot-legging. "We had all the same arguments in the United States," said Jlr. Homer Samuels, to whom Jladame had turned with an expressive gesture which meant, as plain as speech— "Bowl him out!" "Yes," continued Jlr. Samuels, heartily accepting Jladame's invitation. "Taking away the individual's liberty is the 'prize' argument. But what is society founded upon but the surrender of the liberty of the individual for the benefit of all? We were asslured that the hotels were going to 'go broke, as they put it in the United States. But did they 'go broke ?' Mr. E. M. Statler, who is the head of a great hotel organisation, owning a chain of splendid hotels throughout the States, including the Pennsylvania, with its 2400 rooms, declares that since Prohibition has been in force, the guests have spent more money on food, and that the hotels are losing nothing.

"What do the real-estate agents say about the hotel-site values being ruined?" continued Mr. Samuels. "They say that a saloon does not improve a corner lot, and that values have gone up since Prohibition, instead of down. They point out that the country is more prosperous, that ordinary useful business flourishes correspondingly, and the good effect is naturally seen in real-estate values." "And the boot-legger—don't forget him!" reminded Jladame Galli-Curci.

"Yes, you read a lot about the bootlegger, of course," said the great prima donna's husband. 'The papers do not specialise in detailing the way in which people keep the laws. The unusual is what constitutes news, so that if a man breaks the law against stealing, that is when v'Ou hear about the law. But is it a bad law because it has been broken? Do we say we must repeal the law against theft and murder because we continue to have thieves and murderers? Are they bad laws because prisons si.II have to be maintained? Do we say that the prisons show that we cannot enforce the laws? You can get statistics to prove boot-legging, but that does not prove anything against the law which tries to prevent it." A group of enthusiastic musical friends invaded the car. Jladame had been very generous in sparing precious moments at the time of parting, but she graciously assured the interviewer that she was glad to render any service to the movement in favour of No-License. "We are in love with j-our country, and we hope to come back and spend a holiday here. It is a joy—th c freshness of spirit of your people! We hope you will win at the next poll—you deserve it!"

"Jlay I suggest to your good friends a slogan?" was Jladame's final thought. "A slogan helps in a campaign, and my slogan would be: 'License is not ■liberty.' " |