RETURN OF THE REV. R. S. GRAY.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14159, 27 September 1911, Page 4

RETURN OF THE REV. R. S. GRAY.

THE BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE CONFERENCE.

PROHIBITION EXPERIENCES.

j (srrcui. to "ibb raias.") AUCKLAND, September 26. ' Tho Baptist World Alliance Conference, the biggest gathering of that Church, held this year at Philadelphia, U.S.A. was attended by the Rev. R. 8. Gray of Christehuroh, as the New Zealand delegate. Mr Gray returned this morning by the Vancouver steamer Marama. The conference was attended by some five thousand delegates, representing a membership of six millions. The special feature of the conference, said Mr Gray, was the attendance of so many delegates from Southern Europe. There were a number of Russian delegates, many of whom had suffered imprisonment" for holding the Baptist, faith. Ono old man had spent nine years in prison, and he alone had baptised tone 15,000 persons. Tho conference decided to erect a training theological college, and tho sum of 100,000 dollars was raised for tho purpose, a deputation being appointed to ask the Czar for permission to build the college in his Dominion. With regard to tho officers of the conference, I>r Clifford was tho retiring president. Dr. W. R. to. McAxthur was elected to tho office for the ensuing year, and the Rev. Alfred North, of Fonsonbv. Auckland, was elected a vice-president for Now Zealand. In answer to a question as to any new branch of church work discussed at the conference, Mr Gray said special attention was devoted throughout the gathering to tho social aspect of Chnstianitv A committee was sot up, and Mr "Gray was appointed to represent Australasia upon it. "Tho conference unanimously decided to recommend each local Union to form a Social bervico Committee," added Mr Gray, "and mutters pertaining to good citizenship aro to have the close attention of Church members. Such questions as the housing problem, and everything that influences social conditions for the betterment of the masses, are to be taken into consideration, the idea being that the Church ought to bring to bear on public life the principles of Jesus Christ, and not leave tho questions solely to politicians and labour men. ' "Yes, I did some No-licenso work, remarked Mr Gray, "visiting nine States in the South, and also Maine. I was in Maine during the fight on the ouost.ion of restoration of licenses. I found in parts of America, outside Maine that the feeling among somo prohibition workers was that the rote might so against them. The reason is thft the law has not been enforced strictly for some considerable time, and this led to sly grog selling with a great number of arrests for drunkenness. Jn the meantime there lias grown up in Maine a new generation which has not seen the evils of tho open saloon, and seeinc: the evils of illicit selling, they said ' Lot us try the open saloon properly regulated!' Tho liquor people, although they say that moro liquor is sold under prohibition than under license, concentrated all their efforts on this fight in Maine, and spent a tremendous lot of money. As I understand the position, if the vote has been carried against the Prohibition Party, legislation will be introduced giving the people the local option vote, which is eminently to be desired, and this temporary reverso will prove to be tho very best thing that has happened, not only for Maine, but for prohibition generally. The same thing happened in Vermont in 1903, and immediately after the repeal of the prohibitory law, the result of the town elections showed that 92 towns voted for th'e saloons, hut in 1910 only 29 towns and cities voted for *« loons."

"What is the ron*»ral feeling with regard to prohibition?"

"I think," replied Mr Gray, "it is new about stationary. The liquor people spent upwards of a million dollars in Texas. Prohibition was lost in this State hy about 5000 votes. I find that wherever there bas been any attempt whatever at fair enforcement of the law, tho difference between license and No-license towns has been very marked. In a month's constant travelling in prohibition districts I think I saw only two cases of drunkenness. I found in several cases where I could obtain police records, comparing licenso with No-license years, that in the case of No-license, crimo generally decreased, and the arrests for drunkenness fell 30 to 40 per cent., while of the arrests made (so I was informed by the police in several Southern States), GO per cent, were 'old-timers.' As yon are (probably aware, there is not in the Southern States of America such an inherent regard for the law as there is in an English community, hut in spite of the defective enforcement already alluded to, the, prohibitory law commends itself to the best-thinking portion of the oommunity, and it is giving beneficial results- which are admitted by many who were formerly its strongest opponents."