NO-LICENSE LEAGUE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 242, 6 July 1908, Page 6

NO-LICENSE LEAGUE.

MEETING AT LOWER HUTT. The No-Licenso meeting held in the Town Hall, Lower Hutt, on' Saturday evening, was'very poorly attended. . The Rev. B. (F. Rothwell (chairman) expressed • regrot that thero were not more people to hear the Rev, Mr. Whitohousa (vicar of Ashburton), because man coming from : a No-License district had such good facts to work upon, and all they wanted'was that the- peoplo should know the real facts,: and then cast van intelligent' vote upori'tho 1 evidcnco.

Mr. "Whitekousc said he wished to make

it plain that he was'not a member of'any* No-Licenso council or league, or employed by any such body, but lie felt lie was under tua responsibility of a citizen who has come into tho possession of evidence, of, which' it was . his auty to let them have tho. benefit. 1 Ha was also under tho responsibility of giving them tho truth, not the liquor truth, but tho real truth. Ho had beon-six years in Ashburton, and know something about it. Previous' to No-License coming in, he had stood - aloof, because he could not see tho righteousness'of it, but he believed now that a man who had held a valuable .monopoly for a length of timo had been fully compensated .already, and the hotels- had boon fully - paid' for tho value of tho service .rendered ,to tho public. Drunkenness affected not only tho. drunkard, but.the whole,.community. Mr. Whitohouso throughout Bpoko strongly l'u favour of temperance, and said more timo should bo given in educating up to those principles. Ho thought No-Licensa , I now was such a liboral condition that every sensible person would/ support it. Ho did not envy tho man who_ saw his friends drop one by ono through drink, and thanked Goa it was not ho. Tho man he envied was the i ono Who never had tho temptation put before : him. Mr. Whitohouso throughout had • a friendly word to say for tho modorate, who, lie .said, knew something of the liquor traffic. Severity per! cent, of the voto cast for NoLicense in Ashburton was cast by tho moderates. . Ashburton was a town of about 6000 inhabitants, and it had six hotels' and; a club when-no first came, and there wastho same loafing about the publichouso, tho same disgusting scenes, tho same .temptations- to tho boys, and tho same liability., to insult as in other towns, but ho was pleased to say tho town was . quite clean now, and, in fact,, ha believed one of the, cleanest in Now It was in a flourishing condition. Tho publiccans thought they were , ruined, but lie was pleased to pay'.tho hotels lmd all fetched thqir prico, and wero now prosperous shops, offices, and private hotels, which wero well. conducted and financially sound. Tho club kept up its membership, and some businesses had doubled since No-Licenso came in. Tho Co-operative Stores had increased from £33,b00 in 1902 to £60,000 in 1907. He did hot lay too much stress on that side.. Givo tho people character, said Mr. AVhiMiouse, and thc.f will got money. The growth-.or

tho temperance sentiment had been rory marked. He was president of the .football and numerous social clubs, and had attended the smoke concerts and socials, both before No-License camo in and since, and lie could safely say the. practice of drillkinn: was;:fast dyint* out. Hp thanked Rod for Nn-License. and lie intended to do. his best to keep it, and to extend the bounds of its influence. .

The address was imich .mpreciatod. and a hearty vote of thanks was' given to the speaker.