NO=LICENSE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 270, 7 August 1908, Page 7

NO=LICENSE.

TWO INTERESTING DEBATES. : ATTITUDE OF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. LABOUR AND THE LICENSED VICTUALLERS. ' ' (nr TELEGr.Arn.—srsciAr, correspondent.) Auckland, August 6. At Knox Church, Parnell, there was opposition last night, at a meeting of the congregation, to a No-Lioense motion from moro than 25 per cent, of these present at the annual meeting. ' . . ... The Rev. J. M. Simpson, who was in the chair, announced that a member of the congregation had a matter to. bring forward, i This brought Mr. French, a well-known temperance advocate, on.to his feet with a motion to, appoint a No-License committee* to ■ work with, the No-License League in accordance witH a request from the Auckland Ministers' Association. ."> The rev..chairman said he thought the resolution would- have the entire support of the congregation. Mr. Jno. Earl for one would not countenance it.- He was unaware, he said, that the Knox Church had declared itself to be "a NoLicense church.' He strongly objected to such .a semi-political subject being introduced into the church's work. The freedom of the individual, in the chui'ch on such a ihatter was recognised, and he protested against the congregation" being bound in. such a way. " This is not a representative meeting of the congregation," he declared. "We are being dragged,into something wo will regret." . Mr.; Simpson:' The congregation knew when I came here that I was an out-and-out No-License man. If. they do not like it they can tell me so. I do not think' we will be •making a mistake. I know lots of people who , take a glass of, wine, but they know that in the mass it is bad and would vote away the sale of alcohol. ■

Mr. French said that it was tho earnest frish of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church that tho No-License -'work should bo taken up.

llri Earl: The. congregation should have bebn, informed that such a matter was to have been brought up at' tho meeting. . Not the slightest notice has befen given. . We are; . I say, again being dragged into something . without discussion.' / ■ I do not think it :is ,fair. ;It has been tried before.

Mr: Earl was asked to moVS" an amendment, but th's ho declined to do, stating that with such a small number of people present'a falso ; impression might be received from the'vote. ■

Another member of .the congregation supported Mr. Earl's objection to the resolution being put. Certainly, ho said, if such a subject was been discussed, notice ought to have been given. *

• Mr. Simnson said he was surprised .that there should be any opposition; He was learning things that he did not know before about' his church.' He might have been wrong' in accepting the resolution, but he was totally surprised to hear a single protest. ■ ' ■ ■' ; v.-

Eventually tho resolution was put .to the meeting, and the voting was: ; In favour 47, against. 10, while ssvoral members abstained from voting.

VIEWS OF AUCKLAND TRADES , ■ COUNCIL. The question of License v. No-License was also discussed at the meeting of tho Trades and Labour Council last night. A letter wa'a received from the secretary of the recent Trades_ Conference enclosing'a cop}- of the resolution of ' the Conference urging the workers of the Dominion to vote No-License with a view to placing "ilio trade under the control of the State. A-further,'letter was received from the Auckland Licensed Victuallers' Association expressing the greatest surprise at the unfairness of the resolution adopted by the Trades' and Labour Conference:' seeing that tho relations between the hotelkeepers iii Auokland their employees had invariably been of the most cordial nature, and that the Auckland trade'had always recognised any just demands of labour in' the province. . :r '. Mr. Spratt. moved that the resolution of the Conference v bo confirmed, stating that, in , his_ opinion, the trade had not always recognised the just' demands'of Labour in 1 the province.. Many* of 'the hotelkeepers, he said, employed waiters for - something like twelve hours a day . at from los. to'2ss. a week. He also considered that the abolition. of the drink-traffic was in the bost interests of tho workers'. \.l' " Mr. Derrick seconded the motion, and de- ; :lared that very few hotelkeepers in Aucklandpaid a fair wage to porters. Mr. E. Reiman moved as an amendment '-that the letter from the Licensed Victuallers' Association remain on the table, and that the executive of the Conference bo informed that members of the Auckland Council would vote according to their respective consciences."'

A representative of tho Brewery Employees' Union' denied several of the statements that had been made, and pointed out that the brewers, at a recent Conference with tho employees' Union,. had made various concessions amounting in some instances to -as much as-an increaso of 25 per cent, in wages. The increases meant an extra £1500 to' £1600 to ond firm alone. .Long, one of .the Council's representatives at the Conference, gav-o an emphatic denial to the assertion that he had gone there'in brewers interests. He stated that tho Licensed Victuallers would bo given an opportunity shortly ,to verify their , statement'.; that they always, recognised tlirt just demands of' Labour. An.-hot-el and restaurant employees union was being formed in the city,,and an application,would be made for conditions and increased wages. , Various speeches were then delivered for . arid against the amendment , and the motion, tho President (Mr. Rosser) anjouncing himself as an advocate of NoLicense. ...

The amendment was adopted by 37 votes to 17. '■

_ lho usual meeting of tho Wellington NoLicenso Council was held last,night in tho Aihancb Rooms, a full attendance of delegates being present. Arrangements v.oro made for tho : forthcoming visit of Miss Anderson Hughes,_who is shortly to conduct a mission in the city. The following resolufi°i? ,va3 . passed during tho evening "IliS;t this Council.notes with profound regrot the increased ravages 6f tho. drink traffic as evidenced by. the .reports appearing in tho daily 1 ress of the city. During the past month IoU cases of drunkenness and other charges in which ithas been stated in Court that drinking was the caiiso of the crime, havo >n on i.u - 4 - 10 Court, besides some i • ar , g m S of V nature usually due to drink. Iho daily papers have also reported during the month one case of suicido, two cases of _ fatal accident whilst drunk, ono case, fatal accident aftor drinking, and two street -riots arising out of arrests for drunkenness." .

..A 4 .»'• feting of the Trades and Labour L/Ouncu held last evening a letter was received from the secretary of tho recent trades and Labour Conference forwarding the following resolution passed by tho Confeienccv Hint the Conferonco urges tho workers of tile Dominion to voto No°Licenso with a view of placing the trade under tho control of the State." The secretary further asked that the Wellington Council should consider the resolution and reply to' the executive. After some discussion the Council unanimously decided to endorse the resolution of the Conference.

, PUBLIC NOTICE. Owing to our vacating the downstairs portion of our premises in Willis Street, our numerous clients are requested to leave all Cyclo,. and other, repairs at our Garage, 21 Harris Street. 'Phono 2441. INGLIS BKOS.— Advt.