"THE FOUR; B's."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 311, 25 September 1908, Page 9

"THE FOUR; B's."

A BREEZY ADVOCATE. - - NO-LICENSE IN AUSTRALIA. "The Four and "Battling Bob, tho Bcoso Banisher," are the names;by ,which the Her. R. S. B. Hammond .is best known in the slums of Sydney, where'his Work- as -anAnglican minister lies. Hammond, who arrived in Wellington on Wednesday, is ;a: brisk, athletic-looking man, who once had aomo reputation as a footballer.,'-and .now rushes to lift up tho 3ubmorgcd tenth with' all th# ardour that ho formerly gave to scrums.'-He i 3 tho organising mis.sioner "of'the 1 Church of England City Mission in'; Sydney;;! ah'i'tells some lively anecdotes of 'Hi's expcrienceo in. that capacity. But ho has'fllsb takon a-very prominent part in tho No-Licensc-' campaign in New South Wales, and since tho object of his coming to New Zealand V to advocate that cause, this story is confined 'to. 1 sober aspects of the No-License movement- in Australia. ~ A'r - , ■■ i AFFAIRS IN SYDNEY. : • .. In tho part of Sydney -which Mr.' Hammond knows best there are fifteen churches and nearly 400 public houses. ''There is. one part," he remarked to an- ; interviewer, "whero a certain, man wants "to bet .'me.ho can have ten drinks in ten hotels within;ten. minutes. If I were a betting ,;maiY;' I..should not take it- up, because I lcnriw, ho cim." A new Licensing Act was passed' in Sjdncy fifteen months ago, and tlie. anniversary, of tlio first noil hold under it* ;has just bfcen' observed. Twenty-threo hotels in the city, area of Sydney closed down before the Act came into operation, rather than' face tlie Licensing Court under the new conditions it; imposod. When a poll .reduction; was carried to tho extent of.ftWfft 76 houses in : the metropolitan area of Sydney,' and "about 400 in the whole of New South Wa1e5.,,,.,1n. that State tho No-Liccnso.'pa.rtv have this advantage, that if a person votes for. NoLiconse and it is not carried, the vote .is"counted for reduction. -The party secured'reduction in 57 electorates, .but there are still G99 hotels in Sydney. Though the next poll in Now South Wales is two years distant, Mr. Hammond. states that the liquor party aro,.already.making a. tremendous fight. For six months, past two lecturers havo been in the field.. .The Cottle, Merchants'' Association hai'cbriirißutpd' £100to tho Liquor Defence League,; and many, othor bodies have done tho, same,. • "Curiously enough," 'said Mr.- Hammond," "tlie liabour partyin Parliament, two-thirds of whom aro, I believe, total abstainers, do not-help us in this fight. At Home..tho . Labour..party aro the leaders in the battle.", , HABITUAL INEBRIATE?. ■ TheTomperanee party in Now-South-Wales is assisted by au Inebriates- Act—still "quite an experiment—which presides "ifo'r.ijndete'rminate sentences to bo inflicted I 'on'habitiial, drunkards. Fourteen , men and-17-women! havo received this sentence.'- A "part of Darlinghurst Gaol has. been reserved for -those persons, and they aro treated in a special manner. For tho first threo months tho »entenco is severe, but by'-''obtaining certaiir marks they can got into ;S."B&ond class;- I 'to. which certain privileges 'are; attachcdr'Sir months later they can advance-into'a third class, if their marks are'good enough,"but if the marks fail to reach a' certain otandard they may bo put buck into the first, grade.' In the third class the prisoners afe allowed to wear ordinary dress," and to earn money for themselves. At : 'the end "of 'twelve months in this grado they ~go' -i ßefoifo the governor, their cases are"'' rceonsitlered, and they may be discharged-. -None of them have been liberated to date, but 'it-is" expected that' a few will rcceivo their fffc'cdom, before long. It is not thought wise to-liberate these persistent , drinkers without 1 some supervision, which is not provided by": the''present law, but there is talk of' bringKg'''f6r«ard"'a shbrt Act to.provido some sympathctic-'suporvision. The Government have also spent £14.000 in connection with two islands''in the bury Rifor, which are beiiij; made available for this class of inebriatesv--- . OTHER, STATES. v-v In Victoria it is necessary to pay compensation when public-bcnsesnTSabolished. Tho compensation fund is provided entir.ely .bj- a loTy. on the trado itself, and' 'houses aro reduced, after a poll supporting reduction, from time to time rs sufficient,,,funds raccrue.'forcompesating licensees, ,- r - '1 In Queensland it is dunng' tho pre : I sent session, to bring iii''a 1 Bill'after tlie New South' Wales pattern.."'"£'' ! C'':' ! .In South Australia the-first rlocal option I vote has. just been taken-after- -.a:"-fifteen years' limit which was jThe-poll,-taken I in. anelcctorato near Adel'aide7..resulted!j'n .a j targe majority for No-Licdiise!:!;;' ,J -..Mr-Hammond left yesterday for : - J Aucklaildj ; ' where,"he - .will remain .weoki'-afterwards giving addresses in . Gisbornei Napier,"vMasterton,' Christchurch, Otagp,-.;.and -Wellington, in "the. order named:,"..'