NO=LICENSE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 328, 15 October 1908, Page 7

NO=LICENSE.

DISCUSSION BY ANGLICAN SYNOR THE PRINCIPLE AFFIRMED, VIGOROUS SPEECHES. (Br TELEGRAPH,—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)' Auckland, October 14. . Last night's discussion by tho Anglican Synod on a motion to urge church people in the dioceso to vote for " No-License " at next local option poll was exceedingly interesting. Tho mover (tho Rev. C. A. B. Watson, Vicar of St. Paul's) asserted that during the 12 months ended last Juno 5851 people in tho Dominion wore convicted of first offences of drunkenness. Of those 807 were from oversea and 243 were women, or ono in 20. In the 20 days succeeding August 31 last, 87 men and seven women were convicted of drunkenness in tho Auckland Police Court. Numbers of people to-day were awaiting a definite lead from the Church on this question. The liquor trado was deliberately misleading the peoplo in many directions as to tho result of NoLicense. Granted that there was an apparent increase of crime in lnvercargill, where there was No-License, why did not the trade quote figures as to other No-License areas? At Oamaru, for'instance, tho number of criminal cases dropped from 352 under the last year of licenso to 134 under No-License; -at Ashburton, from 188 to 68; and at Mataura, from 202 in two years of license to 67 in two years of No-License. It was not stated in the references of the trade to lnvercargill that the peoplo charged at the' Court there were drawn from the police court area, which waß larger than the No-License area, and covered a large portion of the licensed area. A change was rapidly coming over tho Anglican Church on this question. Other churches had given groat attention to it, and he thought the Anglican Church could not do better than follow their lead, thus taking an active part in ono of the greatest social questions of tho day.

Amongst those who supported the motion was the Rev. W. E. Lush, who made a somewhat jocular speech. He said at one time ho had been inclined to vote for continuance. However, on two or three he had voted for reduction. This time he intended to vote for No-License. A very large number of colonial-bom young men wore addicted to drink. To many of these " empty-headed boys" a barmaid was'a great incentive to drink. Tho liquor trade had something wrong with it, and wanted an earthquake or volcano beneath it to shake it up. He had sampled nearly every kind of r beer —(louc lauglitor)—and most of it was not worth drinking. (Renewed laughter.) The present liquor trade was a curse. For the Church tc go on being a party to putting temptation-in the way of young men to become drunkards was wrong./ '■ ; r tho Function of the Church. Hot opposition to the motion came from' the Rev. W. Beatty. Previous speakers had been moderate, he said, and all were in earnest. Still ho was sorry the matter had been brought forward. It was distinctly outside tho province of the Synod to deaj with a question that was largely a political one, though it. might be within its province to deal with intemperance. Clerical interference might do untold harm in New Zealand. Ho would protest against such interference with tho lay conscience, even if he were in favour of No-Licenso and the stoppage of tho trade without compensation, which ha was uot. He and others who were opposed to prohibition also had consciences. _ As to the elfect of any resolution • that might be carried that night, he thought it would have very little moral influence. When tho publio saw that tho Synod would not face certain spiritual questions in the way it should, was it likely the public would pay much attention to 'a resolution which the Synod really had nothing to do with ? It was the function of the Church to tell drunkards there was a spiritual remedy for their _ craving. The Church should regenerate its people from within. Drunkenness was often an effect as well'as'a'cause. One cause for drunkenness was tho want of : healthy occupation and healthy, interests... The Church and other organisations would do an immense amount of good if they would start places for rational amusement. Such a movement could be taken up by tho Church of England Temperance Society, and it should have his assistance. Synod was not the Church, and had not the slightest power to dictate to him v or. to anyone, outside how they were to vote on this or any other matter. Synod might givo the Church and the public an intellectual lead, but its vote could havo no.binding effect upon the conscience of anyone: - A good many people _ considered that railing (which. was. a sin ' coupled by St. Paul with drunkenness) as perfectly justified so long as _ it was the liquor trade that. was being railed, at. Ho had no sympathy with the browers, but it must' be remembered that they had wives and children.' One did not fight against women, and children.

! A .voice: The trado does though I Sir. Beatty: Well, two wrongs don't mats; a right-. Ho went on to say that often a wrong was done to decent and rospectabk hotelkeepors' owing. to the stigma' that was attached to them. If the abuse of anything was a reasonable argument for its prohibition, where were they going to stop? Thero was not a thing we used in this world'that was not capable of being abused. Religion was subject to abuse. Mr. W. J." Speight said that wherever licensed houses remained young men must :becomo victims of this trado. He condemned the open -public bar. In a large proportion of ; our - hotels, there was no- hospitality for l auyone who (lid not. buy drink. • ' A voice: ".That's not true!" Mr. Speight asked, if every public bar woro to be closed in New Zealand to-morrow, would New Zealand bo the worse for it? (Voices: "No!"),' Would it bo the better for it?, (Voices: "Yes!") Was tho Church therefore to confine its efforts to seeking, to savomon after thov had become drunkards? Was it not more in conformity with Cliristlan economics to cut off the source of tho evil? Tho debate was adjourned until to-day. The Motion Carried, (or TELEGRAPH—rRESS ASSOCIATION.) Auckland, Octobcr 14. Tho debato on tho motion of tho Rev. C. A. B. Watson, affirming tho principle of No-License, and recommending all churchmen and churchwomcn in the dioceso to support No-License at tho forthcoming local optiou poll, was. resumed at tho sitting of th« Anglican Synod this afternoon. Mr. J. H. Upton, while admitting that there must necessarily bo a conflict of opinion on tho subject, questioned whether No-License would cure tno drink evil. If he thought that tho Adoption of No-Liccnso would do away with all tho greater ovils of drink, and they could show him that the system would not' set up even greater ovils, ho would voto for it. .Ho had not heard ono argument which weut to show that No. License had succeedcd, and that tho con. sumption of liquor in districts in which NoLiceuso prevailed had gone, down to any abnormal extont. Ho thought that one reform which might bo very well brought about was tho. abolition of tho barmaid, whoso sorvicoa could bo very well douo without

Tho Rov. H. Mason considered that one benefit No-Liccnso would bring about, was that it would help to do away with the temp, tation which at present existed for young men. As for tho country hotels, they were not hotels at all. They wero drinking dens, No-Licuuse, while not doing away entirely with tho drink ovil, would ameliorate it, an<j would bo the salvation of many. Tho carry, ing of it depended upon tho Anglican Church, and ho submitted that if tho Angli. can Church helpod in carrying it tho Church would bo much more respected than it wai to-day: After lengthy discussion tho resolution affirming tho principle of No-License, and urging Church pcoplo to voto for it, <vai adopted.