NO-LICENSE BATTLE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1263, 19 October 1911, Page 6

NO-LICENSE BATTLE.

MEETING AT THE TOWN HALL. "FACTS AND FAKES." A largely attended public meeting under the auspices of Iho N > Liconso J'.arty was lioM in iho Conccrt Chamber of the Town llall last evening. Every scat, practically (speaking, was occupied. The ltov. \V. J, Comrw presided, and tlioro were also present on the platform a number of clergy <uid others who liavo been promiuently ulontificd in the No-Liconso campaign. The meeting throughout was a perlectly orderly one, the remarks ot tbo speakers being applauded at frequent intervals. The discussion for the evening was headed "Facts iu\<l Fake.s of the Liquor Traffic," Messrs. A. B, Atkinson, 11. A. Wright, M.l'., and (ho Hev. L. M. Isitt being advertised to speak. Mr. Isitt was unubio to get away from his 1 nriiainentary duties, and his place was taken by Mr. C. If. Pone, M.l'. iho Rov. W. .1. Comrie, in opening tho proceedings, said that they were assoinb.eU that evening to discuss the tactics ot tbo other side; to discuss the unfair ■hitting, fcolow-the-bpit methods of their opponents, and to deliver what ha might term a "knock-out." Tho other 151,10 "a" '"ore money than tliev had, and were prepared to spend it like water, but what th oy could not do, and what I hey never would be ab'.o to do, was to produes platform speakers who could snoak irom a knowjodejo ot tht facts, from con*. v fHi A 2 . wcro equipped Willi (jod-givon eloqueuco for Iho expression ot their view. (Applause.) lie concluded with a reforoncc to llic passing oi one of their preatesf; cbumnioas—llic lato.Mr. T. 13. Taylor, M.l 3 .

Somo Intcrestino Figures. Mr. B. A. Wright-, M.P., said that it nu(\ Iwca contended by the Trade that th<j increase in (lie Dominion drink bill wua nit unanswerable argument against No. License. 'J.no ic-rciiso was (hero, 110 doubt. Snows the uscii for reform," intcricclxxl someone.

_ Continuing, the spcakor siid that this increase demonstrated as clearly as possible tut. need for the losing of the hotels iii tlit. licensed district. It was in thesa districts that the drink bill on u .o increase. In tho No-Liccnso areas tho drink bill was diminishing. One of the arguments raised against the principle ol Ao-Liccnsc was embodied in a statement to tho oflect that in a given period there had been lij convictions for drunkenness in Invercargill. TJio actual facts of the ciuo went to show that tho adjoining license districts of. Awarua and Wallace were within flic jurisdiction of tho magistrate at liivcrcarpill,( and every one of tlm-;o.05 cases hail been traced to Wallaot and Invercargill. It was an axiom founded upon actual experience that the longer a district kept "dry" the, more steadily the consumption of liquor diminished. What realty retarded this diminution was tin influence of adjoining licensing districts. Uio remedy wau perfectly obvious. As to the jjeneral facts of tho question, said Mr. \\ right, it was not neces'sarv to go out of New Zealand for 'proof, no would submit comparative statis. tics from within New Zealand, Tho population of tho twelve No-Liccnso districts aggregated 100,306. Out of that num. ber (.hero were only IGB convictions for drunkenness from January till June last. (Applause.) And tlicso statistics were governed by tho circumstance—quoted above—that tlio jurisdiction of the Court in certain cases exfendsd beyond the limits ■iVv is ?" ll !ce n so area. Against that, said Mr. M.right, might be ret tho experionce of laihapo under license. Ho diet not single out that town because it was any better or any worse than anv other iilace r remained: With a population of hut th<;ro wore 143 convictions for uriinkenncss in l'aihaps during tho same period. Was that not a telling indict(Applauec!) 10 CaS ° f ° r lh ® liqU ° r l ' altyf

"Misleading Statements." A-'kinsoii 'hen moved:— that this public meeting of Wellington Citizens expresses its strong indignation at tne campaign of mendacity and deception by which. ndvo- £? i,, 10 trade, recognising that they are beaten on tlift merits, arc endeavouring to postpone tho day oi doom; end deeply regrets that reBMctable nnwypy-rrs should encourage i- f° } a v^ cs 01 publishing garbled and distorted Quotations of inaccurate and misleading statements without clearly indicating to tho public that thev are inserted as advertisements." Speaking to tho motion, Mr, Atkinson strongly condemned tho "unblushing mendacity" of tho Trade, which veiled its truo identity under a variety of aliases. They had reeentlv seen a' preposterous manifesto by the so-called Liberty Defence League—a league that had been buried in ridicule fifteen years ago. Then they had the experience of tho Citizens' League, which made such an ass of itself at its first performance that it expired amid a burst of lau»!itor. Mr. Atkinson also referred to the artifice adopted by the Trade in Auckland when they applied to their organisation the designation, "Auckland Provincial Council," already borne bv the NoLicense party's organisation m that city, to the misrepresentation which the Rev. Gibson Smitu and the "Christian Outlook" had been subjected to. • The Kev. Gibson Smith at that moment took his seat on tho platform, amid anplause.