SIX O'CLOCK

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2804, 23 June 1916, Page 7

SIX O'CLOCK

! CLOSING HOUR FOR HOTELS FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY i -. . . (By Ex-Banker.). In April last year the great Kitchener signed a pledge that for tho period of the war he would dispense with alcohol. This action was inspired by the King's example. Kitchener decided to follow tho King. To-day, in the City of Loudon alone, there are thousands of .men who have signed a pledge which, is commonly spoken of as "the Kitchener pledge." It is for the duration of the war. In this Dominion, so far, our legislators have not dared to grapple with the liquor evil.. Russia, by one magnificent stroke of courageous statesmanship swept the curse of vodka .right out of her wide dominions. Franco, with, like courage, strangled the devil of absinthe, and even our own Mother Country, though hampered by the shackles of great and powerful vested interests, has already profited by her wisdom, in ■ imposing more or less drastic restrictions upon the drink traffic. Our Parliament is now in session, but apparently our representatives have not yet realised the overwhelming weight of public opinion in regard to this vital question. Wo are promised an "anti-shouting" law, a law which it will be almost impossible to effectively enforce, a law at which the publicans will '/laugh and snap their fingers.. But there is apparently to be no curtailment of the hours of liquor selling! . '.' . It is Not Enough! It is not enough! Fellow-citizens,' you know it is not enough. For love of our ■ country, for our good, name's sake, foi the sake of our young men, Parliament must be made to give us more than that. We, the people, have a,right' to' demand it, and it is our duty to, malce our demand with an emphasis which will, permit, of no refusal. Mothers, fathers, .sisters, sweethearts,, and wives, all you whose hearts'are sore with aching for the dear lnds who have nobly answered the call, .1 want you" to ,realise that tho decision of this great question rests with you. It is for you to say what shall be done;;it,is for Parliament to see that it is done. The domand that we must make is for the closing of the licensed bars at six o'clock in :the evening. The Lure of the Bar. It is at night tinio'that the bar dona .the full dress of its allurements. It ia at night.time that our young men have leisure hours, and it., is 'then that, the bar makes its strongest appeal. And surely this is a. time when the interests of tho" young men of the 'community aro paramount. The-very. basis of this appeal for six o'clock closing is a patriotic one.' Those' of our young men who are "fit and.free" ave-'Teoiiired'at the front.' ...aose who arc-'fit and' not free, as well .as those whu'aie ilea and not'fit, aro required to give of their best, both'in eftort and in monetary assistance, to the ,cause of Empire and home;? By insisting that the'liquor bars shall be closed at night we .shall bo 'assisting them to do their patriotic duty. Whatever tho publicans ~may say to the contrary, it is a matter of common knowledge that it is tho lure of the bar during the hours of the night .which plays,the greatest mischief. '--.The' Psychology"'of Success.'' : There is absolutely no argument against Hie restriction.of the drink traffic as a war .precaution. Abuse arid ridicule are the only,- weapons which the' Tra'do can use, and these sorry weapons aro blunted by the fact ' that .citizens who stand fornix o'clock closing cannot truthfully be branded either as "wowsers"., or "temperuiico fanatics." Many hard drinkers, many thorough-going'"sports," are ready to vote for six- o'clock. They realise that )t is not only a wise'tempernnco reform, but that it is an urgently needed war precaution. ■ One of those who took their places, in 'the firing lino in . the fight which has just been Won, so splendidly in New South Wales was the director of tutorial .classes, in tho University of Sydney, Mr., Meredith Atkinson, M-.A. In tho course of his ''campaigning he empha--•sised,)U ; very, interesting! aspect of the question—the . .psychology .of success. Without doubt-the .cheerfulness of outlook on the part of the civilians in backing up the efforts of the military is a great contributing force to victory. Mr. .Atkinson urged that.indulgence in drinking clouded the faculties of civilians, and weakened' the-clearness of vision. Ho pointed out that -it not only induced apathy, but that it also. created a false optimism, which" was most dangerous at a, time when the whole nation was being entreated .to eonc-ntrato towards one great supremo end;- Speaking as one of the leaders of education. in the. State, ho demonstrated, by scientific evidence, that anything but the lightest drinking tends to reduce efficiency. Believing that no citizen could bo a'true patriot unless ho was capable of self-discipline enough to..contribute towards',the state of efficiency for which the nation was striving, tiiis man-came from tho halls of learning to the public platform to speak in support of six o'clock:— . . ,-■..■

Because it made for a tremendous increase in military and economic efficiency, in national determination, and in. moral and intellectual mobilisation.

Because it would conserve the'wealth of tho nation, and provide the Governments with the sinews of war, without which final and lasting.victory was impossible.

Because it would lead to a greater'purification of national life.

Because it meant an intensification of the national will.

Because a later.hour meant a,weakening of the. nation's purpose. ' Because an earlier' closing nieant a clarification of national vision—a thing that was:wanted at this juncture more than ever .before in the Empire's existence; and, lastly, • Because not a singlo cogent reason which could,, appeal to a thinking individual who sought the truth only could be urged against six o'clock, as opposed to a. later hour in .tho present phenomonal situation. \ Dare We Disregard This Evidence? Tho witness is Colonel Kenneth Mackay, President-of tho lato ..Trirerpool, (Australia),. Court of Inquiry. /His personal views' on the early closing of ho'tols aro thus stated:— "I express no opinion as to the advisability or otherwise of closing tho hotels at 6'p.m. or at any other hour in times of peace, and wish it to bo.clearly understood that whatever I say must be regarded as. my personal opinion only. This opinion, without any reservation, is that it 'would he far better for the health, morals, and fighting efficiency of our soldiers generally if,' during the period- of war, hotels were closed altogether as regards the sale, of intoxicants. -,-''■ ~ "In the' performance of my military duties early this year, I. was for nearly a fortnight present in Liverpool Camp, and it was clearly evident that the responsible officers wore unanimously fn favour of 6 o'clock closing. I have [■'every reason to- believe that the facilities for obtaining drink have had. a marked detrimental effect on tho efficiency and discipline of our soldiers, and as the result of my carefui observations nt the Liverpool and Casula camps I can emphatically say that un unmistakable improvement in the couduct' and efficiency, of tho troops' was disclosed when tho 6' o'clock closing came into force for a, limited period. "Wo' owe a duty to the fathers and mothers of the thousands of boys we aro .taking from parental care to fight ■ our battles, and I. lielibvo those Among tho older soldiers who personally might prefer 11 o'clock realise fully that, so far as these lads are concerned, temptation should bo minimised to the fullest possible extent, and, recognising their responsibility in this regard, in the great majority of cases they would,lam convinced, be prepared to sacrifice their personal inclinatiou for tho sake of their young comrades, and would welcome G o'clock clo'sing." You know, and. the members of the Government and Parliament of this.DoI minion know, that the views and experiences ofi Colonel Mackay and the other responsible officers of.the great Australian camps' coincide with the views and experiences of the lato Lord Roberts, the late Lord Kitchener, and many., others of the foremost soldiers and statesmen of tho Empire. . A Woman's Appeal to Mon. . There is no more widely known name i throughout Australasia tkautbtft of Ethel

Turner, the popular authoress of many sweet and wholesome stories. Ethel Turner felt the call to duty, and for love of country she throw her soul into an eloquent appeal which no true man can read unmoved. It was written and published just prior to tho poll at vhich patriotism and temperance, working shoulder to shoulder, scored their magnificent triumph. Here it is:— Y "Fellow Citizens,— ' "In-a few days we 'come to a great bend in our road of life, and the signpost at this bend bears tho word "Referendum.' "We can vision ourselves, a. mighty multitude, tho entire adult population of this State, being swept.towards this signpost in a body, calm or perspiring, jostling or jostled, Tesolved or bewildered, and then pulled up short, individual by individual, to answer in a secret whisper, to answer in the inviolable privacy of the ballot-paper, one , single question. .--.'■•■' -Y "And that question: is, 'Which of the two roads that lie beyond the bend do you choose for .your State to walk infer your, fellow man and woman to'walk in; yes, and for the child.to walk in, who is stepping helplessly and trustfully only a little way behind-you?' "One road leads backwards and downwards. It is the .road you have known all your life; it is strawn with wrecked lives, with futile lives, with 'broken homes and handicapped children, with hospitals, gaols, and 'all the other sordid trappings of drink;.but you are so nsea to the sight of such that you havo come, to notice them as little as you, do, the stones on the road; the glitter of the gay lamps is all that you have chosen to see, and not-the black shapes that shrink in the shadows. "Tho other, road leads onwards and upwards. It may, not be the perfect road,- but it is the best one as' yet that men who have the good jf their fellowmen sincerely at' heart have been able to hack out and indicate in the wilderness. One thing unmistakable about it is that it is not a downward road." "I began with-the words (Fellow citizens,' but I really only ' meanfMen citizens." There is no need at all to speak to the women; their-vote for, G oclock :is a certainty for two reasons: It involves no sacrifice whatever to them (we are most of us cheerful about giving up what we don't in the least want), and.it moans only, increased good to them. But to you it is a. sacrifice; to large numbers of you without a doubt it means genuine deprivation and discomfort, and I confess to being one of a considerable number of your fellow-women who will vote 6 o'clock, and at the same time feel very sorry indeed for you for this sudden sacrifice you are being asked to make. . - "But men'citizens, these "are the days for sacrifice. Hundreds of thousands of men all oSer the world are at this moment sacrificing their comforts,, their careers, their lives, for love of country; hundreds of thousands of women sacrificing, -with' silent anguish their husbands, their, lovers,: and sons, for love of country. Is anyone going to tell me that you refuse to be also noble,.you men citizens left behind here'for whatever reason . it may; be—that your alone refuse to make /a saorifico forlove of country? Love of country means that you havo her real welfare at your heart of hearts. "Six o'clock'of a certainty means loss drink in your country, else why does the liquor interest so furiously rage agßinst it.; . Less drink in your country means of o certainty \a better countrybetter men,' better women, better children, cleaner and higher, ideals. : , "The sword of war.'has stirred us out of slothfillness, cleared our vision, quickened our patriotism. Men citizens, this reform is- in. your hands. You.-■•■mil have the courage: to .choose the upward and not the downward road." ■ - ■ .'-.'l ■ ■ '•'■ Organise and' Demonstrate, , "Women of New. Zealand, your sisters in Australia have voted six o'clock to protect their kindred, surely your love and your tender solicitude.for your kith and kin is not less than theirs. Women must organise, women must influence the members of Parliament to urge the Gov-, eminent to make the closing hour of hotel, bars six o'clock, or if the Cabinet cannot agree on the point, to submit the issue to the people. After all.it-is not what vthe Government wants, but what tho people want that counts. Six o'clock' closing is needed in the. interests of our national honour, our national' security, and our'.'national'well-being, and especially the moral, and physical well-being of our gallant soldier, lads, whoso welfare is of far greater importance than the vested interests of , brewers and publicans. The question is an urgent one, and prompt action is necessary. In every town and village six o'clock closing, organisations should ait once be' formed, so that the mishty voice of the people may bo heard arid heeded by the National Government and Parliament.