SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3072, 7 May 1917, Page 6

SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

ACTING PRIME MINISTER HECKLED

LIVELY MEETING IN MJNEDIN

The speakers ill. I.lw citi/iuis' lieputaI Hon to Sir James Alli>n, at Dunedin, on Friday, urging the cloning of licensed houses at 0 p.m., wn-o the Hon. J. M'Gregor, Dean KilchctL, Messrs. F. Jones, P. R. Sargooil, i'otor Barr, and the Revs. A. Cameron .and W. A. Hay. In his reply tho Minister said that mention had been made of tho length of timo his two colleagues had been away from the Dominion, and rather discouraging references had been made. Ho wished to disassociate himself from any such reference. The Leader of the House and Sir Joseph Ward left hero on a mission because their services were required, and they had been of enormous service to the Dominion, because they ivefo at Home. (Applause,) Ho wished to make,it perfectly clear that he did not sympathise with the remarks made. They wore unjustifiable and unfair to his two colleagues, who wero not here to defend themselves. Reference had been made to some remarks ho had made about economy. He repeated these remarks. It was a time lor economy. Ho wished to explain what kind of economy ho ,wa3 particularly referring to. Ho was' not so much referring to the economy of items that could be produced in New Zealand, but to the items they had to import; In his mind at the time was coal. Tho coal produced in this country had not been what it should have been'. Ho also referred to the importation of oil, and he warned the people at once that there must be a restriction of the use of oil for any other than necessary purposes. He further said that there must be a reduction in the use of paper. He also referred to bread, aiid said" that there was not sufficient Wheat produced last year to supply the needs of the country, and it was necessary to import from outside. There miglit be a difficulty in getting wheat and flour to Now Zealand, and therefore he asked the people to exercise reasonable economy witb regard to bread and the use of flour and wheat. He came next to the question of liquor. (Applause.) He believed there was grave necessity to'/ exercise economy with regard to liquor—(applause)—and he made the same appeal to those who consumed liquor as he made to tho3e who used coal and other things. It was a personal matter, in the first instance, that .each individual should impose upon himself restrictions and limit the use of such things as were not essential. (Voices: No.) He was sorry for the person who said it was not right for the individual to impose restrictions upon himself in the use of liquor,-and ho did not agree with anyono who took up that attitude. Ho asked the individual to restrict his glass of beer. —(A voice: He can't if ho is half drunk.) —If the deputation wcro there to tell him a man had to bo forced to restrict himself—(applause)—and that there was no sounder process hy which tho restriction could take place, they were despising one of tho most serious elements in the whole problem—self-control. They had asked him to give a reply in a few days as to whether the Government would introduco legislation to restrict tho hours to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. He was not able to give them that answer. It was a. matter for the Government, and perhaps ior Parliament to deal with.

A voice: You can stop the trains in a day. (Applause.) Tho Minister said the Government could stop tho trains in a day because they had tho power to do it, but they could not control tho hours of selling liquor in a day. A voice: It is a war measure. i The Minister said the Government did not possess tho necessary power. There was a -law on the Statute Book which ruled the Government as it ruled everybody else. Who is the Boss? A voice: And who is the boss? Tho Minister said the people of the country and Parliament weio the bosses. (Applause.)' ' A voice: What about tho referendum ? The Minister said a referendum could not bo taken with Parliament. A voice: Dissolve Parliament. (Applause.) The Minister said the only assurance lie could give the deputations was that what they had impressively put betoro him, ho would as impressively put bclore his colleagues in Cabinet. A voice: Will you support it? (Applause.) Tho Minister said he would give a straight-out answer to a straight-out question. He supported a reduction of hours last session. They did not agreo in Cabinet, nor did the House agree, nor did the people agree. The question \was; Who was in the majority!' Last year tliey made an arrangement in Cabinet which enabled him, without breaking up the Cabinet, to vote for 9 o'clock. He would have preferred another hour than 9 o'clock. So tar as he was concerned he •rould hold the right to vote for a reduction in the hours for the. sale of liquor when the question came up again. He had to consider to some extent the wishes of his colleagues.

A voice: Cabinet ought to be unanimous. ,

Tho Minister was afraid they would not get Cabinet unanimous. At any rate, it would not be fair to ask Cabinet to give an answer in a few days in tho absence of Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward. Voices: Oh! Oh I

The Minister-went on to say that ho would put the matter before the Cabinet as it bad been put before him. He would tell the Cabinet that he was very much impressed with the denutation. In regard to the question of the cost of living, referred to by Mr. Jones, everybody knew that it was a difficult question'to deal with. The Government bad done, a good deal in regard to meat, butter, (lour, and bread. The Government was now supplying moat at tho Imperial prices to butchers, and in one district had set up its own shops to compete with the butchers, with the result that the price of meat had been reduced in some parts, of New Zealand. With regard to butter, the Government had controlled its price. In regard to wheat, they had not produced enough for their own flour and broad consumption, but they had been guaranteed a certain amount of wheat, which would enable them to keep a certain price on broad. They had had a difficulty in getting wheat from outside. Mr. Barr referred to the carriage, of goods from the South Island to the'' 1 North. Ho understood from Mr. Bavr's assertion that necessary goods had been held over and not shipped ' for transport because beer and liquor had found a prior place in the ship. He did 1 not know of any such cases. If it was correct, it was absolutely wrong, and whatever power tho Government had to stop it would bo used in that •direction. (Applause.) Then, with regard to tho railways, he understood the assertion ...was that ploughs were not being carried on tho railways, anil beer was being carried. Ploughs were ! carried on the railways if reouired for i agricultural purposes, but they were i not allowed to be carried if (bey were

j to bn piled up in merchants' shops for I profit. Would Mr. Rarr or anyone else j 101 l him if beer had boon carried on i the raihvavs to the exclusion of ] ploughs? Who could say that had been done ?

Boer Before Other Things. A voice: It has appeared in the papers, i

The Minister sjiwl- ho "id not carewhat appeared in tho puix-rs. Mr. D. C. Cameron said ho know that Reid and Gray's ploughs hiid been refused. They wcro nbsoliilcly turned down, and tho Roods agent had assured him if it had been beer ho would take it. (Applause.) The Minister: What is tho name of tho fioods agentP (Laughter.) Mr. D. Todd Said lift had been told bv a well-known carrier, who had a large business, that on the Monday when the restrictions canio into forco lie took some sacks of wheat seed and flour' to the railway. They took tho lloul-, hut refused the seed wheat, and tho next load that came along was beer, which was sent forward. The Minister said he would inquire into these matters. If it was true that beer was being carried to tho exclusion of necessary goods, it would bo stopped. In regard to what had happened in Dunedin, it had been found on inquiry that casks supposed to havo contained" beer were empty casks sent to take tallow. , The Rev. Mr. Kilpatrick said that the Minister had omitted to mention the second part of tho 'Presbytery' b resolution—the salo of intoxicating liquor to men in the King's uniform. Mr. Allen had absolute power to deal with that matter. The Minister said, as Minister of Defence, the soldiers were in his special charge, and he was not prepared io make a difference between tho soldier and the civilian. If the civilian was prepared to deny himself, then he would make no distinction. He was not prepared to make the soldier a child or put him on a different footing from other members of tho community. Mr. .Tones said the Minister had stated that tho Government was taking action with regard to the cost of living. How was it, then, that the Government Statistician's figures proved that the cost of living was gradually .rising, and had risen since tho becinning of the war? The Minister said the Government was limiting the cost of living ns far as possible, but in a time of war the cost of living always went up. This terminated the proceedings.