A PROHIBITION RALLY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 69, 15 December 1919, Page 12

A PROHIBITION RALLY

——+ BIG MEETING IN THE TOWN HALL FACTS FROM AMERICA (Extended Report Published by Arrangement.) A prohibition "rally" was held in the : Town Hall iarft nighi. Tho hall was filled i in all parts, and tho proceedings were • marked by a considerable amount of enthusiasm. Mr. W. D. Hunt, who was in t'ho chair, introduced the speakers of tho evening, i He said that''the pull to be taken on 1 Wednesday next provided three issues, and it diiferedln important respects lrom ' the poll tSXen last April. The issue.were: Continuance, State purchase and ■ ownership, and prohibition without compensation. A single issue had to sccure : more than half the votes polled in order '. to be carried, ami if no issue was car- ' ricd continuance was to win. This was a very good arrangement for continuance and a very unfair handicap for the other issues. Imagine the position at a l'ar- ' liamentary election if the sitting member was entitled to retain the seat unless one i of the other candidates secured more I than half the total votes polled! The price to. be paid for the liquor interests I if State control were carried was to be. | assessed by Courts of Compensation. Mr. j Hunt explained how the price was to i be determined, and said that the limitations imposed in connection wi'th the prohibition with compensation issue at the April poll no longer existed. The amount of compensation to be paid it prohibition was carried at thn special poll was not to exceed .£4,500,000. But ; if State purchase was carried _ at the impending poll there was no limit at all to the amount of compensation. The country was to pay the full value of all i the liquor interests, plus two years', pro-' fits, in compensation for loss of trade. The trade would demand -that the basis of valuation should Ik the present coat of building. This would be a splendid financial win for tho trade. 'Tub Dominion* ho felt sure had been well within the mark in estimat.ng the amount of compensation that would have ■ to be paid at not less than 000,000 or .£20,009,000. This money voukl have to be paid in cash, and it would havo to lie raised within New Zealand, where all the available money was required for development and reconstruction. Did the electors want to buy the liquor trade more than they wanted to provide themselves with hydro-electric power, railways, roads, an 1 houses? The liquor trade, evidently had great faith in its ability to win by means of the unfair three-cornered issue. The liquor interests had thought their .position so safe under this arrangement that they had turned down the £i,500,000 compensation ' offered 1 . ihem iu April last. Their chief argument addressed to the electors then had been: "Why spend JE4,500,000 when you call get prohibition for nothing by voting continuance now and then . voting prohibition at tho .next poll?" ...The tiiie for the next poll had coiuc,' and he believed the people of New Zealand were going to take tho trade's advice. Tiiey couid vote prohibition on Wednesday next and get it for' nothing. ! ;"If- , ;they did this it would be a joke that the trade might not appreciate, but that would lie highly amusing to the people _who had seen the trade's tactics at the ..time of the special licensing poll. , K" The Rev. John Dawson, who was received with applause, said, that the pro.Qhibition cause was no longer ai between a few prohibitionists and a tow ifjjbruwerSi • It had become a national and an international question. The Peace fjii'reaty, which had occupied some of the ft best brains of tho world for several 15 months, called upon nations which took mandate.? over weaker nations to pro- ! Ctect those nations from arms and alcohol. It was largely in consequenco )of that decision that the Paraament i'of New Zealand had ruled that Samoa should ■ be ~.a prohibition area-.. A few -white men were protesting that they ' ■ ought not .to bo prohibited .as well as tho natives,' biit the Government' 1 had done the right and consistent thing. He felt that what was good' and necessary ■ for Samoa would be of tho greatest benefit to New Zealand. Mr. Dawson said he had been able recently to see the operation of '.prohibition . in , soma other lands. Tliere was sufficient ovidenco available in New Zealand to justify tho abolition of the liquor traffic, It was his experience and observation. in America, Hawaii, and Canada "that prohibition was a practical reform, elt'cctivo in operation and offering ihe only real method of overcoming tho evils of the liquor trade. America had - tried State control, the dispensary system, high license, low license, and many other devices, and it hnd reached the final decision of absolute, prohibition of tho<ffianufacturo, sale,- and transport of alcoholic liquor. The reform had been shown on tho strongest possible evidence to work, effectively wherever it frasi'tried. Canada had nine provinces, and eight of them were dry. The other provinco, Quebec,'was wet. to the extent of .permitting the sale of weak beer, containing 2J per cent, of alcohol. But this arrangement was not satisfactory to anybody in Quebeo. The prohibitionists thought the percentage was too high, and the drinkers said the weak liquor had not enough "kick" in it to be worth while. Thn other eight provinces were satisfied. Many fake stories were being, told by the supporters of the trade, but this' facts could not be disproved. Saskatchewan had tried a form of State control, but after eighteen months' experience the people had voted out that systom and adopted provincial prohiVtion by a three to ono vote. The testimony ot' tho lending men of .that great province was that tile change had 'broiwlit enormous benefit to the country. Tho Minister for Financo for Saskatchewan said that tho State revenue had not suffered at. all. The revenue came in ius 1 * ttio .came through other sources. Mr. Dawson quoted also the case of Ontario, where the Government had (riven prohibition by legislation during the war, with a promise of an after-war referendum on I the question. The people at that referendum had endorsed prohibition and. had rejected proposals for tho sale of weak 'beer and for tho sale of liquor in special depots.for borne consumption. The people mado this decision after three years' experience of prohibition, and they pivo a majority of over 400,000 votes for tho prohibition law and of over 200.000 votes a.gainst the other props,ils. That was testimony that should influence the New Zealand voters, It had been suggested that the prohibition law was not enforced. The evidence showed that it was enforced as fully as other laws of tho land. The people of Wellington liad read a statement purporting to como from the pen of Senator Bradbury, who was alleged to have said that in Toronto tho administration of the law was almost impossible. and that 1,200,000 dollars had been collected in fines for breaches of the prohibition law. This statement was not supported by fact. Tho fines imposed for such breaches in the year ended April last had amounted to 142,#0 dollars,, end if this rate had been maintained for'tho three years during which the prohibition law had operated the total would be only 426,000 dollars. Mr. Daw?on added that ho placed- no rclianco on fitrurcs produced by the liquor trade. Another statement niade by the trado was to the <>ITcot that Sir Charles Tupper'had said that since the prohibition "law was prmiiiilrate'l Ihe police force had been largely increased, "blind piss" and "'hoot Teirging" e«(abli=hments had come in to being, and corruption and dis!'Oii"?tv had been dwlnp. od. Tt wns a facti lliat. some elTorl= at sly grog-selling had bt'cn made. 'Ihe offenders had bei'n the men connected with tho liquor trade. Bu! (in i ■■ ■■ Tuppcr, of British Columbia, had cabled in reply to these statements: Provincial po.ice wductd 25 pel cent, by virtue ol prohibition. Criimgreatly reduced, many gaols cio-o.i. The iestiincny of Canada as shown ir the vote ol' Octulier last was coiiciinive as to the success of proliib.tion m a country that had tried it. Canada iiad shown that a big country and a big city could be happy and pwspirous witii out tioaze. The vcrdict of a majority of thi American States had b=on similar'.v u ini OKiciTj'iist r lii'U" ifijoije prohibition came into force and had. sei'n,,.Ui<?.,.de?iiorate .«|Tor„ts p£ the. ;•{ trad)! 1 " to convince the pontile-that ib'c'y" .'■j coulipnOt/jtvo 'or "die without atcf/'hol. [ It itfils' not'' U'iifi 'ihat Oluo'.had repealed

prohibition. A referendum had been taken lsist November, mill the people had then endorsed prohibition by a largely increased mitjorily. They also voted against a proposal to permit tho salo of 21 per cent. beer. They had refused lo endorso a certain law for the ■ enforcement of the prohibition law. Their decision on the question of ratifying national prohibition wns still in doubt. But ill any caso national prohibition would come into force in tho United States on January 1G next lo abide for ever. Referring 'to tho causes that bail induced the United States to go dry. Mr. Dawson said that an important factor had been education. For twentv-fivc years the children in the American schools had boon lausrht what alcohol was and what j.t did. The young people had grown lip with their em opened, and tlwy had gono to the ballot box with intelligence and patriotism. Prohibition would have been carried in the United States if it had been ratified bv 3ti States. It had Actually been ratified by 45 States out of the 18, and there would be no reversing of 'that decision. The trade was out for (rood as far as fie Americavi nation was concerned. Another factor in putting it out hnd been Labour'. The trade had assumed that it had tho workers in the, Mlow of .its 'mud. and had safil that if n-ohibition was carried there would be revolution. But no revolution had come, and new tho trail" was quoting the old pre-dir-tinna of' February last as if t'-ev were Hie latest news from America. The American workers had not declared against prohiVt'on, and tliev had n n t attempted to wreck it. Mr. Se.nnwl Compers. the gmat American Tflbour leader, had said refillitelv that '>e would not sav that inrivtrhl trou** 1 " any State had been caused by. TT A was not a. prohiV+ionist hrwlf. hut lie had said IHt oliT'i ip r>linn of spirituous liquor f'-om the lives of the wovWs of America had been a w'se contribution to sncipl welfare. ,! r. Gomoors h.i'l asked the labour unions to petition flomrrws for the repeal of war-tin l " prohibition, i'lm niirabe- of. unions that -"spend-d lui-l Veil 417 nut of over 2WI. The I'tbpi nniniis refuse'' to boo"! bonze. The Tlmted States, freed from f'e handicap of l'ftuor, wa.s o-niiw to enter upon a peiiod of and prosiyritv such as Hie world had 'never seen before. New Zealand had an nppo>'tnn : tv to follow \merica's The Tov. R. S. G r av read the followin" c.<iblo"rn.m. '"veived that day from the united States: • Kansas had prohibition for th'Ttyeiirlit years. No sentiment in favour of return of the saloon- Prohibition laws not -violated aw more than other laws. BiHness interests and hulks unanimously agree prohibition grc.at benefit. Every -TWice of Snorejne Court. _ State officials, labour unions, morlical associations and 95 ner cent, of the neonle endorse without reservation prohibHion. The i.p.eici.'ihire endorse nrohiliition and lstifK! national prohibition unanimously. Tins mowage was signed bv the Governor of Kansas.' the State Labour flommifsioner and other officials and citizens. Air. Gray proceeded to t«v that the Honor trade had "got the wind un" and had reason for its feelings. He invited a resnonso from people, who wer» ready ti donate various sums towards the campaign. 'Mr. W. D.'B. Crenirh. of Sydney, spokn of the old davs when he was "a pug.," and assured the audience that he - was willing to make as good a fight for prohibition as ho ever had made in the tiling. Ho had como to New Zealand to ask the.people, in the name of God and humanity, to wipe out the liquor trade and so give the Australians a good start in their battle. The liquor trade ought to bo grateful, to the prohihitionists, because the prohibitionists were struggling to make tho liquor peoDle more respectable—to get. them out of a dirty business.. Hp had not always been a prohibitionist. ITo had been a heavy drinker (luring l many years of his l'fe. Ho had been a good friend of booze, and ho had :found that.it was When a man was a pal of boozo that the liquor got its dirty work in. He mentioned thatKhartoum had been faken from tho Dervishes, without any rum : ssue. He himself, had been one of the soldiers who cursed the late Lord Kitchener for denying the men what they considered to-be their fights, but tho areat general had no doubt about his estimate of the worth 'of lienor. Mr. Creagh fppoaled to tho aiid : ence to give the men and women addicted to drink—he had be»h one of them once—a chance to lift themselves Ont of the- evil surroundings into which they had fallen. It was :io good telling people of that kind to five up the "booze." They could not do it. But. the people who, were not _tied_ hand and foot to the trade could give it lip, and in so doing they could give freedom the victims of alcohol. His own experiences as a missioner in Sydney hail 'shown,him tho horror and misery that were born of alcohol. He hnd preached temperance and had induced ihousnnds of men. to sign the pledge. He had seen the crime record of "booze." But he knew well that only a few of those men in keeping their pledges, and he felt that the real remedy was to .'remove tho trade, that kid pitfalls for them. Mr, Creagh referred to pomo of his einnrienees a? a boxer and drinking man. lie d'd not blame the young chant, he said; for' dislikiii.z prohibition. He had dono that himself in other davs. But lie could tell the "snorts" that there wns nothing in tho boozo for thorn, and .that there was a very ereat deal in pioh ; bition for many a littln child and ma.ny an unhappy woman. He described vividly an act of drunken brutality tha.t resulted in the death of a mother and a new-horn baby. "That is what booze will do for many happv home* if you leave it here," he said. "For God's sake wipe it out." (Applause.)