LIQUOR TRAFFIC

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 248, 15 July 1932, Page 10

LIQUOR TRAFFIC

Fight for Prohibition ALLIANCE’S CAMPAIGN Rev. J. R. Blanchard’s Views “Appetite, greed, and criminality have always been an unholy trinity to frustrate again and again measures for the emancipatiou of mankind from ageold evils. But we, who know that righteousness shall triumph, will return again and yet again to the fight until the enlightened minds and awakened consciences of a thoroughly aroused people shall declare the dawn of a new day when the curse shall be lifted and the traffic in liquor shall be no more.” „ T t? With those words, the Rev. J. it. Blanchard, of Wellington, concluded his presidential address yesterday to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Alliance for Abolition of Liquor Traffic. He said that "science, the humanitarian spirit and moral justification, were on the Alliance’s side. “As an organisation,” he said, we stand for abolition of the liquor traffic by the direct vote of the people. Having left the decision, in the hands of the people, and wisely so, we must meantime suffer a national policy which is partly financed by revenues derived from this traffic in intoxicating liquor. But we shall never cease proclaiming that such revenue derived from the known degradation, misery, and ruin of a section of the community, is tainted revenue; and that to derive revenue in such a way is a betrayal of those Christian principles upon which we boast that our national fife is founded. Challenge, Not Defeat. “Neither shall we cease striving, firstly, to make known the unshakeable body of scientific truth which reveals the alcohol-drinking habit as definitely injurious, and secondly, to win over an overwhelming body of public opinion in favoiir of abolishing a traffic which is opposed in every way to the welfare of the nation. . “We recognise that in recent years there has been an adverse development in the votes recorded by the people of New Zealand on this question, Mr. Blanchard said. “But we take that not as a defeat, but as a challenge to enter upon a wise, far-seeing, and determined policy of public education. “As an organisation we have had our vicissitudes and are not yet through all our difficulties. But we are greatly encouraged by the fact that, despite economic depression, we are to-day in an incomparably better position fl nan " daily than we were after the polls of 1925 and 1928. This has been made possible only by the heroic devotion and self-sacrifice of those who, without anything to gain for themselves, have sustained this great warfare of emancipation in New Zealand for the past sixty years. Educational Activity. “Some of the Dominion’s best men and women have given much of life and substance to this crusade, the moral conviction and spiritual passion at the heart of which has produced immortal examples of valour and generosity. That spirit still moves us. “With the end of accumulated Hablllties of past years in sight, and the purpose firm within us then to devote the entire income of the movement to the prosecution of educational activity, we are confident that funds will not be lacking to enable us to take the field in force once more with a policy which faces the facts of the situation and a determination to carry our flag to final victory.” PUBLIC DISCUSSION Is Abolition Inevitable? NONE SUPPORTS NEGATIVE A number of interested persons responded to the invitation issued by the New Zealand Alliance to discuss the question, “Is Abolition Inevitable? in the conference hall of the Dominion Farmers’ Institute last night. The Rev. J. Lopdell, who presided, said he was sorry not to see a larger attendance. Opening for the affirmative, .the Lev. J. K. Blanchard, president of the New Zealand Alliance, said that the record of mankind was strewn with the wrecks of institutions and customs which in their day were held to be necessary. Slavery, the duel, and similar customs had been held to be useful, but they had passed away. Because the liquor traffic was not founded upon truth, he believed it was bound to perish. Alcohol was not a food, and, therefore. Its necessity for the human frame was not the truth. Medical science had awakened to'the fact that alcohol was not so efficacious in sickness as had at one time been believed. New Zealand was creating _ drunkards at the rate of six a day, continued Mr. Blanchard. Wine at weddings, cocktail parties and liquor at dances were helping toward this end. Could anyone say that a commodity which was creating drunkards at sueh a rate was a good thing? Liquor was bound up with thedeeper.evi.s of life Directly or indirectly the liquor trade was teaching the girls of New Zealand to drink The drinking habits of the people of the Dominion had undergone a revolution One saw to-day far more men in the tearooms than in the past He predicted that there would come a revulsion of public feeling against alcohol. Christ had said, “Every plant winch my heavenly Father hatli not planted shall be rooted up.” He could not see how the hand of God could have come in anywhere to plant the liquor trade. “I told you this would happen, said Rev L. M- Isitt. when no reply was forthcoming to an invitation to support the negative. “No one.” he said, “can he found to stand up and defend this wretched. rotten liquor traffic.” Mr. J. Malton Murray, secretary of the New Zealand Alliance, said that if prohibition was defeated in the United States of America, it would not be the fault of the prohibition law, but because of the want of morality on the part of the higher strata of society. Mr. C. Todd said he had visited the United States many times, and it was amazinlig the improvement which prohibition had wrought in the country. He had seen more drunken men on Christmas Eve in Dunedin that he had seen in passing through the States. The great body of the right-thinking people in America were not going back on prohibition. Mr Blanchard, in answering questions, said the New Zealand Alliance had endeavoured to have legislation passed *o prevent advertisements stating that alcohol was a tonic for the human system. The journal of the British Medical Association had refused to accept such advertisements. The liquor trade had been icgnlised, and it could only be delegalised by the awakening of public conscience The liquor traffic would not be abolished automatically. but by the energetic action of consecrated men and women who would gird themselves to the task of arousing public conscience. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Blanchard by acclamation. The meeting closed with the singing of the National Anthem. j