AGAINST CANTEENS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 136, 6 December 1909, Page 2

AGAINST CANTEENS.

PROTESTS BY CHURCHES. FROM PULPITS AND CONGREGATIONS. A pibvision^in the new Defence Bill, allowing canteens at military camps, roused the New Zealand Alliance to action, and it placed itself in communication with various churches in this city and throughout New Zealand, asking that a -protest should be made on Sunday against the proposal. The Alliance contends that, as military camps are to be formed in connection with tho compulsory training movement, as distinct from volunteer training, it objects strongly that an individual should haye 1 power to say whether or not drinking should be allowed in the camp or canteen. The position, as one preacher put it yesterday, is that, if training "is to be compulsory, drinking need not be also. In response to the request oi the Alliance, the matter was mentioned in a number of city and suburban churches yesterday, and pulpit and congregational protests were made. At the Webb-stree^ Primitive 7\le£hodist Church, a resolution was carried protesting against /the proposal, *a^ the conj gregation " believed that the sale of alcohol as a beverage always makes [ against what shduld be the interests of an enlightened defence measure, to conserve law and order, and the moral and physical stamina of the ranks." lhe resolution also expressed the opinion that such a provision would do violence to the deepest convictions of a large majority of the young men oligible for service; that no age limit restricting the use of canteens to those over 21 years of age would be workable or acceptable, and that the proposal was in direct opposition to the will of the electors of the Dominion as indicated by the figures of the last local option poll. The Vivian-street Baptists.Berhampore Baptists, Primitive Methodsits (Donald M'Lean-street and Northland (Methodists (Karori and Thorndon), Church of Christ (Vivian-street), Congregationalists, and other bodies also carried similar resolutions. ACTION ELSEWHERE. \ [BI TELEGRAPH— PRESS ASSOCIATION.] AUCKLAND, This Day. On Saturday, local ministers received telegrams from Mr. T. E. Taylor, on behalf of the New Zealand Alliance, requesting them at the Sunday services to have resolutions passed protesting against, the proposal in the Defence Bill for obtaining intoxicants in canteens in military camps. In most cases the request was acceded to, and stronglyworded resolutions were passed by the congregations. • * CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. In all non-episcopal churches in the city And suburbs, and also at the Young Men's Christian Association, resolutions were passed yesterday condemning and protesting against the establishment of canteens at military training camps, aa proposed in the Defence Bill. The resolutions were passed unanimously- by large congregations. This morning the papers contain letters to the editors, both for and against canteens— mostly against. The only strong one in favour is from a member of one of the South African contingents. AUSTRALIAN SENATE AND r JtfE CANTEEN. AN AMENDMENT. By Telegraph .—Press Association.-ktopyrigUfc, (Received December 6, 10.4 a.m.) MELBOURNE, This I>ay. The Federal Senate amended the clause in the Defence Bill prohibiting canteens, by prohibiting the sale of liquor during training camps. The effect is to leave the barrack canteen as at present. The House concurred in the amend* ment.