ALLIANCE CONVENTION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 151, 26 June 1912, Page 2

ALLIANCE CONVENTION

DECLINE IN DRUNKENNESS The twenty-sixth annual convention of the New Zealand Alliance is vow in session in Wellington. The. annual import states, inter alia, that tho reports u'om the No-licenea district* reveal an inspiring state of commercial progress. In Invercargill last, year building permits were granted to the extent of £100,000, and ono of- th© finest private hotels in the Dominion had been erected, and a new electric tram system had juet been installed, whilo there had been a remarkable decrease in drunkenneGE, drinking, and crimo generally. Equally convincing facts were given with regard to Ashburton. In the licensed areas, )»ie out of every eleven retail liquor dealore was a convicted law-breaker. Ther^ had been an increase of 1061 in the num> per of persons convicted for drunkenness in licensed areas, whilst in the eight No-license areas having Magistrate's Courts, there were only a total of 165 convictions, of which only 27 were under aw yearE of ag*. A large number of theee persons convicted in No-license districts had returned from areas under license. legislative; demands. Yesterday afternoon the convention resumed under tho chairmanship of Mr. W. E. Speight of Auckland. The first business was the. subject of "Legislative Demands and the Majority Vote," and was ably introduced by Metsurs. A. S. Adams (Dunedin) and A. H. Atkinson "(Wellington). After a lengthy discussion the following resolution was adopted :—" That this convention reaffirms its demands for the simple majority j the. abolition of the period of four years' delay in tho commg into operation of prohibition when carried j and calls upon the Government to give effect thereto at tho earliest opportu* nity, and Urges the members of tho party to organise with a view to definite political action to onforco these d«> mandft." ABOLITION OF PRIVATE BARS. Mr. R. Kennedy (Wellington) introduced tho subject of "The Abolition of Private Bars, and the Prevention of tho Employment of Unregistered Barmaido." The convention passed tho following: — "That to .give effect to tho intention of the Legislature, section <56 of the Licensing Amendment Act, 1910, be so extended as to prevent the employment of unregistered Barmaids in priva-lo bars or other foome in which liquor ie sold, as well as m public bar*." In tho evening the male delegates at tho convention were entertained at dinner at the Burlington by tho president (Mr. Wesley Spragg). Among tlio speakers at the gathering were:— The Hon. G. Laurenson, the Hon. T. Buxtoi), the Hon. J. E. Jenkineon, the Hon. 0. M. Luke, tho Hon. U. Vowlds, the Rev. J. William*, the Rev. J. Cocker, ]?rofe«soi' Pieken. and Messrs. A. S. Malcolm, M.P., % H. JBscott, M.P., A. Hams, M.P., and A. H. Atkinson.