SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 150, 26 June 1916, Page 8

SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

,;" IS IT NECESSARY?

PROTEST FROM BUSINESS AND ■:_h PROFESSIONAL MEN

DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER

■ "'''A. further step in. the consideration of the question of.-whether hotels in New | Zealand shall or shall not, should or should "riot,, be closed-at 6 p.m., -was <ta;jsen this afternoon, when a deputation of!professional and business men of Wellington fijled the V Cabinet room, and expressed! their' Views on the subject to fth'e Prime Minister (R.t. Hon. W. F. <MBssey)U "' ':./.; ■ • ■ • -The deputation, was introduced by the Hoi; A. L. Herdman. Those pre!sent, he-said, were not connected with any organisation of any kind. They (consisted of professional and commercial .men. ;j . •. . ■ ■ ■ • . NO CALL FOR THE RESTRICTION. \,;";Mr. D. M. Findlay presented to Mr. .Massey the resolution passed by a meeting of business men at^the Chamber of Commerce last' week, in opposition to ihe request for 6 o'clock closing, which it regarded as an experiment, and should •only be approached with the utmost caution and after thorough and careful investigation. "We desire to emphasise the fact that we belong to no organisation of any kind whatever. Our attitude towards the suggested experiment is 'a plague on both your houses'; that we represent the great body of opinion of a- private nature, which has a very strong feeling in regard to this question; You have, yourself expressed very much the views that run with our own in regard to this qu«etion. You have expressed ■ the ' desire that the people' of New Zealand be a sober people, and we heartily endorse • that wish. We therefore congratulate you upon being the "Premier of one of the soberest countries iii-the world. (Hear, hear.) A recent deputation claimed to represent the business and professional opinion of the rommunity. W.e desire to say that, in our opinion, that deputation had no "waiTant to so represent itself." He added that the warrant for this deputation was given by a packed meeting at the;-. Wellington Chamber of Commerce, andHtie resolution that it had passed/ 3fc .was" their belief, he said, that the agitation that; had ... been started was never required:—that it .had not been started-with.a -genuine wish for reform. 'IS "was the belief of those who formed Ijhe deputation that the agitation had ibeen instituted as a measure towards and riot as a measure of itecessity. The deputation contended ihat the proposed restriction was not Ijiistified by. circumstances. Why was it asked for? It was said that it was a matter of military-necessity, that.it was designed to bring about economic saving, "If you, after due; enquiry," said Mr. 3?indlay, "are satisfied that this is a matter of military necessity in order to win the war, you will find no stauncher supporters than those ■ present to-day and those they represent. f (Applause.) But," he added, "while 'we perfectly represent and endorse that view, we say there is manifest evidence to the contrary—that that evidence shows most clearly that there is no commercial or military necessity for such a measure." Sir) Findlay contended that present.conditions bad disclosed no serious interference with the performance of our soldiers' duties, and the statements of Camp Commandants was that there was up urgent political or military necessity for such a step as had been proposed. As .to the economic side of the question, lie doubted whether the closing of hotel bars at 6 p.m. would make any serious difference. The. strength of our econoriiic situation. was .undoubted, and, yet they were asked; to believe that,the closing of hotels at 6 p.m. was necessary to bring about economic safety. If economic saving was-.to be brought about it-would have to be brought about by something other, than haphazard methods an'ch^as were proposed by 6 o'clock closing. : He desired to impress upon the Prime Minister that the deputation represented a great .body of public opinion, which bbjectednotonly to the restriction of liberties in general but to the liberties of. the members of our Expeditionary forces. , ;i ,., _ „; . £ -THE .OLD PARROT CRY. ;'.Mr.. A. E-.-Whyte ;said .they thought tho early closing movement was just the same old parrot cry of the prohibitionist, "rfho wns seizing; a grand opportunity to :play upon the war sentiment of the rpeople. Defeated at the polls, they cared not whether, they were right or ■■wrong. They cared not what dislocation of trade ,ov value they might cause, •what loss they'inflicted upon people who, rightly or wrongly, were engaged in an <-|tablished trade." They cared only for tlleir own particular fad, "and'we give • them credit," he said;, "for being clever enough to raise this question at. a time wjhen they willbe pretty hard to beat." In the course- of subsequent remarks, •Mj. Whyte.said,: .."Economy is undoubtedly a good thing, but suppose we try ifi on the other'chap. In my opinion the drapery establishments keep many ii- man's nose closer to the grindstone unnecessarily, than all the hotels in the . country. It costs more to equip a fashionable woman than it does to feed, clothe, and educate a couple rof healthy children —an .'asset-for the.State." He objected, in detail, to the idea that drink had made our men inefficient, and he added: "Many people are influenced in favour of early closing because they have personally .witnessed a. few soldiers intoxicated. . ".'■'.' With the exception of a"few wasters the men are as temperate a crowd as you will find in any part of tlie world. . V:. Have.we any reason to be; ashamed, of-our soldiers? Have they failed us? Then why snbmit them to tliis indignity." (Applause.) '•Mr. L. A;.; "Edwards also spoke, contending, from his experience of America, that no benefit is gained by restriction of hours of closing.

;:. THE PREMIER'S RKPLY ;ln replying, the fit. Hon. W. F. Ma - Boy said the subject is now before a Parliamentary Committee. Ho did not know that he. could say anything more tlian he had."said to .the previous deputation. He was, he added, pleased to think tliat he- was' Prime Minister of one of the soberest corintries in the world. The whole question turned upon this : was '•early closing a "military necessity ov not? 1 Petitions had been presented to Parliament signed by about 100,000 people in favour of 6 o'clock closing. Those were rid.w before the M to Z Petitions Committee. So far the Committee had ilieard the evidence of tho police officials at (Wellington, but it li.td not yet taken the ■evidence of1 the military authorities. Jjate'r on, it ■would take the evidence of* the commandants of the two camps, but until the committee had considered th^~evidence and reported to Parliament, rthe Government did not intend to go airy fnrther.. The War Regulations Bill "would como before the House in due course, but it would not "be taken in Committee until the Petition Committee ftiTd reported.; -■ It . jrould be very improper for,; him, under the circumstances, to commit .the' Govern-1 merit to any course,-and-he did-not in- ' tend to do so. He '- wiahed, to correct a possible impression that other deputations: r had the opinion that soldiers generally were more than usually j

addicted to -drunkenness. That was not so. What they said was that to prevent the soldier obtaining liquor after 6 p.m. would; increase his efficiency.' He (Mr. Massey) did not intend to express any opinion. All he could say was that the proposal would be treated with due thought and proper deliberation. (Applause.)