SIX O'CLOCK?

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 136, 8 June 1917, Page 3

SIX O'CLOCK?

EARLY CLOSING PROPOSAL

ENDORSED BY CITIZENS'

MEETING

BIG GATHERING IN TOWN HALL.

DRINK AND NATIONAL EFFI-

CIENCY.

Much enthusiasm was demonstrated j b]y the very largo audience which assembled in the Town Hall last evening to listen to the addresses of .advocates of 6 o'clock closing of hotels. The meeting was convened by the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke, C.M.G.) in response to the request of a deputation of citizens. A noticeable feature was the very large numbe\ of ladies present. The Mayor presided. The gathering was a. very orderly one, with only a few minor interjections. Proceedings opened with the singing of the National Anthem. "NOT A POLITICAL MEETING." In his opening remarks Mr. Luke, who was received with applause, said he felt that he was on solid ground in I having acceded to the. request of an I I influential deputation which asked him to call a public meeting to consider the j necessity of closing public bars at 6 p.m. (Applause.) They were not there aa politicians, it was not a political or a sectional meeting, and .the motions to be submitted were based on considerations of what was best for the community. He would not allow amendments to be moved, but he would admit discussion, as long as it was to the point. They were there in the cause of na- j tional efficiency, without consideration of how it would affect the individual. He did not consider the matter from the point of view of the soldiers, who had not lost their civil rights because they donned khaki, but they were there to consider the question from the point of view of how it would affect everybody. They had no right to fritter away the wealth of the Dominion., all of which might be required later on. (Applause.) ' LIQUOR v. EFFICIENCY Dr. Newman moved the first motion, which was aa follows:— "That this meeting of the citizens of Wellington is of opinion, that in order to ensure an early and successful issue to the war, by our Allies and ourselves,' every effort on our part must be put forth to the one end—Win the War. Therefore: It has become a national necessity to secure the maximum of efficiency in military, commercial industrial, and social affairs, and also to reduce unneces- | .sary expenditure to a minimum. And, being convinced that the restriction of the hours for the sale of intoxicating liquors would assist in these directions more than any other single reform, urgently requests the Government to prepare and introduce into Parliament, at the earliest possible date, a Bill to reduce the hours, during which alcoholic liquor may be sold to the hours between 8 o'clock a.m. and 6 o'clock p.m. ; and to use every effort to have the Bill passed, and brought into effect without delay;" ' Its reading was received with applause. Df. Newman, in 6peaking to the motion,, said he was convinced that there was an overwhelming body of public opinion in favour ,of .6 o'clock closing. Last year 100,000 people signed petitions to Parliament in favour of such a couree. Parliament, however, did nothing, and the majority of the Coalition Ministry was against them.in advocating a change. Then there was a suggestion that there should be a referendum. A voice: You can't have a referendum on this until you have had a referendum on the subject of conscription. A PETITION TO PARLIAMENT. Dr. Newman went on to say that a larger petition than ever would be presented to Parliament during the coining session, and he believed that greater consideration would be paid to their representations than in the past. Two Ministers and several members had been at Home" for some months, and they would be able to instruct their fellow members on the subject under discussion. Now Zealand was the most backward of all countries during the war in regard ! to the sale of alcoholic liquor. At Home i t i.was amazed to find how determined l! q people were that there should be las drinking, which affected the supply of munitions and the efficiency, of the Forces. Headed by the King, thousands , and thousands of people took the pledge, thousands of hotels had been closed, and in many areas liquor was only sold during very decreased hours. The result was a very big fall in the number of arrests for drunkenness and assaults, and he, believed that the'results now being obtained would not close with the end of the war. One reason why they were asking for early closing was that during the two years of the war statistics showed that there had been more convictions for drunkenness than previously. They had to practice economy and efficiency; the war could not close until next year, and the way to arrive at economy and efficiency was to "do it now." When he thought of the way in which our boys were fighting at the" front and the way in which we were living in carelessness and riotousness, he felt that it was time we called a halt; We must be all out to win, and not until we had purged ourselves of these evils could we achieve that "righteousness that exalteth a nation." (Applause.) A PAEAMOUNT DUTY. Mr. John Hutcheson, in seconding the first resolution, stated that in such times as the people, were passing through it was a fine thing to see the , interest (a,s indicated by the large audience) taken in the proposal. But the strange thing about it was that there was so much stress and turmoil about carrying out a paramount duty. The j arch-fiend of Prussian militarism had to j be exorcised before we could say we j had won this war. How was the war going to end? By national efficiency. We must find a machine which would match and overmaster the German military machine. The only way to do this was by universal national efficiency. Only national efficiency and economy j in every part of the Empire could give us cause to say that we had done our best. Was there such a stumbling block as strong drinK? The surest way of knocking a man over was to give him whisky, especially when he was in an exhausted state. "He knew something about the ship-building industry and he knew of the harm caused by the drink traffic. It was only a short while now before tlie married men would have to go, and the "old brigade" would be called out. He was told -that if six o'clock closing were introduced it would iDJure the Trade and others said that'it would make no difference. When things had come to such a state were the people going to be so concerned about three hours of th© publicans' time? If the hotels were closed at six o'clock ho did not think it would be necessary to open the wet canteens. (Applause). The thing had been co often argued, and was so threadbare, that he had to make apology for again referring to it. The fact that strong drink was weakening national efficiency all over the world tiad been proved everywhere. " It would melt the heart of a stone

to hear some of the ghastly tales about the women and children of those who are going away and coming back," said Mr. Hutcheson, after referring to the fact that he was a member of the WaiRelief Association. At the close of his remarks tho speaker was londly applauded. THE MODERATE. VIEW. In supporting the motion, Mr. C. B. Morison, K.C., spoke from the point of view of 2 moderate drinker. He believed if they could tell the Trade that they would not be the losers by 6 o'clock closing there would be no opposition. One of the results of war was that the ordinary rules governing private rights as against the public interests ceased to exist-. He knew that some members of the Trade were doing their best to help the Government, and if 6 o'clock closing was brought in they would have to take steps to close those dens of iniquity- where the young soldier suffered more harm than in any open bar. (Applause.) The whole question was one of profit and loss, and the question of profit and los 3as between tho Trade and the State had to go by the board just as the question of the lives of our young men went by the board when they went to the front. A voice : What about the clubs? Mr. Morison : The clubs will have to, shut up in the same way as the hotels. (Applause.) Continuing, he said that he would stop the bottle- trade absolutely, and that before a person could purchase liquor in bulk he should be made to produce a certificate that he was a person of reputable character. That would be no worse than the regulation under which a man had to pet a' certificate before he could be sold a dozen pearifle cartridges to enable him to shoot rats. The anti-shouting law had been a hideous failure. (Laughter and applause.) What they should do was to invite the brewers to make a- sacrifice in favour of the hotelkeepers. What would that sacrifice be compared with the sacrifice being made every day by thousands of mothers in New Zealand? (Applause.) The motion was then put to the meet* ing. and carried amid tumultuous applause. DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. Mr. A. Leigh Hunt then moved the second motion, which read as follows: — "That his Worship the Mayor be requested to forward a copy of the resolution just passed to the ActingPrime Minister, Sir James Allen, ■ X.C.8., and to ask that he name a time for a deputation from this meeting, to lay Before him in detail the desires of this meeting." The mover stated that ho had, since he was a boy, watched with very keen interest the politics of this country, but he had never been so disappointed as ho was with the wicked weakness of the National Government. But he believed that the people got the kind of government which they desired. At a time like the present, when the fate of the. Empire was trembling in the balance, they should stand by anything that was going to help win the war. The drink traffic held no place in any business of the present date. ■ A voice : Then give up the business. (Laughter.) Mr; Hunt : Give up the drink, my friend, and carry on an efficient business. Tho speaker then went on to urge national economy. The people, he said, did not seem to realise the seriousness of the war. If the trade routes were blocked for a while and Old Britain's trade were cut off for a time, it seemed to him that we would realise the paradise we had been living in. (Warm applause.) The motion was seconded by Mr. H. C- South, who remarked that nearly all the injuries due to alcoholic liquor occurred after 6 o'clock at night. They did not ask, they demanded, this measure of reform, because they believed it was necessary in the interests ■ of national efficiency. What, he asked, was the use of having dry camps when, at the end of tho week, there were open bars and a corresponding decrease of military efficiency? New Zealand spent about £7,000,----000 a year in strong drink, and the war was costing us £1,000,000 a month. They did not want to cut out the Trade altogether; all they asked was that, as a war measure, they should restrict a trade which, they declared, affected the safety of the nation, and which had preference over every other trade. They called upon the Government to carry out the wishes of the people (Applause.) SOME OPPOSITION. An unexpected development was caused at this stage when Mr. C. Seal, a member of the audience and a returned soldier, rose to his feet to oppose the motion. He was invited <on to the platform by the Mayor, and, in the course of his remarks, stated that if all the hotels were closed altogether it would not help to v;in the war. Referring to the position of affairs in Egypt, he stated that the soldiers there did not go to Cairo to.drink-the 'rotten beer" there, but had the liquor at the wet canteens. He said that while those who termed themselves "moderate" drinkers could have their stocks in their cellars, the working man would' not be able to partake of a drink when he left off work if tho hotels were closed at 6 o'clock. ■ The motion was then put to the meeting and carried by acclamation. Dr. Newman moved a vote of thanks to the Mayor. It was carried unanimously, and the meeting concluded with the of "God Save the King," and threo cheers for the organist (Mr. H. Temple White).