PLATFORM CAMPAIGN OPENED

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 115, 12 November 1919, Page 9

PLATFORM CAMPAIGN OPENED

PUBLIC MEETING AT NEWTOWN

The local Prohibition campaign—the second this year —was opened last night, when three public meetings were held in the city. At St. Thomas's Hall, Newtown, the speakers were Captain Hawkins and Mr. A. R. Atkinson. The Rev W. Fancourt presided, and there was an attendance of about eighty people. The Ghairman said that, although the present campaign was the second this year, they all hoped that it would be the last in the great fight. Regarding his own participation in the campaign, Mr. Fancourt stated that he had not entered into the battle suddenly, but only after years of careful thought and after ha had been convinced that Prohibition was worthy of a fair trial. He appealed to the moderates to show a spirit of self-sacrifice, if self-sacrifice it could be termed, and vote for Prohibition. Captain Hawkins stated that, although, the last poll was not successful, it was by no' means fruitless. They had succeeded in killing several obstacles who had always stood in the way. before. These included the privilege of four and a-half years' trading (after^ a vote for Prohibition), the iniquitous three-fifths majority, and the compensation principle.. Those three things were buried now, and would never be recovered. When he voted for Prohibition with compensation on the. last occasion he cursed it, for a trade that was so dirty, so filthy, so unscrupulous should never be paid to get out of it. The liquor people came out openly in April last and said: " Don't vote/ for Prohibition with compensation now, when you can obtain it for nothing in December." Prohibition was going to be secured next month —and secured for nothing. Regarding the! State control issue, Captain Hawkins said he always looked with suspicion upon the arguments of its advocates. The stock-in-trade of the Liquor Party was lies, lies, lies. There was nothing else—not a particle of argument in favour of liquor. The Trade could never shift the fact that Prohibition had been adopted by the United States, so pleased was it with its experience. The Liquor Party had got busy again, and with its money was securing faked cables from America. The speaker attacked the Moderate League and the actions of its secretary. To those who advocated State control Captain Hawkins gave this advice: "If you are sincere vote for Prohibition this year and State control three years later, when you can get it for nothing. I know that, after three, years' trial of Prohibition, you will be so satisfied with tho experiment that you will never ask for State. control." The brewing industry, for which so much was claimed, employed 730 men, and the average wage was £2 14s. Wilfully false statements relating to crime records in dry areas had done the Prohibition cause a good deal of harm, whereas the actual records showed that the number of offences —excluding bylaws and the like— in wet areas was 31.7 per thousand, compared with 16.6 per thousand in dry districts; Finally, he made a further appeal .to those men who enjoyed, a glass of beer or whisky to make a sacrifice in the interests of the children who were coming on, and so remove the heaviest curse under which the Dominion groaned. - , Mr. Atkinson dealt largely" with the subject of State control, and made pointed reference to the fact that the Liquor Party, in April last, urged the taxpayer not to waste four and a-half ■ millions on the liquor trade, Therefore, it was quite unlikely that the liquor people could now openly advocate the expenditure of ten to fifteen millions. If it was madness to spend the smaller sum it was obviously greater lunacy to spend the larger sum. Prohibition would cost nothing, and the Trade could be restored later by the State for nothing, if the people so desired it. There appeared to be some confusion regarding the local option, and it was important for the electors of Wellington South to note that local restoration would be among the issues placed before them in Decem- I ber. Touching on the recent cables concerning Prohibition, Mr. Atkinson stated that they had caused considerable anxiety, which might not be so great after hearing Captain Hawkins. He had read the remarks attributed to Mr. Gompers, the Labour leader,. and said he declined to believe' that they ' had not been coloured. For instance, it was a'well-known fact that Bolshevism had its birth in freedom and not in Prohibition. Until better evidence was available he refused to believe that Mr. Gompers had said that Prohibition had been " foisted" upon the people of thirty-two States of America, who had been given a direct vote. Mr. Atkinson said he wondered whether the Canadian cable correspondent would soon get busy with liquor news. Tho Alliance a fortnight. ago received a message stating that the people of Ontario had decided to keep Prohibition by a majority of 300,000, while all compromises were defeated by a majority of 200,000. The speakers and the chairman were accorded votes of thanks.