LIQUOR QUESTION

Evening Star, Issue 25324, 4 November 1944, Page 6

LIQUOR QUESTION

FULL DEBATE BY PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY JUDGMENT SUSPENDED ON TRUST SYSTEM MEMBER ARRAIGNS SOLDIER CLUBS (P.A.) HASTINGS, Nov. 4. The principal subject discussed at last night's session of the Presbyterian Assembly was the liquor question. Assembly was presented with a comprehensive report from the Temperance Committee,; and given an outline of some of the proposals .favoured by the recent conference of Church representatives, which it was proposed should be placed before the Liquor Commission. . ■,'■..' A strong appeal for increased enthusiasm throughout the Church on the question of temperance was made by Rev. J. D. Smith, of Auckland, convenor of the committee. It was feared, he satd, that of late temperance lessons and services were often avoided by the teachers in. Sunday schools and Bible classes, largely because of a desire to avoid offending parents whose practice did not- fit in with the lessons. Mr A. McEachran (Dunedin) did not agree that Bible class leaders had shirked their responsibilities regarding temperance instruction. He -was all in favour of imprpvng conditions in the hotels

" I hope the Churches will work against the establishment of returned soldiers' clubs," statedMr A. J. McEldowney (Christchurch). "After the last war these clubs were definitely an evil in the community. The clubs worked 1 against the morality of the men and the community in general.". Assembly unanimously adopted a policy as outlined in the report from the committee.

Another recommendation was that Presbyteries and congregations be urged to appoint temperance agents, whose duty it would be to keep in touch with the Temperance Committee arid do further work in their own areas.

An appeal was made to the Church to get together the best brains and the best people to prepare a statement on temperance by the Rev. G. D. Falloon, who was chaplain in the Pacific zone. There was a body of opinion which looked to the Church to take the lead! in a wide-awake policy regarding this question, he said. Pointing out that the subject was included in the syllabus in schools, but was hardly ever given any attention by teachers, Mr D. R. F. Campbell (Morrinsville) urged that the Church should press for instruction to be given on the subject in every school, and that the inspectors be asked to make a point of setting questions to see that instruction was so given. "We should withhold Judgment meantime on the question of the trust system of control," stated the Rev. H. H. Barton (Oamaru). It was by no means certain, he added, that Trust control established in Invercargill was going to work out .satisfactorily. It was feared in some quarters that re-

percussions from this system might be serious. , . " There is a strong feeling, too, that the liquor trade may be deeply and further entrenched by the system." The Rev. J. A. Thompson (Invercargill( said the southern Presbvtery would not pronounce upon the Trust until it had been in operation for *:>; months, at the end of which period it hoped that some; announcement could be made as to the success or otherwise of the system. Mr Thompson pointed out that the liquor trade was never on a better (footing than it wai in Invercargill to-day.