REV. OLIVER DEAN'S LECTURE.

Feilding Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 49, 20 September 1905, Page 2

REV. OLIVER DEAN'S LECTURE.

... __ + - -- There wan a vory meagre attend ance at the Drill Hall lust evening to hear the Kov. Oliver Dean, Vicar j of St. Andrew's, Napior, lecture on | " No-license." Mr J. Cobbe occupied ' the chair and, in introducing the speaker, said he thought there were two reasons why the attendance was bo poor. The first of course was the weather, and the other, he thought, ; was the fact that the local temper, j ance workers were very sparing with their money as far as advertising and making the meeting known was concerned. The Rev. Mr Deane, in commencing, said he considered he was only asking a just thing to invite them to vote " No-license," and he quoted the opinions of Lord Brassey, as a large employer of men, Lord Kitchener, as a soldier, and Sir Frederick Treves, as a* physician, to show that alcohol was unnecessary. John Burns, the famous Labour leader, laughed at the idea of the question of revenue and profit. With reference to Clutha he was prepared to give them the facts as shown by a a business man who had lived there both under license and no-license. The drink customs of society were unnecessary and dangerous. Coal mining returned 55 per cent in wages but the brewing industry only 7 per cent. It had been asked " Why not improve the business." To this he said that it was impossible, the best man put in charge of an hotel would end in ruin in ten or twelve years. The war was not against the liquor seller, but it was war to the knife against the thing itself which ruined the .bodies and souls of men and women. For 850 years attempts had been made to remedy the evil, but the only thing that remained was to try " No-license." This would be the only means of dome; away with the drink traffic. His wife had reminded him to say to his hearers that they were an example to other countries. He would say that the whole world would be watching New Zealand at the next election, and he would urge them all to vote "No license." A vote of thanks was accorded the speaker.