Temperance News.

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 1428, 28 February 1911, Page 1

Temperance News.

YOUNG MEN IN THE MOVEMENT

Wanganui has a Young Men's NoLicense Club, and at a very well attended meeting of the executive last week reports from various branch secretaries were received and dealt with. These showed the finances of the club to be in a very healthy state. The secretary reported that .the Wellington City and other Dominion NoLicense bodies had written asking for copies of the constitution of the local club. This was regarded as indicating that in all probability clubs similarly constituted will in the immediate future be inaugurated in all the chief centres.

LOCAL OPTION IN U.S.A. The latest reports compiled by Anti-Saloon League workers give the following figures concerning the present position of the Prohibition and Local Option movement in the "Unitad States:— Constitutional Prohibition 4 States Statutory Prohibition ... 5 „ County Option 16 ~ Municipal Local Option ... 20 ~ Township Local Option ... 12 ~ Rural County Option ... 4 „ Residence District Local Option ... ... 2 ~ No. of square miles in. United States ... 3,622,213 No. of square miles under Prohibition 2,112,304 Population in dry territory ... ... ... 41,557,516

AN ERA OF PLEDGE-TAKTING

The fact that tho drink bill in the Dominion last year shows an increase of 2s o|d per head of population, as compared with 1909, lends point to the following extract from an article in last week's Outlook dealing with the prohibition question: "It seems to us that the most important and essential preparation, for a .condition of national prohibition is a universal era of plege-taking. Prohibition supposes, on the part of the bulk of the population, a voluntary assent to total abstinence; and it should §ursly be possible to get thousands of electors publicly pledged between now and election time. The 'catch-my-pal' movement in Ireland furnishes a magnificent example of what can be done in this direction, and it would be a grand gift to the cause on the part of tlie Presbyterian Church of New Zealand if the founder of thai; movement (the Roy. Robert J. Patterson) could be induced to spend, some months in the Dominion this year. His presence and persuasive words would do much to ensure the total defeat of the Liquor Party. But if the services of the man may. not secured, at least his method? os. r\ be adopted.''