Prohibition Convention.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXLVI, Issue 4286, 22 July 1899, Page 2

Prohibition Convention.

The monthly meeting of the newlyformed Hawera Prohibition Electoral Council was hjeld at Manaia on Friday, Mr B. C. Robbing in the chair. There were present delegates from some 50 different temperance and religious organisations.

The delegates having been enrolled, the following officers were elected :— President, Mr B. 0. Rabbins (elected unanimously) ; Executive: Messrs HalliweU, Atkinson, Dixon, Barmclough (Hawera) ; Wilkinson, Boddie (Eltham); Limbrick (Manaia ; Preece (Matapu); Astbury (Mangatoki ; Watson (Awatuna) ; Harris (Okaiawa ; Gebbie (Te Roti) ; Boon (Ngaire). The chairman reported on the work done by the executive elected at Hawera and intimated that a number of prominent speakers, including Mrs Harrison Lee, Beys. Leonard Isitt, Wills, Findlay, Miss Kirk, and others, would visit the electorate at different times before the local option poll.

The convention then went into committee^ and on resuming after a long discussion reported that the following resolution had been carried almost unanimously :— " That the resolution passed at the Kaponga convention re the prohibition party running a candidate be rescinded, and that as a party we do not pledge our.selves to any candidate, leaving it for individuals to exercise their votes as to them seems best in the general interests of the colony." It was resolved that the next convention be held at Okaiawa on 23rd August ; the next to be held at Awatuna, date to be fixed at the Okaiawa convention.

The matter of exohange of publio speakers between the Patea, Egmont, New Plymouth and Hawera electorates was then : gone into. The following were appointed from Hawera electorate : — Messrs Boddie, G. fl. Maunder, Dixon, Olapham, HalliweU, A. C. Atkinson, Bobbins, Limbrick, Revs. McDonald and Dukeß, Harris, Fow, Gane, Berry, Hooper, G. and H. Gilling, Captain Law, Lieut. Goddard. Arrangements were also made for Miss Kirk's tour of the electorate, and the suggested dates on whioh she Bhould speak at the different centres were approved. '

In reply to Mr Boddie, The chairman said he took it that the new exeoutive would see to it that public meetings would be held at every polling place in the electorate. Votes of thanks to the ladies for entertainment of visiting delegates concluded the meeting. It was also resolved on the motion ef Mr Limbrick, that the Rev. docker, of Fielding, be invited to deliver addresses in the electorate.

The matter of finance was then gone into and a ttatement of receipts and expenditure and state of fighting fund will be submitted at next convention. At most of the centres looal committees had been fanned and funds collected, but had not yet been forwarded to the exeoutive. It waß resolved that the light penalties for sly grog selling recently imposed by Mr Stratford, S.M., are likely to encourage breaches of the licensing law in the Glutha distriot. This convention is also of •pinion that the only means by which sly grog selling can be stamped out is for administrators of the law to deal with that offence so that the bußineßß would oease to be remunerative.

PUBLIC MEETING.

In the evening a public meeting was held in the Drill Hall, and very well attended. Mr B. G. Bobbins was chairman, and delivered a short addresß.

Referring to the Gothenburg system he said it had been tried on various occasions and had proved a failure, by reason of the faot that the drinking habit remained unrestrained, and that the difficulty was one that would never be overcome except by abolition.

Mr Astbury then gave a short address. After condemning the liqour traffic on moral and economic grounds, and urging that it degraded the individual, the family, and the community, he advanced arguments as to the revenue aspect. The money that is spent at present for liquor must find its way somewhere. This money, or a good part of it, would go in some cases for necessities and In others for luxuries, thereby expanding legitimate trade, and entailing inoreased value of land for building purposes, etc., and in this respect he urged, parenthetically, that rating on unimproved values Bhould be supported by the prohibition party. As to compensation he could see no ground for it, because the law of the land had been altered. Could a coachman displaced by a railway fairly aßk the State for compensationP The rights or inclinations of the few had to be sunk for the many. The licensees of hotels knew they had engaged in a trade with the risk of local option attached, and therefore had no claim on the State The compensation plea, he was strongly of opinion, was a farce. Mr Astbury concluded with an appeal to his hearers to vote for '■no-license," and a quotation from Rudyard Kipling's " White Man's Burden."

Miss Kirk, after a few introductory remarks, went exhaustively into the revenue aspeot of the question from a colonial and looal point of view, quoting figures to show that the cost of ' charitable aid, hospitals, prisons, industrial schools, maintenance of lunatics, etc., was, in a Very large proportion, due to the consumption of alcohol, and was an important set off (apart from the moral consequences) against the revenue obtained from liquor. She also dealt with the Olutha question and asserted that after a trial of Bix years, under partial prohibition there had been success all along the line. The revenue difficulty she said was a bogey and quoted Gladstone, Chamberlain and Sir Stafford Northoote in support. The late John Ballance, too, had said, " He did not fear for the revenue if there was no

drink traffic " whilst the late Sir Harry Atkinson, the greatest financier they bad seen, (applause) had said, "It would actually be good finance for the people to Shut the houses, even if they had to pay compensation to every puhlicin." The

address covered a lot of ground, the report of whioh is unavoidably curtailed owing to pressure on space. It may be said, however, that her address was followed with the closest interest and at the conclusion she was greeted with loud and prolonged applause.

At the conclusion of the meeting it was resblved (Dixon-Buchanan) to urge the memhers for this district to support the Scrutiny Bill, so that both liquor and temperance party may have the opportunity of counting the votes cast at the local option poll.

A resolution similar to that carried at the convention, re the action of Mr Stratford, S.M., was also carried unanimously, on the motion of Mr Poole seconded by Mr Atkinson.

Hearty votes of thanks to Miss Kirk and Mr Astbury for their addresses, and to the chair, conoluded the meeting.