COMPLIMENTARY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7627, 13 December 1902, Page 2

COMPLIMENTARY.

FAREWELL SOCIAL TO MR AND MRS G. H. MAUNDER.

On Friday evening, in the Foresters Hnll, Mr and Mrs Q. H. Maunder, who are on the eve of their departure fr.na this district, after several years' residence here, were entertained at a banquet. There was a large attendance, friends and well-wishers being present from ninny parts of the die tried. An excellent) spread was put on by Mr J. P. Keen, who must be complimented on the very pretty appearance of the tables. Opportunity was also taken of (he occasion to celebrate (he success of the no-licenso movement at the recent polls. Mr H. Halliwell, President of the Eawera j branch cf the No-License Leaguo, pre sided, having on his light Mr anil Mrs Maunder, and on h ? s left the Mayor (IYJr B. 0. Robbins). There were also psesent the Revs. C. Porter, I. E. Bertram, and T. G. Hammond (of Patea), as well as many ladies. After the viands bad received due altsntion, The Rev. T. G. Hammond spoke on the effect of no-license on the native race. The ancestors of the native people came from a place they called Hawaiiki, which they had been in possession of for seven hundred years. They were then a strong, hardy racp, and developed the mental powers thoy possessed without the assistance of alcohol. He need not say anything to a company who voied no-license regarding the harm done to the natives by the driuk mischief. The humiliating part of the matter to his mind was that the race that brought Alcoholic liquor nrnongs*, the Maoris was the race who also brought the Bible. He could have forgiven '• God's Englishmen" for biinging the drink had they not made merchandise out of the bodies ' and souls of the natives - one of the finest of the savage races on the face of the earth. The trouble was that in a measure we had too great a tendency to treat the native race as our inferiors. We looked down upon them, but all along the line of road from hero to Wellington where there was a native population tht-re had been planted a public' house. It was • a tremendous blot upon ouv otherwise j fair fame that we should allow I his. We j gave the Maoris an opportunity to send representatives to Parliament, atid thenmen and women voted for tho.' o rapro sentatives, but they were netc t in our opinion intelligent enough to vote in regard to an evil that ruined body and soul. If to the 2000 who voted no license in this electorate there could have br-en added the native vote, liquor would have been swept cut tf this electorate. When there was a-i endenvc-r niad? 10 in*redure licenses at Pipiriki, thcro were no mean persons among the natives in'ere&kd. They said they would not have it, tin-1 they didn't They could t^ach some Europ&ons a lesson in the ma ter of upholding a principle. He thought Maori rnsn as well as women shoulJ bo prohibited. In conclusion, he desired to express the regret he felt at the comiog departure of Mr and Mra Maur.der. The Eev. C. Porter speke on ih» p ogress and outlook of the no license move* mint. They were, be said, aFSrinblfcd fo: a twofold objtct — to bid farewell to Mr Maunder and effimi a principle. He had known Mr Maunder f r only eight months, but he had found him to b.t a gentleman whose chief obj a ct was the elevation of the social life of the era rounity. As to the principle they desitcd to affirm, it was one tha r should have the sympathy of everyone. Is w-.u'd be impotent had it not token hold, untl that mightily, of many pc-rsons in the land. The principle underlying ihe liquor traffic was one of intense selfishness, (he saoincing of men and women in order to make money ; on tbe other hand, the object of those, who advocated no license was to tave the people. The prohibition movement had pns^e'l b.-yot,d ths stage of infancy, although it had been predicied that it would not lire to "cut i-s ttc h. ' To day it not only walked, bat could run with amnzing strength, and was mnking iistlf felt as a great reality. Ten years ago there was not a 1< gal prohibitionist, in the colony; now there were 160,000, all but' eight. The prohibition movement had not b< en killed by tbe sneers e>f the press ; to-day there were powerful writers in its behalf, aud the press all over the co'ony was alteiing its tune. The press had not alwuys the courage to ntteuipt to form public opinion, but as scon as io saw the public feeling was goi.g aga'ii3t th 6 pub'ican it would give »ta advocacy in tbe public interest Mr Louisson had said that the ptohibiuoi success -s at tie recent polls was due to a wave of emotionalism, and he (Mr Po>t r) believed that the movement was in its present position because of the e:motionalism behind it. . The heßr s of the people had been touched, andr he ventured to think that there would be no set back such as wes predicted, but that at lli9 next, poll there would be an overwhelming majority in favour of prohibition. Mr 13. O. Bobbins said tbat as an old resident of the >listric f , and one who hud, perhaps, been as^ccia'ed with Mr Maunder in temperance work longer than anyone else in the room, the duty had devolved on him of making a presentation, In one seneo he was pleased, but the pleasure was naturally mixed with sa<)nes3 and regre f , us it was the eve of iho departuse of a friend Jand co-worker. Twer.ty years ago, when the temperance workers in Hawera could be counted on the fiog^ra of one hand, Mr Maundtr had proved a faithful and vigorous one. lie (the speaker) was very proud to belong to the no license "patty, and that night he rejoiced as belonging to a winning eide. Relurna from nearly every part cf the colony showed an advance in favour of no licence. In this district there had been steady progrc-s*, due in no small measure to Mr Maunder, upon who*e shoulders the major part of the work had faljen, There wp,s hot one in the room but would regret that Mr Maunder was leaving tne district. He was one who had devo'ed hig energies unsparingly in tho effort to uplifo humanity. The speaker felt sure that wherever Mr Maunder went ho would bn found doing good work foi God's kingdom. His efforts had beon well seconded by Mra Maunder, and the speaker wished them both peace, prosperity, and happiness in their new home. The speaker then presented Mr Mnunder with tho text of an address, explaining that an illuminated copy was being prepared, and would be sent to Mr Maunder in duo course.. Mr Robbing, added tba.t the address was not from the town alone, but from the district. The text is as follows ; — Hawera, December 12fch, 1902. G. H. Maunder, Esq. Dear Sir,— On the eve of your departure f-om Hawera, it is fitting that those who have been associated with you in temperance reform and Christian service shou'd give eorne , expression to their appreciation of your worth and work. We reoognise that the* great advance made i>i the temperance sentiment in thia-distriot has been due in no small degree to youi- earnestness nnd , activity, qualities wh ; ch have had grealer influence because of the uniform wisdom, kindliness, 'and courtesy with which they have been exeroised. We do not forged that your enthusiasm for social reform is based upon earnest Christian faith, and is the direct outcome of your interest in the Kingdom of God. We fuller, recognisa that your efforts have been nobly seconded by Mrs Maunder. Our best wishes go with you to j our new home, where we trust Mrs Maunder and yourself will find a happy sphere of usefulness, and enjoy richly the Divine blessing. Signed on behalf of your many friends in this district. Mr E. Dixon also bore testimony to the thorough work done by Mr and Mrs Maundor. Men had sacrificed time and heal h O'i behalf cf the pdnciple they were fighting for. (The speaker referred especa'ly to the Rev. Munro, Mr Grant, and Rev. Williams, of Orrnondvi'.le). But they knew that if their ba tie was success ful, the bdtter it would be for the children, ihß men Bnd women of the fu'ure. Mr Maunder had, he thought, ofren unduly taxed \<U s:rength, but they had to thank him considerably for the large vote for no license recorded in Hawera. The speaker then rt frrved to Mr and Mra Maunders church w ork, nnd expressed the hope that they wo^ld live to see the day' when the no license flag woulelbe found' fljiug from end to end cf the co'ony. Mr Ualliwell said Mr and Mrs Maunder were quiet workers, but the work of the lsngue was light this time because Mr Maunder did so much. Mr Maunder, who was received with great applause, returned thanks on hebalf of himself and Mrs Maunder for the sentiments expressed by speatrvp, and for the address. He was especially gratified to see so many friends from the couutry present. Mr Dixon had associated his name with stalwart warriors who had passed away. He (the speaker) had no desire to make a martyr of himself, but he hoped they all felt that where fluty leads there would they go, Roferring to the no license movement, the speaker said he had been struck by a letter which had appeared in the Rangiiikei Advocate, the author of wh?ch was the Rev. Toogcod— not a prohibitionist. The writer said : , " The first and mam cause - of its success (he was speaking of no licence), is that it is the growth

of a living faith born of unselfishness and honest conviction." No one could say fairer and squarer than that, and the writer's opinion was preferable to that of Mr Louisson, who wa9 an interested party. Mr Maunder thauked Mr Bobbins for hia kind remarks. They were the oldest fighters for the cause in the room that night, and although he (the speaker) was getting the address, Mr Robbins was the more deserving of it. He (the speaker) felt a bit " uppish ;" he thought he had been fighting on a weak side and found that in was a strong one. After some amusing personal reminiecences, Mr Maunder urged than although New Zealanders thought, well of | themselves they still bad something to learn. People had got a bit shaky of late on " reduction," but he desired to point out that in New Zealand there were more hotels than we ou^hfc to have. Although England had a Conserra'ive 1 Government, ypt in regard to the , licensiog Jaws two or three very iin- ' port ant measures had been dragged from them. A Government must give way 10 public opinion s'rongly exprfsaed. In '■ America one troub'e in connection with the 1 quor question was that party played a prominent part ; fortunately we were not iv that position, and ha hoped we never would be. The speaker again returned thanks. He would not forget Haweia; he would not be far away, Bnd if his help was wanted, be 6&n A t&y he would come and soe what he could do.

Mr Hallhvell spoke on the subject; of local* option and colonial prohibition. Local option was, he held, much to bo desired, although much was snid against it by persons under misapprehension. The time for colonial option would arrive ; it was not yet. The colony must first be permeated with temperance princ'pks, and when colonial prohibition came it would havo come to stny. They did not want prohibition by Ace of Parliament, but by the will of the people. The spraker quoted Portland, U S , to prove that prohibition could be enforced by lt\w even though sentiment was not strong in its favov. We in New Zealand wanted object les?on*. We had one in Clv ha, where noliccn^e was a great success. He said this nor on the opinion of this ioau or of that, but on throa fivets. The fh'it was the Government records of crime, v\h : ch proved that under no* license crimes were fewer and drunkenness had dt creased. (Comparative figures were quoted.) The second fact was that every time Clutha gave an increased vote for no-liopns°, and the ilrrd was that Bruce and Mataura, adjoining electorates, hud this lime voted for prohibition. In jegard to the accommodation question, the speaker urged that if the bars Wfre closed tho accoiumcda'ion would be fqual to the demand. As to s'y g - og-salling, there was more under the present syetptn than uudee no4iceuse. In reference to the argument th>it the progress of a district wns p.ejadic ; a!ly anvcted by prohib tion, die speaker held up Clutha as a contradiction pf that s atommr. In conclusion, he paid local option was a gradual step towards prohibition.

Mr Robbing made some remarks on the local effect of no-license. Despite Me Louisson's prediction of a set-back, iho rpeaker opined th.it instead tht-re would be a forward movement during the next three years. The 110-licenee party had many causes for rtjoicing. Through fchfir efforts, an amendment hod been made in the Act providing for a recount, and through that prohibition had bpen carried in Bruce,' the original result being a defeat tor no license by 53 votes. In other electorates, recounts had gven gains to no-license. "The irade" did not take their defeats well. Their tactics wore a disgrace, and would tell agai> st them at the next poll. Hawera w.is in an unique position, for it. owned a public house built on an endowment, and was nsnrtr to municipal control than any other place in the colony. From that public house the borough was getting considerable revenue, and an endeavor ha«l been made to frighten peoplo into believng that if they voted for no-license it would have a bad effect ou the rates. In spite of that bogey, however, the no« licenso party gained a large majority over the previous vote. The open-air moefing on the night before the election did a groat rrniunt of good. The liquor party desired to make out that if ih9 liccn?e was taken away from the ho'els they would be fit for nothing ; that there would be no rent for the Coramtvcia! Hotel, an! no rates. There would certainly ba no license fee — that was admitted— but if the loss was as sta'ed it would mean an extra rate of only 7|d or half of the present rate. The majority or ratepayers were pacing from 20i to 30s, so that the addition would not be great. Many of those persons were possibly moderate drink- rs, who spcru, say, 61 a day on alcoholic beverages. Tnat wou'd be £1 16s per annum, and if the hotel was closed even with the extra rate they would be in pocket instead of out. Mr Louisson had spoken of a great depreciation in property. Were people going to hid-3 their money? No; they would put it into le-git ; mate chann-.ls of trade, and everyone would be much better off. Had depreciation taken place in Clutha or other places where probjbuioi had bern fried ? The speaker thtn urged that in the interest of righteousness ihc question of pounds, shillings, and pence should be allowed to sink m!o ins : enifanee.

The Eev. I. E. Bertram referred to the moral a-peet of the question, and said lhat the matter of .the no-license vote was a deep moral one. The glib quota ion thf>t men cou'd not be made sober by Act of Parliament was practically dead, for (he contrary had been proved. Drunkennpss was a moral evil, the result of physical agency. Do away with the agency and the e\il wns done away with. AdvocUes of no-I'cense did not say that prohibition wou'd give us a colony of B'iints, but it would give us a sober people, nnd thai wi-s woxth working for. Prohibition would not only keep mm from < ! runkcnnps?, but from o'her evil?, for di unkennels led to other vicss. Reino\o tho temptation nnd these men becamo sober. The man who drank drifted away from the church and all moral inilaenees. Too much was made of the pecuniary consequences of no license, acd not enough attention was paid to the moral aspect Even the complete bankruptcy of tbe brewers and publicans was not to be weighed against the life of one man in Haweia.

Mr F. J. Gane said he had* alwaya fpund, Mr Maunder ft man, However, he thought thnt in pivisi-'g Mr Miunder's efforts they should not forget that they were t ) an extent also reaping fruit from the seed sown by tho Itevs. McDonald and Dukf g, who had left the district.

The health of Mr and Mrs Maunder was then drurk, afier which " Auld Lang Syne " and tbo National Anthem were sung.

During the evening, songs were sung by Mrs Dixon, Miss Barley, and Messrs Strack, Young, and Barraclough, a duet by Mr and Mrs Strack, and recitations given by Misß Piercey and Mr Priest.