ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CHRISTCHURCH TOTAL ABSTINENCE SOCIETY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVI, Issue 945, 30 November 1861, Page 4

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CHRISTCHURCH TOTAL ABSTINENCE SOCIETY.

The first anniversary of this society was celebrated in the Town Hall, Christchurch, on Monday evening. The large attendance on the occasion testified that the cause so strenuously advocated during the past year by the promoters of this movement has not been unsuccessful. The hall was tastefully decorated with wreaths of flowers and evergreens. At six o'clock tea was partaken of by not less than two hundred persons, a large proportion of which were children, who evinced by their happy faces that the catering of Messrs Thiele and Johnston was quite to their satisfaction. The tea having been duly discussed the tables were removed, and Mr. Clements, on the motion of Mr. Saunders, was called upon to preside.

Mr. Clements in an appropriate speech, in which he expressed the sincere pleasure it afforded him to find such an increasing interest displayed in the cause, and with the hope that the present room would, on their next anniversary, be insufficient for their purpose, called on the secretary who read the following report:—.

" Your comraitteo in presenting the first annxml report beg to refer to the circumstances under which

the society was established, the efforts it has put forth, aud the success it has met with.

" A few abstainers having arrived from the mother country, seeing tho evils of intemperance abounding, felt it their duty to establish a total abstinence society with a view of counteracting tho growing and pernicious influence of drink.

" Accordingly they held their first meeting in the Foresters' hall, which was well attended, and, as stated in the ' Standard,' was a decided success.

" Soon afterwards a committee was appointed, who have been carrying out the objects of the society during the past year. Monthly meetings have been held in the Town hall, which have been on the whole well attended ; occasionally some discussion has arisen, but it is hoped that it has resulted in the better understanding of the principles of total abstinence.

" Some discussion also has been carried on through the ' Press,' which we hope has produced the same beneficial effect.

" Your committee however regret that sometimes more annoyance has taken place in the public meetings than necessary, which they hope in future will be repressed. " Your committee have felt during the year the want of temperance literature to facilitate the movement; but they hope by the kind assistance of those present and the public generally, ere long, to remedy this defect. "At the first meeting upwards of 30 signed the pledge, since then up to the present time 87 more have enrolled themselves, which, with about a dozen who were previously members of soeietys at home, amount to 129. Your committee, however, regret to state that about 15, as far as they can ascertain, have broken their pledge, but among those who adhere to it there are many pleasing instances of its beneficial effects.

"Your committee beg to urge the necessity of renewed energy in this important movement; and also the desirability of establishing a band of hope in connection with the society.

"The importance of this will be seen from the following statements, copied from the official statistics of New Zealand, for the years 1859 and 1860, by the Auckland total abstinence societys, and which appears in their report -.—The imports of ale, beer, cyder, perry, wine, and spirits for these two years amounted to 1,148,003 gallons, of the value of £327,080, and yielding a Customs duty of £211,765 ; during those years the ordinary revenue of New Zealand amounted to £441,552. By these returns it will be perceived that the total of the import duty upon alcoholic liquors is equal to about 46 per cent, of the whole of the ordinary revenue of the colony. These returns exhibit only a portion of the amount which is annually spent in New Zealand for distilled and fermented beverages ; to the value of the imported articles must be added that of the domestic manufactures.

" Your committee have made a further calculation by which they find that the annual expenditure for intoxicating drinks in New Zealand averages about three times more for each individual in this colony than it does in Great Britain, and that it aunually amounts in New Zealand to about £500,000.

"The criminal convictions of Europeans in the various District Courts of New Zealand in 1859 were 2749, and in 1860 2903, of these about 75 per cent., or 4314, may be truly ascribed to drunkenness as their first great cause

" If we estimate the European population for the last two years at an average of 76,000 it will be seen that about 6 per cent, of that number were convicted of crimes which had their origin in drunkenness.

" Your committee cannot close this part of their report without referring to the lamentable fact that the temperate and intemperate drinkers in this colony contribute nearly one half of the ordinary revenue of the whole of New Zealand without receiving in return one particle of permanent benefit, but on the contrary a positive amount of physical disability corresponding with the quantity of alcoholic poison they inhale. " We have quoted the above in order to call attention to the great quantity of strong drink used in this land, and also to shew the necessity of societys being established to counteract so great an evil. " Cash Account. 1860—61. Dr. £ s. D. Received from last tea meeting 6 17 0 Contributions as given in Treasurer's book ... * 11 16 0 18 13 0 1860—61. Cr. To advertising 3 16 4 Bills, printing, &c 4 8 6 Candles ... ... ... 17 4 Rent of hall 0 17 6 To Mr. Jones for tea 5 10 0 15 19 8 Balance in Treasurer's hands, £2 13s. 4d. audited up to November 26 by Messrs. Ness and Rutland Receipts since auditing the accounts ... 511 0 Total balance in Treasurer's hand ... 8 4 4 Rent of hall, which is due at Christmas 6 0 0 Leaving a balance in hand of ... ... 2 4 4 "C. F. Woiith, Hon. Sec." On the motion of Mr. H. Bennetts, seconded by Mr. T. Tully, the report read was adopted. Mr. Rutland having sang a temperance melody, the meeting was addressed by Mr. Lewis who gave some interesting practical results of his personal powers of endurance while engaged in unusually severe mining and railway works at home, illustrating forcibly that by total abstinence from beer or intoxicating liquors he could endure more fatigue than his companions Avho partook thereof. Mr. Ness having sang, Messrs Watson and Saunders addressed the meeting, which terminated with a vote of thanks to the Chairman.