PROHIBITION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10108, 5 August 1893, Page 6

PROHIBITION.

ADDRESS BY ME MELVILLE,

Last night Mr Melville again addressed a large audience in the Tuam street Kail on temperance matters, dealing particularly with the letter written by Mr G. Stringer on “Tho Failure of Prohibition in the State of Kansas.” The chair was taken by Mr George J. Smith. Mr Melville traversed the whole of the j letter, reading extracts as he went along. He said that the report was that of an interested individual, who had been paid by the brewers to travel in Older to prove that prohibition was a failure. After showing many alleged anomalies contained in the report, Mr Melville strongly contended that prohibition had proved a complete success in Kansas, and said that the prohibitionists of New Zealand would willingly accept similar conditions aa were there prevailing. In the report Mr Stringer had told how he had had to go into gambling hells in the night up flights of stairs to get liquor, and had explained very minutely the difficulties attendant upon the purchase of grog, and yet he said that prohibition had proved a failure. Here waa clearly a contradiction; if liquor was difficult to obtain prohibition must have force. Prohibition had not been the means of lessening the population of Kansas, There were many causes, such aa land booms in the vicinity, &0., to account for the decrease, and tho fact remained that the population had increased 351,428 from 1880 to 1891, daring which period prohibition was in force. The law had been made in Kansas by the wish lof the people, and every year they had sent to Parliament members pledged to farther clinch it. Mr Melville then quoted the utterances of Justice Johnstone, of the Supreme Court, Kansas, who believed that prohibition had done more to benefit Kansas and advance the moral, social and financial conditions of the people than any other measure ever adopted. Mr Wilder, of the Insurance Department, said that it had been the greatest boon Kansas had ever had. The Treasurer of the State said that the increase of legitimata business since the abolition of the saloons had more than compensated the State for the loss of revenue from the cessation of license fees. The printed testimony of the Governor of the State, the State Auditor, the State Treasurer, the Chief of the Education Department, the Attorney-General, the Chief Justice and two Associated Justices of tho Supreme Court were read by Mr Melville, who contrasted their utterances with those of Mr Stringer. These representative men said that the contest waged against the saloon had enlarged the population, increased the wealth of the Stats, had advanced the material, the educational and the moral condition of the people, and that the State of Kansas was far more prosperous under prohibiItion than at any other time of its history. With such testimony the temperance party could, he said, almost afford to let the "words of Mr Stringer pass by, but they knew the aims of the liquor party, and realised its objects. That party would spare no pains to keep the houses open; it would lie and cheat and do everything in order to gain its ends. The books whence the words of the men he had quoted from fiad been taken, had been j imported from America by Mr laitt and !Mr (Taylor. Mr Stringer waa evidently j quite unaware that copies existed in New Zealand. After dealing at great I length with the statements made by iMr Stringer, Mr Melville closed his • address with an appeal to everyone to help the cause of temperance. A resolution was passed thanking Sir Robert Stout and those members who, had voted with him oa the passage through its second reading of the Licensing Act Amendment Bill. Tha resolution also asked that a three-fourth vote should not | bo insisted upon in the matter of licensing, i and urged that tho bare majority should j rule on this question as any other question. Tho resolution further set forth j that the drink traders had no legal | or equitable right to claim compensation j in the event of losing their licenses. | The meeting terminated with votes of thanks to Mr Melville and the Chairman.