NO-LICENSE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14701, 4 June 1908, Page 3

NO-LICENSE.

DEM ON'STRATfON AT WOOLSTOXA No-License demonstration was held at the Woolston Oddfellows' Hall last evening. There was a large attendance. The Hon J. Ilarr, -M.L.C.,was in the chair, and in his opeuiug address dealt-with the no-license movement from the domestic,' the colonial and the Imperial stand points. The. liquor traffic, he said, was one of the sore spots of the. Empire. The. election campaign was approaching and the enemy was in the held. They did not mind how hard that enemy fought so long a.s he fought fairly, but that he never did. The No-License Party, however, had God and right on its side, and it must prevail. The Bev J. J. Bates said that he had sometimes been asked why temperance reformeiia did not devote their energies to ensuring that purer liquor should be.sold than w«.s at present tho case. In Scotland some years ago the whisky was exception in!-.- pure, but all the evil resulw of intemperance were rife in, Scotland/at that time. It was no- ufo trying to purify either tbe liquor or tlie liquor-trade. The only thing to do was bo abolish botti. He did not believe in abusing the brewer or the publican. Ma.ny.of them were forced into the trade by force of circumstances, and, some of thorn did not realise the barm their trade was doing. Ftewas surprised to find that, many working men, who professed to he Socialist«, wer«* supporting the liquor traffic' Any forward 'movement was retarded by the existence of the liquor evil. The,.Rev, -A. Peters said that it wa.s strarige after so many years of temperance work that drunkenness and the use of -alcoholic liquors should be regarded with «uch toleration by society. Ho referred to tbe work of tho NoLicense Party's organiser in the .district, and to tbe necessity for more; workers in tho Lyttelton electorate. Ho thought there was a slightly larger

hone for no-licenso in Lyttelton than in, Christchuroh «o far as the next election, was concerned.. There was no town in New Zealand that had a more,unenviable notoiietv for drunkenness tlian Lyttelton. Ite referred to a recent article, in tho "Lyttelton. Times' regarding the attitude of the shipping authorities towards the liquor evil, and said that it thoroughly substantiated tlie statements previously made by Mr (L Laurenson, M.P., regarding the condition of affairs in Lyttelton. He aKsorted that what was true regarding drinking among women in the four centres of New Zealand was also true of lyttelton. He was speaking of what he knew. Mr 0. Laurenson. M.P., said thatone of tho most remarkable developments of modern times was the growth of a social nervous system. If anyone injured a little child*in Auckland there was a roar of indignation throughout the dominion, and if a woman was cruelly treated in Sydney everyone in Australasia waf- indignant. This was the result of 'Christianity. In that jnorning's newsnapens they were told that seven hundred London detectives were searching for a murderer of a little fe;ni- •' London deemed it necessary \o take such stops to secure the .murderer of one child, what should be done against those who did not put one child, but hundreds to death every week and every month? It was stated that where no-license was carried the accommodation for the travelling public deteriorated, but at Tapanui it had been found, necessary to rebuild the hotel since no-license was carried, and at Gore twenty rooms had been added ,to another house, that had lost its license. In both cases the accommodation was, he knew from personal experience, iirst-class. .He also referred to the Packet. Incenses legislation of last session, 1 which prohibited any-pas-senger supplying any member of a whip's staff 'with liquor, and said that the introduction of liquor to the engine room of a steamer might bo fraught with tho direst consequences. Dealing with his recent controversy with Mr TO. Nordon, he said, that after Mr Nordon had made statements which wei;e utterly 'at. variance with facts, in end it was found, that every sea captain in Lyttelton. and every shipowner, wanted no-license in Lyttelton. Mr W. Thomas also addressed the,

meeting, and it closed with a vote of thanks to tilt; chairman.