MOUNT ALBERT TOTAL ABSTINENCE SOCIETY VERSUS HOLTELS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6251, 29 November 1881, Page 3

MOUNT ALBERT TOTAL ABSTINENCE SOCIETY VERSUS HOLTELS.

TO T!IK KIIITOK. Si!:,—l amended tl- : .-public mee'ing called ■iinderthe auspices or tiie above on Saturday liidir, and counted some thirty heads, ineluding tv.o ladies, stable boys, and other helps connected witli t:iu prominent movers 01 thi.s lneetinv', an<! hste: ed with .some attention to the utterances . f the various speakers. Jn the lit.st pi.-. -, I liave to t'nank Mr. Fry for the eam'M remarks he made with regard to tl ■: house 1 have erected : while the chairman expressed -.o'v.-s anil utterances totally at variance- with i.". t>, the :a!.idness of which is only excelled by the spirit of =s and en-- 'ry | evinced by liiin in his eoncludhji; ruiiiark as against an isolated individr ' when thf-y o.:g'ut to liave been directed against asy.,tem which up to the present time iias bei . { fostered by ii.is anil preeeiling (.'.ovei in;-...- >.s j lor the sake of revenue, leaving liiose w;>- | hold extreme views the same l.berty ta i'.Dstain if they see :it, without forcing their O[. ::ions on ut'ners. 1 say, th";s, it is manifestly unfair to anticlpaii; a l.i'.v that is not yet in operation, and wiiu-!i was i.ot hardly tlmiiii- '- ui ulie.i thi iirM-,.,0 wiis i .mmenceil, i ai:d whieli the pretx-nt < k'vori:i::'jnt forced j upon the coiiiinuiiity lor politicMJ support 1 from those who style themselves Good I Templars. I must i.h.o say that I :'eit sur- I [irisei! at seeing geiiti.;:]en tln.'iv with whom | I had conversea on the sv.ble.-t, and who ! CNpreised themselves lo tile e:'eet that they i were iu.;i:!eivnt uli-iher I erected an hotel ! or not. notably Mr. A. Taylor, who took ■ the opportunity to say that lie had on ' various occasions refused .i good price for i land for .in hotel the, ami regret:cd that ! la:id agents and ot!it-:-= held o-.'.t indi-emeuts ; to purchasers to do so. What magnanimity ' Tiie trotting out of Mr. Monk, a candidate brought out to oppose Mr. Mo-s for J'arm-l), and who has now nothing to <lo with this district save his laudable desire to put. down p-.i'nlk'-hoiL-es in general, should, I think, commend itself U- il.i: notice of that constituency as a man holding extreme views, his capacity for legi-!:;tion terminating in an oration on the evils . intemperance. When J commenced this h>~- se I w.;s under the .npression that I was in a free country as long as I conformed to its laws. If a change in to be brought about, '.i-jtice and time should at least be given to those in my position that a dominant power now usurped its place, and were determined to crush out, if possible, those engaged in the compensation or consideration. The opinions of the gentlemen who signed the requisition in favour of the applicant are entitled to the same respect as those who are against it, notwithstanding the plausible secretary blushing at them, and who intend to marshal the ladies in carriages to O.iehunga .on license day to inlluence the Bench not to grant tiie application.—l am, Se., Tin-: Licknsk Ai-n.icANT. Mount Albert, November iGtli, lsSl.