NEW ZEALAND ALLIANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7719, 18 August 1886, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND ALLIANCE.

A public meeting was held last evening in the City Hall under the auspices of the .New Zealand Alliance. The Rev, A. Reid presided, and was supported on the platform by the Ven. Archdeacon Dudley, Rov. T. Hamer, Messrs. T. Glover, J. Newman, R. Ncal, A. Cox, and Harding (of Napier). There was a larger attendance than on the previous night, notwithstanding the thunderstorm which took place about the time of opening the meeting. The proceedings commenced by the Band of Hope Union choir, under the conductorship of Mr. R. Tudehope, singing '' Hold the Fort," Mr. MacDermott presiding at the harmonium. The Chairman, in his introductory speech said, many years ago Dr. Guthrie addressed the Town Council of Edinburgh on the contrast between the drinking customs of the Continent and of his native land. In the course of his address Dr. Guthrie said a Belgian remarked to him once that it was a great providence the British people were a nation of drunkards, because but for drunkenness Anglo Saxon courage, culture, and enterprise would have made them masters of the world. They all loved their country and wished her well, if they did not wish her to be master cf the world, and in New Zealand they wished their race to be everywhere the pioneers of all that was good and commendable. On the previous night they had been treated to statistics of » vast procession of 60,000 drunkards who died yearly in Kngland, and since Sir W, Fox quoted these statistics 146

British drunkards had gone into T~ The demon of intemperance croa fi eH T?" path everywhere, and various remMil eir suggested—penal, educational, and *? *•'l ra tory. It was the latter they ere !» '* upon to consider that night. H a - , prohibition as practicable, and "it e^f command the support of Liberal an,] r servative alike. Home men, of course say. why interfere with my liberty sn\i^ liquors do me good. To one man a °' J ® w»3 a convenience; while to an „n, nk meant sacrifice of life. The question"? should convenience be sacrificed to l'f ' life sacrificed to convenience' ft 'or it convenience must go, as the eoodJ 001 ; should be each man's aim. Proh'r • was practicable, as contemporary hi!!!' n proved. They had prohibition in the T^ 7 Country, and when he lived at W-i r 8 the beginning of the Ring movetnS at quarter of a century ago, ho was the n 1* man allowed to keep spirits, and then • 7 for medical purposes, as the natives * 7 aware it was used in cases of sickness s' 6 G. Grey, on coming back to New z4l "i from the Cape, proposed to give the natfv power in each district to prohibit the Ik• traffic, a3 one of their complaints was t° r injury the Europeans were "doing to th race through drink. It would have bee blessing if the natives had never known of * Wahanni and other leading men trained V" the Three Kings institution were therein t' 9 centre of the country, moving in the ina v *^ 5 so the Auckland people had an interest' what was taking; place in the King Conn" Whoever would be free must himself "Pi strike the blow. The Alliance meant't" strike that blow, and free this fair land fro the slavery of intemperance. (Cheers.) ° Miss McDermott then sang a sung a & 1 " A Pleasant Thought chorus bv ♦!' choir. 7 ta

Archdeacon Dudley, who nest addreiged the meeting, was warmly received, ana fc commence i by defining his attitude' toward' the Alliance. He was naturally slow \ 5 habit in coming to conclusions, and neter went farther than he could see. It was not hia intention to make a speech, as fas! been announced, but simply to express hi* thankfulness to those who were doins so much to remedy the evils of ir.temperance and doing so wisely And well. As a boy he remembered one sad incident,, the body of» minister fished out of the river Avon, and who had been drowned through interna ranee. He (the speaker; was a total abstainer, first through conviction and then by preference, but he would not like to !av down a universal law for all in t^ 7 matter. He was free, however, to confegj that . the proper place for spirits was in the chemist's shop. A meeting 0 the clergy was to be convened this week at Bishopscourt by Bishop Cowie, with a view of seeing what could be done to promote the usefulness of the Church of Encland Temperance Society. (Cheers.) He could not go ail the lengths with the Alliance, though his admired the speeches of Sir W. Fox and Mr. Glover, and would say God bless such men. They must be content to work in their own separate ways, and hia work lay with the Church of England Temperance Society, (Jno thing which gratified him was the great contrast between the state of Auckland society now and twenty years ago—the diminution of publichouees, shortening of hours, and disuse of "shouting." .Returning from the football match the other day, he was struck with the few people in the publichonse bars on the road, as compared with what would have been the case some years ago. They should not only hold what they had gained but go on til), they had emptied the gaols, (Cheers.)

Choir: "The Gospel bells are ringing," The Chairman said Sir. W. Fox was unable to be present owing to his having received tidings of the death of his eldest brother in England, but would be present on the following evening. Sir William would have the sympathy of the meeting, he was sure, in his bereavement. Mr. Glovep. then addressed the meeting, It was his painful duty to break the news to Sir. W. Fox of the death of his brother. By his death the United Kingdom Alliance had sustained a great loss, as he was one of its oldest vice-presidents and the Alliance had passed a vote of condolence to Sir W. Fox and the other members of his family. As to Archdeacon Dudley's speech he believed that gentleman was with the Alliance though he did not know it. When he understood their principles better he would be all right. (Laughter.) As to people having a constitutional weakness for something "to keep them up," he cculd only say they intended to educate the people up to such a standard that a generation would grow up which dii not know the taste of liquor, and doctor! would become too intelligent to prescribe it, when of course the Government would have to give up the business. (Cheers.) At Raugiora Sir William Fox and himself held a meeting lately, presided over by Archdeacon Dudley's father, who took the pledge at 70, was an active worker, and a vice-president of the Alliance. He waa glad to learn tbe Anglican clergy were moving to promote the usefulness of the Church of England Temperance Society. That society had done a noble work in tbe old country, and he was himself a member of the diocesan branch in Winchester. He hoped the Auckland branch would imitate the example of the parent society. Mr. Glover then went on to refer to " Hard times, and what helps to make them." When he last visited the colony there was a cloud over the South Island like a man's hand, but now it had spread over both Islands, and the Aucklanders who only six mouths ago held their heads high, now confessed that hard times had come, But they were not alone in that respect, as bad times prevailed over the civilised world. In any city, of Auckland's population, as many unemployed could be gathered together as here. Still, with all its troubles, he believed New Zealand was the best spot for the working man, and the highest wages in the known worid were paid in the Australasian colonies. It should be their endeavour to keep New Zealand in her present premier position, but what were they doing to keep her there? Taking up the statistics for the colony, the latest printed, this was what he found :—£2,394,170 spent yearly in strong drink, the economic loss was almost as much more, making four millions per annum; 7232 arrested for drunkenness ; 23,572 proceeded against for crime ; 1705 confined as iunatics ; 1752 arrested for vagrancy » 1752 children in industrial schools and orphan asylums; and IGOO deaths directly or indirectly caused by drink. They all knew the cry of "Encourage local industry," but when a man came to him with his breath stinking of rum, and said " Support local industry," he voted that man a hypocrite and a fraud. What did that man do for local industry by swallowing Jamaica rum, and what trade did he encourage? They tad had local distilleries, but thank God, they had been shut up, as it was found they were of no benefit to either the labourer or farmer, and a lo';a to the Government. What the country was suffering from w» not over production, but under consumption. If the money spent on drink were spent in the homeß and on the backs of the working classes, they would Bee the difference in all branches of trade. Mr. Glover concluded by paying an eloquent tribute to Sir "■ Fox, whom he described as "a grand old man," giving his time, his talents, and his means to the Alliance work, and to every social reform which would benefit the land of his adoption. (Cheer 3.)

The Rev. Thomas Hamer, in moving » vote of thanks to the chairman, said attended n meeting 45 years ago w' ta certain views, but at that meeting had hi 3 views changed, coming out a total abstainer. Ho had kept the pledge from that day t0 this. If those present saw, as ho aid daily, in the gaol, the hospital, and the refuge, the terrible effects of intemperance, they wou '.': sign the temperance pledge before taey Ie« the hall. The vote was passed by acclamation. _ The proceedings closed with the Nation" Anthem. To night Sir W. Fox will deliver an address on "The New Zealand Drink b»'» and Mr- Glover will also "speak on the salts toc « ____________