TEMPERANCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 849, 8 June 1888, Page 32

TEMPERANCE.

NE (V- ZEAL AND ALLUINCE. I ' ’ . .g-

The first annual meeting of the Wellington Auxiliary of the New Zealand Alliance was held in the Baptist Church,Yivjan-street, on Monday evening. There was a good attendance, and Mr F. H. Frajer presided. Messrs S. Buxton, D. Goldie, and E. Withy, M.H.R.’s, occupied seats on.the platform. The Chairman stated that Sir Robert Stout, one of the vice-presidents of the Alliance’ was to have been present at themeeting, but he had had to loave for the South during the afternoon. The Secretary (Rey H. Driver) read tho Committee’s annual report. It stated that they could not-congratulate the local auxiliary very heartily on the" work it had done and the progress it had made. Several meetings had been hel<l in the city during the year, but at none of them was the attendance at all satisfactory. The sum of £l3 10s had been transmitted to the central office, and £4O collected by Mr T. W. Glover, travelling agent of tho Alliance, making a total of £53 10s contributed by Wellington to the funds of the Central Committee. When they remembered that they were supposed to furnish at least £lO annually to the support and extension of the work of the Alliance, it would be seen that their duty hadYnpilrby any means been done. For :the generous gifts of soma of their citizens and their manifest interest in the aims and methods of the Alliance, the Committee r'ecorded-?J6heir thankfulness, and expressed a hope :that this liberal and oheerful help would be continued. The report went on to state tfiat in January last, advantage was taken of the sitting of several conferenced in Wellington to hold an -Alliance, .convention. Sir William Fox, the worthy and enthusiastic President of the Alliance, presided, and Mr S. W. Glover and representatives of many temperanoe organisations took part in the discussion of importantresolutions, and it was hoped that real good " was done by the meeting. A public meeting was held in the evening, but it was only poorly attended. It was gratifying to be able to report - that in- the recent local option vote it was decided by large majorities that there should. be no increase in the number of licensed houses in the city during the next three yearn. . The Alliance took, no credit to . itaelLfor , the winning of this viotory. since the battle was,fought by a representative Committee ; but in the fact that hotels could not be multiplied during the present triennium, all friends of temperance must rejoice. ‘ They had regretfully to report, however, that .the temperance candidates for tho -.Licensing Committees were defeated, owing, chiefly, they believed, to the inactivity of the total abstinence ..-party: If their friends valued their privileges and used their power, they felt sure thiafc'vicr' tories would be more frequently won at the annual elections. The Committee expressed their thanks to the Rev L. M. Isitt for his able advocacy of the cause of temperance during his ministry in this city. "In conclusion, they expressed a hope that throughout the ensuing year greater zeal would be displayed by its members aud greater advancement, and in spreading abroad its principles. The balance-sheet showed that there was a balance in hand of £2 11s Id. Mr D. Goldie moved the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, and in doing so he said they must have men with backbone to work in the cause of the Alliance. There were, no doubt, a great many hangers-on who were not prepared to work, but it was not- them tffey wanted. They also wanted money, without which they could not expect to do the work. People could patronise the skating rink, which was making, he understood, about £2OO a week, but they had nothiug to give to aid the temperance cause. He was perfectly satisfied that if the people would only place their money in the hands of the temperance people, the resalt . would be very beneficial. They also wanted organisation amongst those who were laboring in the cause. Mr S. Buxton seconded the motion, and made a very earnest speech in support of it. Mr E. Withy moved the following resolution :—“Believing that the annual expenditure of over two millions sterling in -Intoxicating liquors greatly impoverishes the Colony and causes much crime, distress, and misery among its people, this meeting expresses the earnest Lope that the' Government will, at an early date, bring in a measure which shall enable the people, by direct vote at the ballot-box, periodically - taken, to prohibit the sale of intoxioants in the district in which, they reside.” In speaking to it he said what they simply, wanted was an extension of the powers of local option to its logical limits. They believed there were plenty of districts which were desirouß of having the power to .do away with public-houses. He particularly wished to impress upon them that this was not a question of a fight between the Blue Ribbon people and the liquor-dealers, but a social question in which all were interested. The motion was put and carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr G. J. Bruce, seconded by Mr J. Helyer. the following gentlemen were elected sb the Committee for the ensuing year -Revs J. K. Elliott, B. A., H. H. Driver, C. Penney, and W. _S. Potter, Messrs F. H. Fraser, J. Collins, W. Johnson, E. W. Petherick, C. M. Luke, D. RobertsoD, J. Helyer, and W. Price. The Chairman apologised for the absence of Mr FultoD, M.H.R. He also stated that Mr Monk, M.H.R., who was present, would be unable to address them, as he was suffering from a bad cold. On the motion of Mr Hopkirk, seconded by Mr Luke, a vote of thanks was voted-to- tho > gentlemen who had addressed the meeting. This terminated the proceedings.