HASTINGS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1286, 22 October 1896, Page 16

HASTINGS.

** Every tree is known by its fruit." This is no doubt as true now as it was at the time it was first written and I am forcibly reminded of it by the result of a so-called debate which took place here last week. For a long trme past a select circle have tried to worry themselves into the belief that one of the burning questions of the country was prohibition. With this object in view, and the very laudable idea, no doubt, of advocating a lessening of the evils of the drink traffic, the Rev John Hosking, D.D., arranged to publicly debate the question with Mr F. Sutton, a Napier champion of " the trade." I may say here that the proceeds after paying expenses were to be given to charities, Mr Sutton devoting the financial resuUs of the Napier season to whatever he thought fit, and Dr Hosking doing ditto with the Hastings surplus. Mr Sutton had the mental worry of disposing of £2 13s to the best advantage. I think the amount was given to the Children's Home. How Hastings charities will fare remains to be seen. As in Napier so in Hastings—the debate extended over two evenings. The first evening there were thirteen people present when the war of words started, and I am told that about as many more dropped in before cloring up time. On the second evening the number present reached nearly forty, proving conclusively that the advocates of prohibition can (like the majority of quacks) sing very small when there is anything to pay ! Whether one agrees or not with the object of the debate it must be admitted that a lot of valuable information had been got together by the two gentlemen who occupied the platform. The result must surely show that nobody care 3 a jot about prohibition except a few little cliques who like to get together where they can hear Ihciusolvea talk without fear of their fallacies being exposed. I was in a Hastings church (or chapel, if you like it better) where there was a so-called temperance lecture going on. The Premier was several times referred to by gentlemen (?) speakers as the devil who ought to be shunned by every right-thinking (?) person. This sort of thing tends to alienate many whose breeding is not up (or down) to the standard of spouters who make such ill-advised remarks. If the prohibition cause cannot

be advanced by any means other than the abuse of those in power, who have done more for the cause than any of their predecessors, or by young men going straight from church on Sunday night into public-houses and swearing they are bona fide travellers so as to obtain drink, the cause must be a very rotten one. A good cause will always stand on its own merits, but neither lying nor abuse can do any good.

The Waipawa and Hastings Glassball i Clubs will try conclusions at Stortford Lodge on Wednesday, when there is sure to be an interesting contest. A stranger was charged last week with getting on a moving train. The same thing is done here every day and no notice is taken of it. A fine of 5s and costs 7s was inflicted, and the Bench allowed themselves to be misled into allowing half a day's expenses (4s 6d and 3s 9d respectively) for two • railway officials. These two people of course lose nothing, they only had to walk across the street, and they were only in court forty minutes. Surely the fine and costs were quite enough punishment for a so-called offence which is winked at every day. The police had several offenders up last week for not carrying proper lights on vehicles after dark, and for driving round corners of streets at a pace dangerous to public safety.

The way in which temperance meetings are conducted was made fully apparent on Thursday during the hearing of an assault case. The Good Templars it appears had a social and the whole of the witnesses on both sides testified that " there was a howling row from start to finish ! " Later on the cakes, buns and other " refreshments " were seized by the opposing parties and used as missiles. Ona witness said he was gripped by the throat and thrown out of the hall by three or four stalwart Templars, others were wrestling, some few were thrown downstairs and one or two had their clothing torn off. One individual exhibited a scar which he said was inflicted with a slice of Good Templar cake. The whole business was a disgrace to the town, and must have been anything b#t edifying to the drum and fife boys from the Spit who were present to assist with the programme. I pointed out once before the disgraceful noise that visiting temperance people made when retiring to their homes at night. Were such things done by beer drinkers the temperance (?) people would have plenty to say about it. They haven't much to say about this la3t row. The band gave an open air performance on Saturday night. I understand there is some probability of their going to the... Wellington Exhibition.