HOTEL HOURS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9718, 21 July 1917, Page 9

HOTEL HOURS

AUCKLAND VIEWS REPRESENTATIVE DEPUTATION TO PRIME MINISTER. INSISTENT DEMAND FOR SIX O’CLOCK. A deputation of Auckland business men and others waited upon the* Right Mon. W. F. Massey yesterday morning in support of the movement for the closing of hotel bars at 6 p.ra. The deputation was introduced by tha Hon. Arthur Myers (member for Auckland East, and Minister for Munitions and Supplies;, who was accompanied by; the other members for Auckland aud district (Messrs C. J. Parr. J. S. Dickson. A. E. Glover, C. 11. Poole, and A. Harris!. Mr Myers -said that he had pleasure in introducing the deputation. Recently a huge public meeting was held in the Auckland Town Hall, at which tho Ma.vpr presided, and resolutions were passed in favour of 6 o’clock closing, and iho representative citizens present appointed to proceed to Wellington to interview the Prime Minister and lay the resolutions before him. Mr A. St. Clair Drown (solicitor) stated that tho resolutions they had the honour to Jay before the Prime Minister ivero carried at a meeting of Auckland citizens hold on tho 3th inst. That meeting was convened by the Mayor at the itciup.,i of a deputation representing tho business men of the city and no other partv or interest whatever. The Town Hall was filled on platform, floor and galleries and the resolutions were carried bv a,n overwhelming majority. They’ might, therefore, fairly claim to represent the opinion of the city of Auckland. A WAR MEASURE ONLY. With regard 'to the merits of the Question (he said) it must he clearly understood that the proposed restriction is ■a war measure only. “We ask you, to view tho matter as the head of a Govern mo at pledged to secure the efficient discharge of our duty to our country and our Empire in arms. We- desire to say that wo fully endorse the warnings which, have been uttered by responsible Ministers of the Crown. Yon have sair, sir.—‘Wo must go on;, we have to realise that nothing matters but the war.’ Sir Joseph AVard has said—‘The public men of the Empire were animated with but one desire, to do their duty and put the winning of the war above every other consideration :’ and Sir James Allen—‘lt is' impossible to say until wa know when the end of the way may take place how many men wo are to send: and the Hon. Arthur Myers has said of the people of New Zealand—‘lt behoved them to take their fair share of the world struggle by practising economy and saving every possible pound to strengthen the economic and financial solidity of the country.’ ’’ FOR ECONOMY AND EFFICIENCY. They accepted these ■ precepts literally and absolutely; and they believed that, if their leaders meant what they said _ they would commence by curtailing the liquor trade. No man could say that it was not the greatest cause of waste ; nd inefficiency in the country- They submitted that it was perfectly idle to talk of practising economy and saving every possible pound while at tho same time giving unlimited opportunity, euce in alcoholic liquor. New Zealand stood or fell with the Empire, and they could not sec the end of the country’s; commitments in men or money. They couid not afford to accept in tho mid-j die of a life aud death struggle the, lead on its efficiency which the liquor, trade under present conditions imposed-

With regard to the sacrifice entailed by G o’clock closing who should say that while men must give limbs, signt. reason, life in their country’s cause, the liquor trade was sacred r Mr Maspey: “Would you mind, saying what you mean by that?’’ Mr Brown: “That there should bo no reluctance in dealing with the financial interests of the trade. (Hear, \,ad been said (added Mr Brown) that the people's decision on this Question was given at the polls in 1911. But this issue, which was a war issue, was not then before them, u ould any man sav that if the electors of Row Zealand" had known that the duty of sending 100,000 men to the battlefields of Europe would be theirs before three years wevo out, and that ere that time they would mourn 7000 of their gallant dead, their decision would have been the same: If the men of the ‘Second Division had then realised that they would have to leave their wives and children to be safeguarded by the country, would they have voted for the maintenance of a system under which so much of the country’s wealth was wasted? In the name of the people of Auckland they asked the Prime Minister to translate his own words and those of his colleagues into effect by giving effect to that measure. A MANUFACTURER'S VIEWPOINT. Mr S. J. Harbutt, representing the Auckland Industrial Association, said that that association bad a membership of 185 manufacturers. He had pleasure in handing the Prime Minister a resolution recently passed by the association, and wished to impress upon him that the people of the community were stirred to the very soul ovur tho matter. There was a fixed determination on the part of all those engaged in manufactures that someth mg must be done to curtail the liquor trade. They felt that nothing short of closing from six till eight was of any value in the way of economy. They must concentrate upon winning the. war, and to do that they muse have* absolute efficiency, not only on the part of the soldiers, but also in field and factory, to supply whatever was necessary for the war, and to keep the home fires burning. The strain upon the industries of the country at the present time was very great. The First Division was practically called up, and the only men left were those not fit for military service, and including ia them were those very largely addicted to date drinking. Business men felt, therefore, that ji they could remove the temptation to late drinking it would help them very materially in carrying on the industries of the dominion. Manufacturers were prepared to strain every nerve to win the war, and to make all necessary sacrifices. They felt convinced that the only -way they were going to do that was' by curtailing the hours during which liquor was sold; and the hours when most liquor was drunk were the hours after 6 o’clock at night, while late drinking was injurious to health and a cause of inefficiency. FARMERS' VIEWS) Mr A. A. Rosa (president of the Auckland Farmers’ Union) said that farmers, as a rule, were very loath to impose restrictions upon anybody; and, therefore, when they found farmers supporting a movement of that kind there was somethin v very solid behind it. The farmers realised that the Empire and the Allies must win the war, and that they must economise in .every direction. Tho war had to be won, not only in the trenches, but also in the fields and the factories. (Hear, hear.) They could point out other sources of waste than the liquor traffic, but it was the greatest and most obvious Source of waste. The hours during which they propose.! to close the hotel bars were just, the hours when most casual and unnecessary drinking went on. They had had resolutions front a good many branches in the Auckland province supporting the movement. At the Auckland provincial conference the , 80 delegates present carried a similar resolution with only one dissentient voice. Tho

last Dominion Conference passed such a resolution with only one dissentient, rnd three other provinces had passed resolutions. The movement had been entirely spontaneous amongst them, and Lad more force therefore, than any engineered affair counld have.

Major Lusk (of the executive of the Auckland Provincial Farmers’ Union) said that he had a very general knowledge of the whole province of Auckland. and had lately travelled over a great deal of it; and ho could assure ihe Prime Minister that there was an almost general feeling in favour of early closing of bars. It had been hinted that the movement was got up by teetotal or prohibition enthusiasts. Ho had never been a member of either body, but was there simply to tell the Prime Minister that a very large number of his fellowcitizens felt convinced that as a matter of policy, as a means to greater clHcioncy and economy, it was advisable that hotel bars during the course of the war, but only during the war, should be closed at 6 o’clock. There was more wonderful unity on the subject than on anything he had ever come across in New Zealand before. “SANE AND MODERATE.'’

Idr A. -VI. Ferguson read a miter oi apomgy tor tuc memlieio ox uu; empuluuoii who should nave come irom urn Fewer vvaiaato. ‘mo telegram, wnion was s igneu uy rur h. J. vviunnsuti (-Uayur ox huiubriagei, scared Ural umy wioned to matte re clear tlixit mummy less tuan 6 o crock closing wouia be acceptable to tile people ot cue country; and, rattler tuau lumepl a compromise, llley would preier liiat tnu mattm simmid be rererrcU to the country, Vhai. said Air Ferguson. reitected not tucreiy tneir views, out cue views of tue wuoio of tne uaiKuto, vucaiand ctiy aim Auckland province. Vue telegram nau come uuubucu. ii they Iran usited lor guen teiegrams ttiey cornu, have wnilentu tno door wuu ouem. at ‘repreSeuteci, ne claimed, ttie section oi me community wntclt Ueul sane and moderate views on pubuc questions; and, u tuey nau any fad and oosession it was tunc cney must eitu mo war us soon as possible. Vney tuougiu, thereiore, tltut uuyciung tuat*made xor inemcieucy and waste should be rucnlessly cut down, they were quite content that if there was anything in Uiou own callings that militated against emcieudv or economy they were quite contentdituit ft should be cut out. Umar, near.) j.i the growing of anything, the making of auyuung, or the selling and buying of anything lengthened the wav yy one day or urmonged the wond-wide agony by one hour, they asked tuat the prowing, making, buying and selling oi it should bo stopped, (Hear, hear.) A LABOUR DELEGATE. Mr W. riill 4 representing Labour, said that he voiced the opinion tf a large, thoughtful and increasing number oi tne working-class. lie considered that, in supporting any' movement havjpg for its object national efficiency, lie was doing tile workers as good service as in advocating their claims for, higher remuneration. (Hear, hear.) National efficiency meant to him not only industrial efficiency', but social efficiency, when they had a large portion of the people spending their means in procuring that which; so far as reasonable requirementes were concerned, they could procure during the hours when they procured other commodities. (Hear, hear.) A letter, representing the views of 3821 hotel-workers, recently appeared in the New Zealand' ‘'Herald/ That letter stated that the 6 o’clock closing would mean a reduction oi 47. S per ceiil. in hotel stalls. That meant, he contend,J. that ’.here were Kkii men and women unnecessarily engaged in the trade, and that thousand should be instantly- liberated to take up more essential and useful employment. 'Hherc would be no danger of their, being unemployed. .Mr W. B. Ley I and briefly emphasised that the resolutions represented the convictions and earnest desires or the great majority oi' the. citizens of Auckland. The Mayor stated that he had never mot so representative a deputation as that which asked him to convene the deputation; and yet the citizens ■wtlKX.se names were ueunljly connected wdth temperance rind Prohibition reform were conspicuous by their absence. 'Che main resolution was moved l>. the Anglican Bihop of- Auckland seconded bv the president of the Industrial Association. and supported by the president ot the Farmers' Union, the president of the Headmasters’ Association, and air Arthur Rosser as representing Laboui. Mr Hall Skelton (an Auckland solicitor) professionally supported the eai.e or those opposed to the rdsoliition. and not more than one per cent ot the 30CK people present voted No* He appea ed to the Prime Minister not to disappoint those People:. and th s y I be disappointed if Iheir request was not S Mr tC J. H. Ewen (of. the Auckland Centre of the Warehousemen s Union) endorsed on behalf ’ the warehoi somen what the previous speakers had Sid in support of curtailing the hours during which alconolic liquor was sold. The executive of the Auckland K'etailers’ Association had also P as ® a “ resolution supporting the movement, and had sent their president and neepresident on that deputation.