LIQUOR AND LABOUR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14356, 28 October 1908, Page 3

LIQUOR AND LABOUR

MR ISITT'S ADDRESS. ' ] There was a largo attendance at the Garrison Hall 1 last evening to hear the Rov. L. M. Isitt ileal with the liquor question as it affects Labour. Mr W. H. Wa.rr.cn . v presided, and in the course of brief introductory remarks said that Labour was tawing nearer to temperance every day. : It was natural it should t:c eo. He believed that the workers would never enter fully into their - iorilag« until they god into close alliance with all that , made for temperance. ' - ,! Mr Isitt, utter defining Ills own position,, with respect to the use alcoholic liquor, went on to say that it."lirid been irr«'e<t \, that the liquor reformer wanted' to rob the poor man of hi>s beer and leave the wealthy man lo his eellais and wines. Personally, lio had more concern for the working man, who could so .ill afford to spend his earnings 011 liquor.'. .There-,'was nothing which hampered tile eauso of Labour more than- i the open bar—thb liquor trade. Whenever a fcsuxl of men was congregated for energy they saw the brewers planting their j wretched little trap to skim tho cream off . tlir- working man's milk paif. In New Zea- i; land a few wealthy men had-, planted IGOO I to 1800 licensed houses. As a matter of '-' I fael, trt-day in the four centres of population about half a dozen wealthy liquor magnates exercised tin undue influence in i tho civic and political life—(Applause.) An aristocracy was not desired' in New Zealand. There wqs ni&aristccracy worlh a red rent except, the anftocracy of character. Yei ho would rather have <tn aristocracy than a , beer-ocracy.—(Laughter.) He. quoted the opinions of Labour men in > tho Homo Country—Richard Bell. M.P., > Hugh Fullerton, M.F., and others—in 1 oon- > " " II

lemnation of ilie liquor traffic. He did not believe that, drink was the occasion of alt - the poverty, and that doing away wil'li the , liquor trade would bring the inillcnnmi, i but lie believed -they would never deal sue- £ ecssfully with ■ economic evils until they | dealt with tlio liquor traffic, and' that when I they bad settled that they would havo paved the way for t|ie fettling'of all qtiier V economic problems.' The most, degrad- | ing thing- in ■ tlio Dominion was tlio | wretched liquor bar. Were i.hey. going to 1 continue it(Voices: "No! 'No!") In 1 New Zealand' .ibout. £3,000,000 per year % was poured outjin drink, and for every man. | who was put out of work by the closing- 9 of the liquor, bare employment would lx> v opened for a. dozen. that, money G wa.i pouTed into the coffers of the legiti- * tradesman trade, would .be stirmi- | lated as it could not be in any other way. | But it was not only because of the ccono- | mie consideration "that the Vworking man | Bhould strike out the top line. If tliey did | it. for no other .reason they should do it. 1 bpeause of the suffering and injury baused f to the oliildrcn and women by t,be liquor a iiaflie. He had noted 3iow genuine and 1 sincere was the. Jovo of the working limn | for hit! cbildiyn.'. There.were many unre- | cognised llerocs'and heroines amongst, the 1 working men ..jvJio..sacrificed that.: _their 1 children might have a better chance. , The V speaker concluded his remarks amidst loud , applau.«e, Mr Isilt.then dealt witli a number of questions. * Tlm> following resolution, moved by Mr J-. E. MacMamw, and seconded by Mr .1. S. Baxter '.(liivercargill). was carried' entkisiasticaHj-.:—"This meeting is of | opinion taat .the- statement of Mr J. Ram- J Bay Mac Donald- JiLP.,. is correct—namely, I tihat an intelligent and vigilant democracy J cannot exist, alongside a flourishing liquor 1 trade. Therefore, : we call upon all work- I ing men. in tlio intereists of our class, to * vote no-liecnse." At the conclnsion of tlio meeting tlioso " desirous of so tloing' wove given an opportunity to sign pledge-cards. It, was an- " nouneed that Mr-Isitt would speak specially to women this afternoon at 3 o'clock, and that, his evening subject woukl '!» "Truo ratriotism.' ..;