UNITED TEMPERANCE REFORMCOUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17064, 24 July 1917, Page 2

UNITED TEMPERANCE REFORMCOUNCIL.

DETERMINED TO CARRTP EROHIBI- •■' TION. ' ■' —— ' '•' 'The annual meeting of the U.TJR.O. was held in the Hanover Street Church last night. The president ] (Mr A. S: Adams) occupied the chair. The proceedings were carried out with : a very; enthusiastic and determined spirit The executive reported that the past year had been one of much success, although they had been deprived for part of that time of the services of their' president (Mr A.; S. Adams). The Rev. R. j3. Gray and Mrs Don had also relinquished.' their work temporarily | owing to', ill-health. The' financial handicap with' which they had started the year had been liquidated, and they ,now hid a substantial credit balance. With a view to forming a strong "Forward Movement" the council had been . successful in raising £68 for ■ a'. fighting fund. : After discussing, the question of -six o'clock closing they had decided to co-operate.with the New Zealand Alliance,, and a petition signed by about 17,000 JDunedin oitizens had been secured by the Rev. R.. S.' Gray Supervisor of the petition), and his assistants ; ' The council was represented at the Wellington Annual Congress ■ by Mr. Adams, the. Rev. R. S. Gray, and Mr J. Rhodes. The' executive wished to emphasise the fact that it. supported the six ' o'clock movement as a war measure only.. As a council iihey still stood solidly for Prohibition, and were not out to mend but to end the liquor traffic. —(Applause.) In moving the adoptiqzi of thty report; the President said .prohibition, was still the ob; ject for which they strove, arid which they would pursue till their -efforts. were successful.—(Applause.) He referred to the spread of the Prohibition movement in, the; United States, where there were now; only two States without some measure of Prohibition, and drew attention to a cablegram which stated that Congress had been reported as having passed: some drastic laws on the liquor question,'•.-, The : Prime Minister *had : said he saw no.dnmken New land soldiers in London, ..but even, if that were true of London, the same thing, did not apply to Wellington.-.'.':'. They! mtlnded'i to have.New Zealand free from the liquor altogether .—(Applause.)

' The motion was carried. < The follovving office-bearers were elected: President, Mr A. S. Adams- vice-presidents —Revs. R. Fairmaid, S. Griffiths, R. S.: Gray, and W. M. Grant;' secretary, Rev. Mr Wallace; recording secretary,, Mr R. M. Gordon; treasurer, Mr, J. A. Wilkinson; auditor, Mr. H. Beokingsale.' The Rev. Mr Gray was ; appo. ;ed 6hairman during such times as the president, might be absent. ' . N

■ The election- of\ the executive .was suspended ''tall a motion was carried electing, as associate members, all present who were not delegates, and therefore not entitled 'to a vote. \ '■'•".

.The executive -was then elected as follows:'—Mis Don, Rev. Messrs. Heighway, Suckling, ? Raine. Griffiths, Trotter, Hay, • and Eaton, Messrs Rhodes, Randerson, King, Wilkinson, D. O. Cameron, yuL, and Major Calvin. .To these were added the local W.C.T.U. presidents, and tho Grand' Chief Templar of the' Order of Good Templars.' In the event of vacancies arising the execiitivo was empowered to add the necessary names as they appeared in order on the ballot sheet.

Votes of thanks were accorded the sec= retary, the Rev, R; Si .Gray, and his acsisfc ants for the six .o'elock petition, the W.C.T.U., and the ladies. The Rev. Mr Gray .moved— "That this meeting is of opinion that, if the Government measure does not, provide for- six o'clock dosing, as requested by nearly 200,000 electors, an immediate demand should be made for the reinstatement of the triennial prohibition and no lieense poll; that the Cabmet bo requested to submit at the earliest possible moment a: Bill providing for the reduction of the present handicap from three-fifths to ■fifty-iivc-forty-fifths, and for the sabstitutk>n of tho period of six months for that of tho 4i years provided in the present Act, between the. carrying of the vote for National Prohibition and its coming into operation." Mr Gray said they had made it -plain to the Prime Minister that, six o'clock closing was the irreducible minimum which they demanded. If tho Government refused to reduce tho time between the carrying of National Prohibition and its earning into effect from 44 years to six months he said thoy should organise and carry local no-license throughout the dominion, which would come into effeot right away. Tho motion was carried unanimously.

Mr Adams gave a report of the Wellington Congress, when a great reorganisation was accomplished, arid a big sohemo proposed for their work in the future. His remarks were punctuated with frequent applause.