"GOING DRY"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18516, 29 March 1922, Page 8

"GOING DRY "

A WORLD REVIEW. ADDRESS-BY THE REV. JOHN DAWSON. - HIS OBSERVATIONS IN OTHER COUNTRIES. The monthly meeting of the United Temperance Reform Council was held at the Octagon Hall last night. The meeting was presided over by the president (Mr H. S. Adams), and there was a good attendance. The Chairman, in welcoming and introducing the Rev. John Dawson, the organiser of the New Zealand Alliance, referred to the wide travels Mr Dawson has made in America, Europe, and Great Britain since last he was in Dunedin. Mr Dawson said it was quite apparent that the liquor question was a national question. Indeed, it was an international question. Liquor forces were going to be aided and abetted in their campaign here from far overseas. They were already boasting that they had any amount of money, while the Prohibitionists were bled white. The first might, be true, but the second was not —not by a long way. They were co-workers with God, and if they would play their part well, though the liquor traffic had tons of money, the forces of righteousness would see the end of it in this dominion. He wanted them to realise wherein lay their strength, and never to do anything inconsistent with the Kingdom of God. He* went on to refer to two or three cheering facts he had found on his travels. Ho had attended the World’s Congress against Alcoholism held *in Lausanne, Switzerland. The great inspiration of that conference was in the evidence that this was an international movement. The whole world was moving in the direction of the abolition of the liquor traffic. The flag of freedom might be waving sooner than they thought over some countries —enen of our old drink-ridden England that spent £469,000,000 in drink in 1920. It was an awful price they were paying in addition to the money, but they were awakening, and they would not pay it long. England was looking across to America and to New Zealand, too, Ireland, too, was going in tha direction of abolishing the liquor traffic. In Scotland there was a great march forward. They had shut up 441 licensed bars by their votes, including 99 in Glasgow alone. The prohibition forces there were up and ready for another fight. At Lausanne there ware 600 delegates from 33 countries all over the world, and of these countries the Governments of 23 had appointed their own official delegates. England had its representative there, who was required to report back to the Government what was being done. Perhaps, the crown■ing surprise and delight was that his Holiness the Pope had sent a delegate to represent him at the World Congress Against Alcoholism. The President of the Swiss Republic was the president of their league, and delivered the inaugural address. He dealt with the scientific aspects of the question and the advantages of abolishing liquor. The representatives of 21 Governments replied to that address in the great crowded cathedral in which it was delivered. This movement was taking hold'of the Christian Churches as never before. There was organised at that conference a World a League of Universities with a view to education and investigation and propaganda. With the truth being taught about the liquor traffic in the universities the traffic was doomed. The Swiss themselves on a Sunday had a temoerance demonstration of some 5900 people'in procession, representing all classes and interests, demanding that Switzerland should have the opportunity of abolishing the liquor traffic. Passing on to speak of England, Mr Dawson stated that, the Bishop of London, realising the position, undertook to visit every diocese in England in the interests of the Church of England Temperance Society to arouse at least the people of the church to the terrible danger. The Rev. A. J. Sharpe (president of the Wesleyan Conference) had resolved to devote his presidential year to the promotion of forces for the overthrow of the liquor traffic. There was hope for England, and a bright day coming. In view of the possibility that the issue of State control might be retained on our ballot papers, he considered it his duty personally to investigate- the Carlyle experiment. He went round a number of State control “pubs” there and found the men in them very friendly. He asked if there was any diffioulty in getting liquor, and he was told there was “plenty of booze.” In one hotel there were six drinking rooms, all praC: ticallv full. In four of the rooms there were men and women drinking together, and the other two were for men only. The familiarity with which women could sit in the. crowded rooms with glasses in their hands was one of the most degrading sights he had ever seen. In that house the manager told him he could not get a meal, but there were some houses where food was provided good and cheap. Yet in the best of them there were ample facilities for getting liquor. In the Gretna Tavern, one of the show places, the conditions looked more showy and attractive than ordinary drink places. At first glance everybody seemed bright and happy, but after talking with the menagferess, waitresses, and others there, he came to realise thqt the people there, however p?easant were the surroundings, were drinking, and he knew that, anything that made voung men and women familiar with drinking customs could not be for the good of the nation. In Annan, just over the Scottish border, the Government had spent more on drinking facilities and conveniences than anyhere else, and there were beautiful grounds and provision for sports. School children were provided good, cheap meals, hut under the same roof the men and women were drinking just through a partition. In Carlyle he watched the hotel bars dlosing up at lOvo’colck at night, and from one hotel he saw 18 women being put out in a more or less drunken condition. State control was no solution of the liquor question. In Canada; Quebec was the province in which most of the liquor sent from Britain to Canada was landed. Some of it soaked across the border into the United States. Quebec Province was not by any means a, model one from the point, of view of social reform. The other ‘ wet” province in Canada was British Columbia. A vote allowing the Government to sell liquor in sealed packages had been carried. Tills was sold from 49 stores, and many formalities had to be gone through before it could be purchaser!. Nevertheless, the sales had gone no by leaps and bounds, and it had brought such evil results that British Columbia was already heartily sick of it. There was no fear that Canada’s other seven provinces would ever go back on the prohibition of alcohol. The sentiment was strong and growing, and Canada would soon be dry from coast to coast. Gaols and penitentiaries were being emptied. A great penitentiary at Alberta stood empty and deserted,' a monument to the traffic that wrecked so many lives. Many breweries and saloons were being turned into thriving factories and places of business, the brewers thus signifying that they recognised that “the game was up.” Where the liquor monopoly was abolished the needs of the travelling public wore far belter catered for. America was a great country, and was working a groat reform. There were abuses of the liquor law. It was being smuggled in and it was being made illegally. When prohibition eame into force there were 66.000.000 gallons of whisky in bond. The liquor interests were prepared to bribe and corrupt (he law enforcement officers. The Government was stiffening up the enforcement of the law. Party politics in America was a very big thing, and when the President changed many men of his own colour were put into office. Wlien prohibition came into force there were still the democratic officials in office, and many of thorn had no sympathy with (lie new law. But with the appointment, of the new president there came a new set of officials, and America was standing up to the enforcement of the law. There had been great hauls of motor cars which were confiscated and sold if found illegally conveying liquor. The alien element had become a most serious menace in the States, and they were the prey of ignorant and unscrupulous agitators. Nevertheless the laws concerning liquor were as well observed as the other laws in the country. Ten per cent, of the country was still wot, but that 10 per cent, was drying up. The Americans themselves were the people who had carried prohibition, and they were going to stand by it against all the alien forces till America was as dry as the Eighteenth Amendment could malic it. Last July 4 there was to be a great pro-liquor demonstration intended to shake the city, to shako the United States and the world. Two hundred thousand signed a pledge that they would take part in the demonstration. But the great, bulk of the Americans said. “It, is an insult to use the Fourth of July for such a purpose.” When the morning came the promoters cried off 100,000. and when the show was over the newspapers made their own estimate, and' said there were not 15.00 C in it, including the paid hands. The fact was they could not find in America the people who would come out in the open in support of the liquor traffic. It was true that some doctors had done a roaring busi-

ness in making out liquor prescriptions. Yet 78 per cent, of the physicians in America had never even applied for a permit to prescribe alcohol as a medicine. It was out of their pharmacopeia altogether. He had been given to understand that drugs and drug fiends wore everywhere. Ho spent six weeks in America looking for drunks, and ho saw hut one drunk, and that was clown in the Bowery of New’ York. In the Bowery ho saw a wonderful transformation. Former Gorman boor pardons wore now prosperous banks and business places. Tito marvel to him was the children, for ho did not see 'an ill-clad or ill-fed child right through the Bowery. In Chicago lie went, to sec the Bridewell gaol and the drug institution. The gaol was getting its population thinned out. One of the drug institutes live storeys high had been closed for two years. At length he found the Kealy Institute, 70 miles away at Dwight. It was the headquarters of tlio Kealy Institute for drug addicts, and it w'as a six-roomed bungalow. They had no in-patients, but 18 outpatients—l 7 men and one woman. The former headquarters had been bought by the Government as a soldiers’/Jiospital, and had accommodation for 232 soldiers. Under wot conditions they had 42 institutes, and now they have 12. There were still people in America who were drug addicts, but the institutes who dealt with these were going out of business. Under prohibition the doctor's would not deal with drug addicts privately, but turned them over to the police. The Government had to treat them, and it was this that gave ground for the statement that there was increase of drug taking. America was not teaching its young people to drink. It carried prohibition by the only means possible—first, by teaching the science of alcohol in the public schools, as they had been doing for the last 30 years. The people were in it, and were going to maintain it. America would never go back to booze, and England was awakening and sending men over to investigate. Lord Northcliffe was not sent. Ho went arid boasted tliat lie got liquor in spite of the law, but he had to go with bootleggers and get it in behind looked doors. In bold contrast was the great General Foch, who said, “While I am in your dry country I am dry also.” The Japanese ambassador, too, drank the toast of the Emperor’s health in accordance with (he law of the land. Lord Leverhulme brought back a very different Report from that of Lord Northcliffe, and told Britain. “England must go dry, for the doped lion can never keep pace with the sober eagle.’’ Mr Dawson’s vigorous address was listened to with the closest attention, and freely applauded throughout.