EVENING SITTING. NOTICE OF MOTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1834, 14 January 1887, Page 18

EVENING SITTING. NOTICE OF MOTION.

The Rev. Mr Will gave notice that he would move on the following day as follows :— v That a committee be appointed to confer with the Deacons' Court of the First Church, and to obtain the necessary information with reference to the enlargement and the improvement of the synod hall" . ' , ' ADDRESS TO THE QUEEN AND GOVERNOR. On the motion of Dr Stuart it was resolved —"That a committee be appointed to draft a loyal address to her Majesty the Queen on this Jubile> year of her reign- and to his Excellency the Governor on his visit to Otago; the committee to consist of the moderator, the Revs. Will, Stobo, Bannerman, Dr Stuart, Messrs B. B. Cargill, Matheson, Begg, and Fitzgerald."

KBPORT OF COMMITTEE ON TKJIPEBANCE. The committee appointed to draw up a report on temperance for the past year reported tnter alia : — ' / ' * Queries were sent to" '63 ministers and home missionaries. Four of these failed" to send' replies, but as they have been veryexemptary in replying b'tberto. it was pre*umed 'the queries bad not reached them, or had been inadvertently overlooked. Of the 59 who had cent returns,* only two reply negatively to the question, "Are you an, abstainer?* Home seem to object to this question being put, others have very strongly urged that the question should be made to embrace 'all office-bearers of the church. There could be no doribt if the number of abstaining office-bearer* were tabulated they .would conetitu c a con iderable majority.. One minister Btated that he could return 11 out of 16 as. abstainers. Jn many placs it was well known to your committee that office-bearers lead the van in this movement. In some cases there were societies directly connected with congregations ; they were, like oilier departments of church work, under the control of the session, and received some notice in the annual report of the congregation "In most cases societ ci of a general kind existed. These were not indeed outside the sympathy or. beyond * the prayers of adjacent congregations, but they were self-goy«niiw|fc bodies, with members" drawn from all th> ctiurcbea From thfe rtffctfrcs It appears- that fefce BMe Elblfeti,

or^ Gospel Temperance Societies were by far tho most numerous. There wer^ohe or two indcations. however, that the distinctively ChHsfcinn aspect of the movement under these societies v-as uot so prumiiieai- as perhaps it should be". Owmg to the fact that in must cases the societies •were uot congregational, but ge leral, it had not been possible to t>btaiii_relia le statistics. Wo statement- as to members yronid bs.of much value. It was cucering, howeve •, to note how atrongniany of the societies 6''t-m to b^. In one district, cont ining a araa'l towndhip, and a considerable agricultural population, it was said that there were ntn t over 0 adults in the whole, oiatrict who were notabbtainerb. In some up-country districts so.:ietie» are report d as having, a total membership, including old and you.g, of 500. The town societies are also in most cases large. Action had been taken against ' intemperance ' in two ditec tions moral suasion aud enforcement of existing law. In the first direction good work has been done. Ministers had not only set an example of abstinence themselves, but by sermons, by lectures, aiid shorter addresses at' ordinary meetings of societies, had sought- to widen the intelligence and' deepen the convictions of total abstainers, and at fche satne time enlist the sympathy and co-operation of others. In the B'cond direction attempts have b.'-en made to limit the' places' and hours within which strong drink can, be legally sold. These attempts have been fairly successful. In a few cases e<isting hotelshave beenolosed,' while in many cases the hour for closing has been chang d from 12 to 10. It has been suggested that efforts should be maje to secure for woman tt-e right to vote in the election of licensing committees, seeing the drinking customs of society, specially and sometimes in very terrible ways, an ct women, the committee thought they oiight to have a determining voice in theadminiatraJon ol the lirenxii g law. -

It has also b-en bugges'ed that the synod, through t i committee, should offer pr zes tor the best essay, §iy on "'lire drinking ÜBiMges of society, and how t > remedy them,' to i-e % competed for by young »bb Hinersth<oughoutthechurch. Asteud ngt'iwards t ie tame result, Bands of Hope, &c.,,might be en oiura^ed to study Dr Kichardaon's temperance H tndbook, and at. the close ot the ;, ear an examination might be held, and a few prizes given under thi la'ict-ion of the synod. The 'committee asked of the ijno I power to carry out some such scheme. The committee atio recommended to the favourable notice of members of a ■ nod a society that lias bsen formed during the past year under the presidency of Sir William Fox. It is called " The New Zealand Temperance Alliance," and was meant to unite all frlen-s of temperance throughout the colony in a eyatematic endeavour to suppress the liquor traffic

The Rev. Mr Ferguson moved the following deliverance: — " Adopt the report with thanks to the committee, and especially the convener ; express gratification with the evidence which the report presents of the firm hold which the principle of total abstinence has upon the church and communi y at large, the progross which the temperance cause is making and the interest in this good work ; again urge ministers to advocate total abstinence principles on scriptural grounds, in pulpit; and on platform, as occasion may offer; to take full advantage of the Sabbath Bohools to render juvenile temperance societies more numerous, larger., and more influential, and thus further increase the membership and strength of senior societies, and tib make the great privileges which the community have in present Licousiug Act better known aud understood ; commend to the cordial -ympathy of the church the New Zealand Temperance Alliance ; assure all sincere temperance workers of the huarty interest and support of the synod, and particularly rejoice in the earnest labours of Mr Matthew Burnettin almost every townbhip within the colony; finally, agree to the suggestion of the committee with respect to offering prizes for competition among young pc pie." He thought that people, as they looked abroad and saw the lack of prosperity of the liquor traffic, were perhaps encouraged to be over-sanguine about the future of the temperance cause. The languishing of the liquor traffic during the past year was owing to the bad times, and some people who professed abstinence, aud practised it, had done so in 6unie instances from selfishness and as the times improved advocates of the cause might ,be E spared to see the enemy of temperance show imself more hostile than ho had done lately. He thought it would be a good thing if some popular statement were prepared, fahowing what priveleges the community possessed under the Licensing Act. * ""- Tho Rev. Dr Stuaht, in seconding the deliverance, said that if there was a fault to be laid to the charge of the temperance people it was that they did not take enough trouble. They were great speakers, and good at getting in collections,' but they were not very wise. He himself had invested 4J25 in a Coffee Palace in Dunedin, built by the temperance people, and he had lost ib.— (Laughter.) Instead of having a place provided for working men, who could go and got a dinner in plain clothes, they erected a grand pulace, and they had got the benefit of it aud his £25 into the bargain. What was wanted was cheap and cloanly sort of placi 8, under the control of quiet, decent people, in different parts of, tho. town. His belief was that if such places were erected, many people, instead of going to a public-house to *read the newspapers, would be found in -the quiet snug parlours of those places. If th*j temperance people were more practicil and erected places of " this sort, a great impetus would be given to the temperance (Muse, The -Licensing Act v conferred, great powers ou the "people, and perhaps "they would be induced to take more interest in the licensing elections. He thought the temperance advocateb should provide short pithy papers showing the people what, they should do and what they should avoid " doing. • The temperance movcinont would speed slowly. perhaps, but surely, if a good and wise sort of .people were brought to its work — people who w.ould retain every iucn of ground they gained. - • • [The remainder of our-report is crowded out.]