MR PATTERSON AT THE HARMONIC HALL.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 118, 12 October 1896, Page 2

MR PATTERSON AT THE HARMONIC HALL.

Mr Patterson gave his advertised address at the Harmonic Hall on Saturday evening, and despite the universally admitted fact as to the inappropriateness of the night, the hall was nicely filled. Mr R. A. Adams was voted to the chair and briefly introduced the lecturer, premising his advent by stating that Mr Patterson was not a lecturer hut a farmer out for a holiday, who had had many years experience of the benefits and working of prohibition.

Mr Patterson then came forward and opened liis remarks by stating that lie noticed that very few New Zealanders ever went for extended trips either to America or Europe, and on enquiry he found that this was the result of want of funds which in its turn was the result of the liquor traffic; that is the amount of money that everyone seemed to spend on liquor, and they could not both eat the cake and have it. Mr Patterson then went into a somewhat lengthy history of the United States and how they obtained their independence, and then converged onto Kansas, the State from which he hails, and the home of prohibition, detailing the methods by which they obtained that blessing and the immense advantages which had accrued from its adoption both individually to the residents and collaterally to the State. Mr Paterson gave the simple argument of the almighty dollar as the real lever which Nought prohibition to Kansas The Americans ‘‘guessed” prohibition would be economical and then ‘‘calculated” it would be profitable and decided to give it a trial and it had stayed there ever since, and they “ reckoned ” it would stay there for ever, as Americans knew the value of money, and when there are dollars to be picked up Americans generally “ got there ” all right. He said the struggle for prohibition had been very long and bitter, but there had been very little real attempt to break the law since it became established as a very large majority were in favour of it, and as they only got what they asked for there was no difficulty in observing the lav/. Mr Patterson explained that in Kansas the policemen were paid so much for a conviction not so much a day or mouth, the Crown Solicitor was paid so much a prosecution, and the Judge and the Jailor so much a case, not any of them being paid annual salaries, and consequently they all looked much more sharply after their work, and whereever a delinquent was caught the property he was caught on was made responsible for the whole costs of the prosecution; but before he (Mr P.), left gaoler had been suspended for two months because they couldn’t find a man to put in gaol; not one! And as the gaoler only got paid per prisonm he had nothing to receive when the gaol was empty; and this absolutely empty gaol was the result of prohibition. Kansas was at one time noted for its gambling, and the residents made up their minds to put a stop to that as soon as they had succeeded in obtaining prohibition, and as soon as that was firmly fixed they went for the gambling vice, but there was none; it had gone of itself when the drink was banished. There were no spielers, no gamblers, no races. All went out with the drink, and money and prosperity came in their place; and that would be the experience in New Zealand, for a grander or more fertile country there wasn’t in the world, and prosperity must follow the banishment of the drink traffic. Mr Patterson then referred to some of the terrible effects of over indulgence in drink, and advised all to work in the direction of securing prohibition for New Zealand, and sat down after a two hours interestingaddress.

A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr Patterson for his interesting lecture, and a vote of thanks to the chair and a collection closed the proceedings.

In an interview with Mr Patterson after the lecture, he said Kansas secured prohibition simply on the dollar and cent ticket. It did not operate in Kansas in the direction of preventing anyone having liquor in the house; they could make their own wine and beer, and if they wished to “fortify” their home-made wine they could obtain a permit for the purchase of a sufficient quantity of alcohol for the purpose; they could, also, if they wished, and plenty did so, go over the border into the next State and purchase* any quantity of drink they wished and take it home and drink it; but they could not either sell it or give it to their friends : indeed, any respectable visitor to a house would look upon an offer of that sort as an insult; so that the desire to keep drink about the premises except' the home-made wines, etc,, practically ceased to exist. He also considered that the prohibition speakers and lecturers about Now Zealand were in a great part doing their cause more harm than good, as by their over-bearing and drastic language and action they were creating opposition in the very class of people which would be most useful to them iu scouring adherents to their cause and assistance in obtaining theij- object. Mr Paterson created a most favourable impression all round, as both his manner and language were particularly pleasant, and while perfectly earnest in his war against the liquor traffic, there was nothing about his address to make enemies or raise the ire of anyone, but on the contrary jhe was singularly temperate in lan- ; guage, while he came down with his {facts right on the mark everytime, and fully shewed the advantages of proJ hibition.