VISIT OF MRS LEE-C OWIE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12588, 19 October 1911, Page 4

VISIT OF MRS LEE-C OWIE.

7 Thev&J.\Mß an excellent attendance of ,te«ipei&&i}ee *, ; workers and syhipa.Wii^'ee-' at the welcbnie •social extended ito'; : Mtß\-Lee-Cowie m Wihinray's hall - last' night.;. • , : The Rev.' JE.'-;W. Chatterton, . PreisiY-' dent of the No-license League/ Occupied the chair. ■ Af iVr. expressing : pleasure at seeing the .yisitbr looking*, so well apd' fit; though. Hhe-'lady only 'arrived by steamer that afteriiooil,- he referred I 'it»v .-,'- the coming . poll Tas being the r "te&des/t' fight theys had yet -"f aeedy w The presideiit .'• r then, ;wentij;on .-to '^u<^ from- a paper- V which; Jiad -*he>h .-laid on the table Of - . the House of Representatives a few days / ago. It was , • under. QovernAent instructions, setting fprth % thecharges and fipnvictione for 'driuikeh* ness; m the. hoiliceqpe district* ' of NewZealand . for the; bLjc months ended, Juhe 30, 1911. v. The pajber sjloWied that m the whole twelve uO^censp i., districts' only 165 .conviction* recorded. These* districts carried! a, population of 160,996; and- pnly 46§,0f jtliose had been convicted Of drunKepapss.. ."/tn Ti^hape - townshijp' j and BUDAtrbs, with a . pbmihytipii. pf .^SbfTi —a JJi&wOd < jarea-^iAo c6hvic'tioit» Were - reodrdM for the /same period. Hp;tv did lAiis. square, he asked, with, the "tradeV' 'cOritinuously-circttlated statements that •; there Avas more drunkenness .ih ,the "dry" 1 areas than m the, licensed?^These returns vwould nuike^such uhtriie statements all the mdire. difficult for anyone to swallow*. . '- iVarious representatives from Jbhe temperance organ isations welcomed the visitor? and ' Jater Mr J, , A.-, J<pnes gave, ah inspiring address .to/ >yorke;rß.r .Several ' iqusicai- selectionsi,; v w§re also/rendered., / Mrs /Lee-Cowie v w^is/ greeted ijvith hearty appisusq r .,Qn rising,^ and' very cpr- , dially thanked /all for .the /welcome extended. '.She .-■ then went ,', oh to ■ isay that > at the coiping elections, 'a /real miracle could be jvr^ughti! m Neyr Zealand. In the* past they had aimed at and hit -■ the ''trade"' very :^ard.; This was emphased by the position m Clutha. Con-^ ■"B^able Lo'ppdeil gpt'-into a railway par- 1 riage in 'w;hich Die .was travelling, and ■ m reply. 1 to her. questions; an ent Clutha, stated that norhcens,e Ayas .as magnificent success in. that^district. /.There ; had been no otte m ;,the • lockup .for nine months. Mrs LeerCojyie showed that^mpre recent • returns • preyed thd,t/,/ Bialclutha lock-up had been .unoccupied,, for -,51 weeks in-*---1910-lfl- • and- that*. ''not -a single resident of the electorate had been locked up for drunkenness for fiv.e years. . Tne .seven • w*ho had been .arrested had pome, , by : train froiii- liquOr areas. In -.-tjje licensed electorates drunkenness was steadily On, the increase, while 1 .in- the . norlicense areas it was red.uced to a, mini,mUnii , In 'conclusion Mrs Lee-OpSvie stated .that s}nce her last visit ; to . Gisbprjtie /she ht^d, beentwice/almpst.round the.wor"Jd m temperance work, and Svery .civilised nation \g-as rising igrainst the: .liquor traffic. Whether the British Empire was looked at, or pnited , JStates", pir any part Yqf Europe, this was truel The soul of the people av«s rebellihg against the iniquitous traffic, and she promised m .her further. lectures to. take her. hearers m aa* i Aeroplane to these 'countries and see for themselves what was lieing. done. In '^ 'te /South ..Wales an ivw,ful< trick had \ been played- the ! party vby ■ the-UpluOrites. A circular was sent out stating..t hat- as the liquor/t raffic was well imder the heel •of the party, they .must now devote themselves to putting au- istop^j/tp smokragi'- and ''other such cufi ; ' •toms..; This 'circular was signed by a fictitious person, who purported \ to be ■• Becre,tai-y-of- .the New South .Wales AIM- v fficel Of course, there was no such person, and this w;as done .to deceive the electors on the eve:ofthe poll. Shch unworthy tricks would be tried m New .Zealand. There >vas jy> remejly m the law, and jud^nent could '.dn)v reach the • nerpetratOrs, she said, by the votes of the people being cn^t .ivgainst a . party resorting to such evil and despicable practices, • > v •''; > -i---. -

The Rev. J. A. Lochore then spoke on the use which the liquor, canvassers were making of the 'New ! 2e"a*uirid Sports Protection "League, . . ; • , ~ •