GAMPS AND LIQUOR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12790, 15 June 1912, Page 2

GAMPS AND LIQUOR.

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last nigkt. Tho Minister of Defence (Hon. A. M. Myers) recently caused a board of inquiry ; to be set up consisting of Colonel E.-S. ?Heard, Imperial General Staff; Colonel, G A; F.. Campbell, commanding coast defences, Wellington, and Major"' G. R. Ritchie, commanding B Battery. New Zealand Field Artillery, Dunedin, for the purpose of. enquiring into the allegations made by the Prohibition League, Christchurch, of drunkenness and irregularities m connection with the territorial camps m the Canterbury district. He has how received from Major-General Godley, cpm-m-inding .the New,. Zealand, military forces; > the. result of .'the enquiry.' : The general makes the. following remarks: f'lt will be noted that m tho original fetter of ■ the three members of . ..the League to nie. a/desire wqis .expressed by the members m question did not .wish^any, inquiry to r .be rh^ld, but apart from ' re-isqh^ of the ei^gencies of the , service Atliat rendered an inquiry imperative,, the ,fait ; tl-at Athje league had their , fetter to me public, m tHq.;pi;ess,;jle : ft;rio i other coursepossible,, since .the"; gp.bd name, bf.th^ regiment was f^ Stalije. ■ .; , For, iifeis reaso'h alone,- the Tequfet iaiythS, league. .that:.ifto inquiry should' be jhajie could' not be accepted. Tins t request,- • coupledr with the fact that' the Teagu^was" unable to prod.iice witnesses to gXv* direct evidence before ' tlie;' 'Court of Alnepi'iry^-'lepds. -o^e. to^r*mfer^th^'.the.',ziei-l of its' momb;^i v s outran their discretion r 4n, not ascertaining beforehand -thai' .their witnesses were ready •', to"." substantiate their charges m pjiblic^' before Apublisliing the said charges m the cold print of .the daily . journals; A The/; resultASf this^.prd- " cedure on the. .part; of ; the Christchurch Prohibition League has been that the public has been £ut :to some . expense, for the court, cjn its' endeavor', to fuU;ihformation on the subject of the ■ allegations against the units concerned) ha^. to., adjourn . its^u proceedings, y.^tp Templetbii*, ' Aßangiora, ..'and' ' some miles ' beyond the latter --, place. The units against which the accusations rof irregularities were made by the Christchurch Pi'phibitiori Leaigii- are; the Ist (Canterbury) Regiment m the^amp at Templetop, and. the 13th (s(qrth Can,tgrbury and Westland) Regiment m -we" : camp 1 at, Rangiora.J -As vre^afda. the* men m cairip at • Templeton, ho evidence was fotmd that any drink . was brouglit into the, camp, but. a great, deal, pf evidence wsis produced ... to .show „ jhat ',' ttie,' mehj w^re sober ;a^d.^ beer bottles thatywere'vfouri'd lying m and. around 'th& 'dkinp : were proved to haye 1 contained nothing more harmful, than soft drinks^, as provided -by ;the.'canteen coptractor. . .The -whisky wfapper^ alleged to have been found m the camp }vas found by a member of the Prohibition League a forth lgh;. after the camp had been strupj?. In ythis' conrieqtiqh it 1 may be noted that ythe, camp, site; -vyas on a 'public domain, -ahd ik the resort of 1 picnickers * "and otJiers; . ■• including ' s\yaggers. . In the township., of^Temple-,-:; ton' an nriwil-lihg witness' .'cbnfesseo! tliat/ ascertain number Aof ,men " whb had^ bitoken out of; chmp on tlie.hight of". April 6th were inclined to be noisy, diid' that two of them \vero under ,,the 'xki fluenee of liquor; also that. on tho night', of April 10th „one other nian was seen*, to* be intoxicated, and r was heard to use - obscene language. As Regards .; the liien" o^ the -13th Regiment at Rahgiora, thfe'alijegatioris of tho Prohibition' League deal y with thejr behaviour on - the night of, their assembly.. .It will be; noted that 90.per. Ic,eiit..1 c,eiit.. qf'ithe men^of this regiment) were..in civilian clothps, and were : there-. ; fore. ;indistinguishable : from the general public.M;; These men nict for the first time, and arrived/from a very large are?, of country, at; all time's . during : they d?iy, a;hd {-.pobably also ; lateicomers arrived dhring the night. : Fnder - the circumstances it was difficult . to - get the regiment .organised; before the next day. The men were m the townyon the first .evening on general leave. All 1 the evidence brought forward goes to ■ show that though the men were "noisy ; they, caused no , 'annoyance to the public, 1 ahd affairs were very little different from r any ordinary Saturday night, when' it is the custom of young men to assemble ■ ii% the township. The evidence further :, A\jent to, sho^.tliat nien ,w*T«, seen , under, ;the , lnfljierice. of .liquor. ; A^the^ ; iniivillinff witp^s^t^e4. 'thj^t. ■■lyfc: tn'et\ : jiMex,;.ihe i^flnence! of liq^iypame into his -tent, and' were • thrown pnt, apd that later at night .a-' third, was djeposited therein,, .who, Jate'r partially, recovered and, remoyed himself. As regards" the siibsequejit. behavioujr, . of ..tlje men of this i:egim«rtt m. camp it left iipthing to^^Bfe" desirMA.'ahd there were no signs" of drink or insobriety to be fqund, as iwiE be -seen from ;the eividence of .witnesses before the court- ; . . ypThe General ..then summed up as already given, holding.that the charges .were .exaggerated, iibhtVexpre-sing. a de- • su-e .to ' co-operate :>ras.( far'as; he ; could j to, remove ,an^t_n*|ptatib-t.] . /, .> j