NO-LICENSE LEAGUE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14286, 1 May 1917, Page 8

NO-LICENSE LEAGUE.

Tlio annual' meeting oF' the '•G-isborhe No-License ' Leajgiie' was' held in- St. Andrew's -sohd'oTroojtft last ' Mightj the president, th^ IJev'. IF. ' Wl'. CJhattertpii; being in' tlie' chair. ",' ' S >; J! "'H 4> . '^' '. A report' ' outlining 1 the'-yo'r^ of. .the year was submitted by tod Secretary. The treasurer's report showed'' thef financial position of the league* '" 'to be fairly satisfactory, j the phairniaai presented the following presideiiiral .'.address:, ..' • \. '.'■-■ ''''.', ...'.'"•' .'.,.' '.'.l,',V. "The, iiquor. question.,, is one of ,'tt^e vital problems of tiie' .day. y,liiere ,is£a: stronger feeliriff tlja'n ever in *§& cbupV t-vies that it is ,not a .' question. \w^fcb any Government ought' to slbirk; ''■" $lj\thc ar : ■ gunients that Ave as temperance' • a,dvbcates used before in times of peace 'ate being used with tenfold' force now in times of war. It is extraordfnary how many leading men in •conservativo England, in every prpfess^on and eyer^ trade, are advocating, total prohibition of the liqudr traffic " as. the -biily and right course at' the present time. Many of the arguments *used<' apply equally in New Zealand, 'though some apply ': more especially ..to England.. „ 7. "It is, I think, admitted, by eyerypne that had Russia not adopted ..prohibition at the beginning the. war, the .asecerit revolution would fhay.e, bpe^i atitended with far greater bltfpdsJie.d and '4i^or£(e.K > '/ and might even have resulted \fi;.somei premature peace being fprceii ' upSh"' 1 qui; (?i"eat ally, which would placec| us in a most serious position. Foittjnately for us, prohibition ; was* not regarded -by Russian, statesmen as-an'unduevjiiiterferr' erice with pi'i'so.n'al liberty t or : as' a- mere fanatical outcry, but ;as ;a , sane and truly patriotic national poiicy,. securing economic and moral advantages.' ;q°i. tie greatest poysi ble vajuo to tlie . n^.tiop. The results have, exjeejeded the most sanguine expectations..' Last ,J,uiy ' j-he Duma passed a further measure nermanently prohibiting the manufacture arid sale ,pf all intoxicating liquors (wine, beer, and vodka) containing more tfian ii per cent, of alcohol. Whether this has yet become the law of the land I have upt seen, but it shows the mind of; the RiiSr sian Parliament . and .people. ■ ' - -.'...

"The estimates in. the-, pussian , Budget for 1017 assume. that °niV #^P°°'Po() vfjtll be spent, on alcohol for the. whole lsb,---000,000 of .people, as .comparted jjvith Britain's lain' annual drink bilV of £&ol',---0,00,000 for V>f people. Does; riot tliis expenditure ' .amount -to fcrimfnal folly in View ;i of the' fabttbal tlie inaniifactm<e of this liquor involves an eijoj-r mous expenditure in cereals, sugar, transport, and labor, and. that, -tt^e Food Controller, Lord Bevpnpprt, has washed the/nation tha the food, supply. Is.'. a question of ,the utmost ; gravity. People are urged ' to , lessen' their 'cpiir sumption pf, , bread and meat,, bjut Alcohol, according to ' the drink bill, is* going to be consumed mJicMv as -usual. It is true that. a yery, .drastic/ jC.urtailnwaL pt hourshas been .made by,, tb!e : L^uor. .Control, Bpard 'in many parts.,, of .Ehfirlari, but while there. ; are- .evidence;* ,in some districts of. great; benefits resulting from; this, curtailment, .' much ■'■•' more is needed. ,It ' cannot '.'he. gues tipned that the consumption /of alcohol (i) lessens tlie fooil supply 'both directly and indirectly; (2) 'lessens the economic strength of the country; : (3) ■ lessens the/ nervous and physical 'stamina of our workers, soldiers, and sailors;;,,^) Jcssens the, moral and spiritual^ stamina, of, tlie; nation, apd so is mainly responsibly for; that scourge of y.enei'.e'al . disease whi^'ii? every country has . got to grapple wifliij The Goviernment by . adoptjngl cohscrip-; tion forces' our boys to' light," aiiS.'.an' overwhelming majority of the people,, I am persuaded, at such 'a crisis as"' this,; regard this as essential if we .are: to » win: our way. through. But when a; Country) takes such a step as this, it is in hqnQr: bound to do everything in 1 its ppw;e]if> to secure the , physical ,and . rnqral-' fitness of v pur . ypung ; . ,',' , manlippdThe Bill .that \\yas brought, m^last year to deal w|(jh the social evil showed that the Government was alive ta ,thii exist| ence of a very serloui menace, ''Whfch^ unless coped with, miiist :s asslime- graver proportions at Vhe end of th^ war. "But everyolie knows that to ; attempt ''tip deal adequately with this -iscqurge ; without touching the liquor question is the veriest trifljng. „.,;. „ , - '. , ; , .: . , ■*•;■ "Sir T. 1*;. Vlctqr .BruxJ.pn.i in v a, recent letter to the papers, : says ttiaf, as tije facts of, the situation ", become better '..appreciated nieri >yjli. rajl'y jp -iniiSr movement ("down glasses"), 'and' W&,. sh&ll have \he. grateful supppct of a host' .'of parents \vho dread fai; tlieii-" "soldier sons the twin leniptations of driiik anij - .lust far more than the shells of -thfefi^tjemy. A captain in the Britislj ; Army writes as follows: 'As one pfytji^ heaviest.drinkers of our. niess, and speaking for two others, . . • • \yp sJncerel^'Mppfe' that the English and French 'Gbye'rnmVritS' \v\iy u n i te to eff cc t a complete prohibition . . . . . The only cure,, andi.ttte^dffe.vsihcerely hoped for by us Who^View^iwUh apprehpnsion our steadily, increasing Use of alcohol, Is its. total off ective prohibition, both in England, and France.'. , A major at. (ho fijont writes to 1 the,".Sp^ctator and says: 'I believe' we should all be the, Jjetter for absojutp "pi-pjhilbj tipjji . ' Lieut.-Col. Sims \ypodhead f Erofessoi:' of Pathology at the University' ""8i (Cambridge, says: 'The i-urn ration in thei army is responsible for, a certain proportion of cases of 'unstable ■■nervous equilibrium; it also plays a by, noihieans important, part in fthe ,prjoductiohtv,of what is. known as, tvwich'rfgQt,'. , v :. t . "'JChe late, SlllvYl<sv-jJjlsr§lfx, tant syrgeon to> jii .Mesopotamia, wrote: 'T\\e director^ ;-qt military operations, '.aro prfictically all Whisky drinkers, and therefore wish the soldiers to drink, top. „ Out. here' in" 'tlfjs tbrrid climate they actually still 'issute* rum" in stead of food artasterHtsed'-Vate^iaTid, as a result, we now have cholera, dysen-

I , . ..; . , . . . . levy/, and diarrhdpa" tq cbnCenQ . \yitli. Anyone would suppose that no military niedical history' had ever been written ,or published. Our. gross failures and' stupidity' .':are, In my opinion, due to the i whisky affecting the. intellectual Organs anil, clearness .of our leaders.',.. . j'j'.'ln ( the , face of all these facets, the fanatics .are riot '.those who 'urge that tms source of national danger be removed,.'bitt those who!" in the face of ob'r national perils'.' blindly uphold the continuance of the traffic, regardless of cpWfequences, being swayed. only by.-pri-vate: interests,. '. prejudices, or passions. Many years "ago, rLord . Roseberry said that jjf the nation not throttle; the dxirU*; . tra'^c,. .the. trafljp \ \vould throttle tiie natipi^. 9ri)atn knpws npw, if she neVer knew, .before/ the strength , of this powerful fnoribpoly. '■"" New ' Zealand is fln'offhg" 'out the same thing, and though olir prosperity makes us more or less -■ on the - question, ■. v I shall be yefy- much surprised if, the ne^jt licensing poll does not show a strong determination , on the .part of,,tlie ;( peo^le to , curtail ,th>. power of a trajle'that has proved itself, to be such a menace to our national' welfare, jt 7s true that it is next' to impossible' to effect any Improvenieht'so' long' as the Government supports the trade by entrenching It behind such. a barrier as the. . threc-flfths handicap. , - • : . r ■ . - T-J'To depiand tfcis majority on.Jboth the local a,3n<l .ippini nibn issues. , is, . to say, in effect, '.'We vifUl'-make -It almost impossible for yoit : to carry anything.^ We shall .therefore never Vest satisfied until $6me reduction is tnado rn''the majority 'required, which will give the people: the right' to really, decide this -question, instead of /perpetuating, an injustice, whi,ch Is done v in no otl^er country.: \yhicli has seriously ;dealt with the liquor .problem. There , was something, to be said ..for a handicap, at the ,first. nnd when Only one issue was before the people, but with' the two' issues, and the many, years of ' grace ' given ■: the trade '. to prepare, it for possible defeat,.: the claim for .such protection , has. Jong since passed -away. ..^Oreat' strides ,,contin.ve to ma.de, in America a,nd since, out , last . annual, jfteet !{ng not only. several new. states bepsucne dry, making the. total 2s. but a federal law; ha^'iiow. come iitito forcfe making it pe'na.l for any liguor to 1 be sent intoj a dry ' Stat e ii^om outside. Formerly liquor sellers could send liquor, into a, dryState without let ; or hindrance ; by toking advantage of the Federal law, wbjch^ pe.vml.tted .this. %%q- repeal- .of ..this;. la.w will ,d.o, moy/c ;. to give, prohibition a fair phancc t,rian. anyjthing , that , liais- b6en tlq'nc Vfoj- sonic ' years' in America. We should not ll We \ surprised > if America " 'adopts ? national j prohibrr bitipn" almost imtnßitately. now: that^/1t has entered the war,' and if so it Ms extremely doubtful if she would/ go -back from it after the war. . , {'Education . has Ueen . carried much further on, this, subject in Amei'ica, than with us. l^lany amongst us are still disc ti?sin# ; tjie 't-erional Liberty' argument; whe%as therfe >ve find 'even the American Brewers' Review as far back.as 1909, writing as follows,: 'The ',^o-.called personal liberty argument, on, behalf, of .alcoholic drink lpses. more. and mojie of. its force. Consideration -of, . tjie. . .public . welfar<? continues, to. '^rpwii and (jtvershadow the rights of the individual. TW^ is said, not for the <p,urpo/e of 'discouraging the use of. the personal' liberty la+gunicnt. r put for emphasißingi' again; |.hpt, the drink questioarmust be fought j.fiut upon the ultftnate/> question, of.; onprajs, hygiene and- ..social -,,. order;, Mn other words. \the pnbl,lc welfayfe. It the welfare requires. ..tlie .sppprjession of a4qo-. hplic drink; it must be .suppries^ed, regard Jess .of individual rightS;' ..>■-, "I have given a. brief review ,ot< position as it ; confronts \ us. to-day, piere is much cause, for ; thankfulness iHijthe spread of , temperance reform ,tijir.p4gh,p,ut the world., I pnly wish tpat; pur. 4 . part o^: ,the EmDjre ha,d \ taken r .a ,' woTthter stand in the matted We have nqtHtfig ■to, boast of', for- 'we Ijaye ' lamentaSbly fjjLijed "iß"qui ; "cluty "to our brave .solfliers in this reppect/ and so far have.donjß: rqthinfe to riiake it easier for. them W^en they 1 come b^ick with broken; neryes- x %a resist .'those, temptations which >w.UJ.: be^et them oh: every han(l / ..We, 'are making ah other effort to petition the Government to.plose the .bar? at 6, o'clock, and "this shpuld mept with , the '^nipathetic suppen f of Everyone 1 Y'^° wishes well to his country. matter, which has- iopciipied our attention during" the year : is the serious drinking among; Maoris, not only in ithJs district,,^ut in. many.- p^rjs o£-; the; Dominion.,, ijepre^ejitations havp be^n> made itqi ' tiie .poyeynment again, and agai^i, , but sp far .with litt.l,e result. Attempts h^ve beeiii niade to prove that, this ■"failure is due 'to" prohibition, and so t6 dliscredit this means of dpaling with the liquor problem, The unfairness of this is, however, .quite obvious, for i n . , ttfe flref . place . there^ is n0 ... attempt at offeGtiye •■ pvoftib^tibn' eit}ier .amongst Maoris btf yJEhiope,an^. and in .the next I place , the , ' ey ij ,is " equally se.ribus. lin licensed areas,.; , * ¥,he'. main , cause, as the Government Kndws/ ; is 'defective legislation, an<r"iti 'the^failu'i'e* of the Maori Councils ;to, Q.o, their ;f duty,.. Jqv yh}ch (the Government must' bear 'its share of the blame. I am sorry, to say that during the year 'an- .additional license was granted v on'. the, E.lgt , (Jgast at a time and pla,pe. w^e^ei * %c|litj^s for. , drjnking might , well , have . b^eix re&uced. ' f „;;'\yeVstipng'iy'Vp'rotest- kgalii^.t, the manner" in whi'ch tijis. was donte, for a tjii'ng Was 'nevei^- 'contemplated 'bif the Act, nor vyerH" the -wishes of 'the people consulted. "I refer to the; granting of license to the- new hot^l-ih the Waiapu Valley , take Vthe ;pl'aqe" uf the, license at! the , pl<l .'accommodation, house ; at Phiwa, , Jaea.r Opptiki, 150, -ihijes; away, .\which. >yas -alldwed , to, lapse.. It c^e, as «^surprise' la. some , of .the.-residiefl^, \po i\vC|re given "to. yft<?ci;starid' 'that th^ ' new license, was simply' to take tlio placer ,of the bid hoter at Tuoarba,,. but wliq, how {Jnd .that both houses have been licensed. | 1 'There is 'nbundarice of work 'for' the league to do, but it cannot be dbne. s without self-sacriffce; .. Effbrt^"r{ii'e sure tp bo hiade in the future, to the/trade by proposals for ' State^, control or,, State pjqirq\iase, .&s they are, ( belvig r . made. v in E'jig-. lai^.^but, as X\}6 Reminds ' <\xs, lihtpxicants arfi hot only unnece^Sai.Vy, but ,afo' !: drpgs! se'dUciiyes which: slow clown' the 'work of thjft hieri :\yll6 s\iSfe thqrn mbderattly , ?and Cwh'ich,- ior those 'who Usd '. thbiii immoderately, either h,abHu?V ly cr occasionally, ar^e" fatal 'impediments to . efficiency f : . Believing •« this •to be 1 ; irjie and that puj;, r continued use of tlidm ; is hwlrjtful .to ..ipefety. /antf .v^cspecislly at s,i}ch a time ",'. as ,this, > ,^rc highly ' injurious' 'to the moral and economic , welfare of., the .nations, we-' must labor without ceasing to ;se,curey the,vtotal- prohibition of the traffic.'" ' '-"■' , \'-\ ■■■

v-.As. .}■'..■ 't; {:i:-.i\:K<\".!i ■....■: !■.<■!■■ ts. .:■<•;■- Offices elected as fbll6\vs : Piiesident, the^Rev^Fi W. Ohattei'toft (re-eiec.Ce^|':''Mce-^reSaehls;-:^esisrs- J. A. Jones and C. Gibson ; treasurer' Mr: D. Morice (re-elected) ; secretary, > 31i % 11. Qardiner; recording 'secretary, Mr Bbsfcock; roll' seci'etary^ M'na Wilkes; exe-i cutive oomniit^eQ,' 1 Mesdames Walker: and Bos ; tock' attd Musi's "B'yll,. Forge,: Mead, Johnston, ■ Wafiier, Mitohell andi •tfiiS RevV'T .Aitken. ;j 'J T!f;> > -p; 1 -. 1 ." v.^ : • Votes of thanks were accorded the olitrj going officers,- the piess/ and ,tbe,. boSm of ior ihe."u§e pf the schoolroom •for^meetiings.i * 'A'mpnga.t oj>ner Wsjn'ess ' wats the -passing olith^' "foliowiiyg'resojuti^:! !!That this meeting 'ij^ Uje'^isbqiTie NoLicejise Jieag^e Ve^plyegf Jo draw' the"h.ttentioirof, the iNation^J' Efficiency.' Boa'vd •to (1) T the'^asll^e <>f' foodstuffs in, th^ brewing . iiidusTry ; (2) tlie' demands' made uppijL the mejuisof ( transpoj^ botji w{feW in /the' 4 Domjniion and" o,verscas Ify; .the trade iii';alc<^6iio : Hcjuoya-V ($) tiie loss of wbrlying ■ ' tinie oil the jpart • of' ihaiiy wbrkers in fcher l>oinimpTi l! due /ti>' pver- ' indulgence i ' in : ildbhbiic i| li<j : ttor¥;" (4) the Widespi ; (Bad evils;- affecting;' ■' th'e * health, moral character'' anil^fefflcifehcy rof the manhood of the Bominioin^wJiicli 'are traußeable tS'the '^e 'or abii^e v o"f aJcbJiolic H?— r> a — ' r^)^?tMJy-. 'tfiat ma'tteivj come' SVithin', tlie^ of the 6jo%a;: anti il f^tW expressed the nope that' 'toe' Bqaf £ Will make) 'fiti-biig recommendatibhs v to' the Groverhment ' in thV -airectibn ; bf riiaieHally " u oui-Mling Ihy- "hours during' "wrfiicK alcoHoUc ' Titfiibr ■may be sold'r' : 6f Vetter WtUI, the' Wtal tiroJiißitibn'bf^ilie li^tibr ; *i*ade for : the period of the v war aYid for a considerable lime ;^ 1 ; • ' •■'•;'