PROHIBITION

Southland Times, Issue 19478, 30 March 1922, Page 6

PROHIBITION

ADDRESS BY N.Z. ALLIANCE SECRETARY A WORLD WIDE MOVEMENT An address on prohibition, was delivered in the Y.M.C.A. rooms last night by the Rev. J. Dawson, general secretary of the N.Z. Alliance. Mr J. S. Baxter presided over an attendance of about fifty. Mr Dawson commenced by referring to what had already been done' in Invercargill to secure the banishment of the liquor traffic and what was still being done. While recognising that, he wanted to urge on his hearers to put forward further efforts to secure Dominion prohibition this year. The outlook was very cheerful, but by that he did not mean that all they had to do was to sit back and cheer when the numbers went up, but they would require to put forth their energies as they had never done before and if they did that there would be a crowning victory. The service that they would do for those that were to follow by abolishing the traffic • was inestimable. He had just come away from the Methodist Conference, where they had not been looking back on a century, but had been looking forward. There a resolution had been carried asking all circuits to release their ministers from September 1 till polling day to take part in the great work. In England he saw a lot of tilings that delighted him after an absence of 33 years. It was delightful to look on the English fields, trees, cathedrals and lakes, and what a delight it w'as to get back, to dear old London, which had a charm of its own. But he could tell them that there was a great deal that made one sick at heart when one got into the heart of the social life of London. £469,000.000 in one year yzas what Britain spent on liquor, and was it any wonder that there was poverty, misery, want, lack of employment, and chaos? It made one wonder if England was still going to keep her position as the foremost nation of the world. They had had their difficulties in New Zealand—it had been a long fight and at times a disappointing one—but he Nvoiild say it was worth while to save their country from becoming as bad as England at the present time. But there was hope for England. The Bishop of London had visited every diocese in the interests of the Church of England Temperance Society, rousing them to see the danger England was in from the liquor traffic. The president of the Methodist Conference was giving his year of presidency for an attempt to solve the liquor problem, and to awaken England to the dangers she was drifting to. Britain was facing the liquor problem now in a manner that was not apparent before, and he was most surprised and delighted at the prospect of Ireland, with its many distilleries, becoming one of the countries that would have prohibition. The liquor problem had become a national question, aye, an international question. He was a representative at the World’s Congress against alcoholism, held at Lausanne, at which were over 600 delegates and 33 countries represented. The Governments of 23 countries had appointed delegates to attend the conference and it was a source of great joy to him that Great Britain had appointed a delegate.- The speaker found his presence was no mere formal one, but the Government wanted a report on the conditions of things as found at that conference. What had encouraged him more than, anything else was the fact that His Holiness the Pope had sent a special representative from the Vatican to gather information. At the Conference the representatives of universities had formed a World’s League of university men to combat alcoholism.

In view of the fact that state control had been an issue at the last ballot and that it possibly might be retained again this year, he had personally visited Carlisle, in England, where took over the control of the liquor trade. There were many good features about the Carlisle experiment, such as facilities for recreation and good meals. On the other side, at closing time one night he saw 18 women in a maudlin condition turned out of a state control house. The speaker gave further details of his experiences and said that the Carlisle experiment, as a means of solving the liquor problem and saving the people, was not worth while. Referring to the spread of the prohibition movement in Scotland, the speaker said that if anyone imagined liquor reform in Scotland had been a failure, let him look at the results: In Glasgow, 99 liquor bars were closed in one “go” and 441 licenses in the whole of Scotland.

Referring to North America, he said the Canadian province of Quebec was still “wet” and through it went a great deal of liquor from Britain. From Quebec liquor was soaking across the border into the United States, but the Republic was standing up to the job she had undertaken and would see it through. Seven out of nine States in Canada were dry, the other “wet” one being British Columbia, which a year ago had adopted sale by Government control. They were really very, very sorry for themselves, and even the liquor men said the system was bad. The speaker referred to evidences of the good prohibition had done in the dry States. He did not claim Canada and the United States had got their systems perfect, but he did claim that in those places there had. been a marvellous transformation.

In considering the effects of prohibition in the United States, it was well to remember the big percentage of foreigners in her 105 millions of a population, a section of which would never become law abiding citizens. But an anti-prohibition paper said 90 per cent, of the country was dry and the other 10 per cent, was going dry During the six weeks he was in America, he saw only one man drunk and that was in the Bowery in New York. Whatever might have been the position before, the country was now solidly behind the enforcement, and the bootleggers were at last beginning to realise that America was determined to have the law enforced and the constitution upheld. From what he had read, he had expected to find drug fiends everywhere, but he didn’t see them. The figures now showed an increase in the number of drug addicts, but the explanation was that with prohibition the doctors declined to treat addicts and handed them over to the police. If the doctors could tell the whole truth about the matter, they would see that there had been no increase. They need not fear that America would ever go back on prohibition, and if the country stood by it, England would either have to follow her example or fall behind in the race of progress. As had been said, “the doped lion would not be able to compete with the sober eagle.” In conclusion he appealed to his hearers to put forth their very best efforts to carry prohibition at the coming poll. A number of questions were asked and answered, and the meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer and the singing of the National Anthem. MAXIMS FOR BOWLERS. 1: Be up. 2: Be narrow. 3: Take Barxter’s Lung Preserver. Recently Mr Baxter visited a bowling green not far from Wellington, and that was the placard that met his eye when he went to take part in a friendly game of bowls, and the members of the club really believed in their motto. They evidently found “Baxter’s” an invaluable remedy for coughs and colds, and all chest afflictions. Baxter’s Lung Preserver has been a favourite in most New Zealand homes for the last fifty-six years. That fact alone proves its merit. Besides being an excellent preparation for throat, bronchial and chest complaints, it is invaluable as a tonic, as this rich, warm, soothing fluid revitalises the whole system. A generous-sized bottle of “Baxter’s” can be procured from any chemist or store for 2s