DRINK AT DANCES

Southland Times, Issue 22146, 14 October 1933, Page 10

DRINK AT DANCES

SYNOD DISCUSSION MR ANDREWS-BAXTER’S VIEWS. At its session on Thursday the Anglican Synod did not give a very sympathetic hearing to the efforts of the Rev. K. D. Andrews-Baxter to have the following motion passed:—“That Synod views with grave concern the unchallenged license given to the pleasures of to-day” (reports the Star). “I move the motion because I consider the young people of to-day are in a grave state so far as their pleasures are concerned,” stated Mr An-drews-Baxter. “If we look around the dance halls in Dunedin and elsewhere we should scarcely see a dance to which drink is not taken.” Voices: Question.

Mr Andrews-Baxter went on to say that they found young people not dancing in the halls, but sitting outside drinking in motor cars, and he could tell them tales worse than that. As a church they should try to do something to make the recreations of the young people more healthy. At present drink and worse things were taken to public dances, and 50 per cent, of those present were partaking of drink, and very often too much. At a dance in North Invercargill several girls said to the organizer: “Can we get a spot?” When they were informed that they could not get drink one girl said “That is no good to us. We are going somewhere else.” They were not happy to go to a clean, wellorganized dance. They must go somewhere where they could get a “spot.” He thought that the girls were worse than the boys, and very often they would not dance with boys who would not give them drink. Voices: Nonsense.

Mr Andrews-Baxter: It is not nonsense. I could tell you something that would make your hair stand on end. There was no immediate seconder of the motion, but at length Mr F. W. Knight said he would second it so that he could answer it. He referred to dances run by bodies with which he was connected, and stated that drinking was forbidden. He contended that the motion was an unjustified reflection upon young people. Mr A. H. Allen said that statements made by the mover were absolutely contrary to fact. He referred to steps taken by the City Council to prevent drinking in halls. The Bishop asked if Mr AndrewsBaxter meant the license given to the people and not to the pleasures. Mr Andrews-Baxter: The unchallenged license to the pleasures. We allow exaggerated pleasure to go on without challenging them in any way. I was accused of making a statement contrary to fact inasmuch as I said there were many dances in Dunedin and in other parts of New Zealand—l am not referring only to Dunedin—where there is a considerable amount of drinking. I know that, as far as Invercargill is concerned, there are very few dances from which a number of people do not go away the worse for liquor. One of the many dangers and one of the big things is the hip pocket flask.

Archdeacon Fitchett: That is new matter. He had not heard hip pocket flasks mentioned in the course of the debate.

Mr Andrews-Baxter: It is not new. Hip pocket flasks contain drink. The Bishop: Proceed, please. Mr Andrews-Baxter said his point was that the people who controlled dances could not control hip pocket flasks. He could tell them of things, too, which were far worse than hip pocket flasks. It was no good saying that this was only one of AndrewsBaxter’s ideas. It was a very big thing, and he thought they should do something in the matter and not pass it over lightly. Surely the pleasures of the young people were their concern, and they should do their best to see that the pleasures were healthy and clean and not exaggerated as they were today. He was putting it mildly; if they wanted it stronger he could give it to them. , . The motion was lost on the voices.