PROHIBITION LEAGUE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 67, 12 November 1912, Page 5

PROHIBITION LEAGUE.

epresentati MR MEETING At I

STRATFORD,

Dvcr one Ii mid rod delegates from all over the Taranaki electorates mcl m Stratiord Just mgnt to discuss la; question of tlio Licensing Act. The president, of the New Zealand Alliance (Mr Wesley. Sptagg), and. the llev. Dawson (secretary of the Alliance) wore present. In his opening remarks the Hoy. Mr Dawson said that Mr Spragg war devoting a great deal of time to actively working for the..cause of pro hi hition. It, was often said that the No-license vote wont hack last year, when, as a matter - of fact, it war thirteen thousand more than the election previous. Tim Taranaki electorates had 60 per cent of the total voter in timer electorates cast for .Dominion Prohibition and yet with the threefifths handicap existing they were not able to close one liar on that 'vote. Throughout the Dominion the Trade's “great moral victory” consisted of ■IMS per cent of the votes cast, whip the No-License party had 53,82 per cent of the voting to their credit. Continuing, the -speaker referred'to the Electoral Census. When the rolls wore brought before Parliament they found that there were over 75,000 people on the rolls, who were non-residents ir the Dominion, while in single electorates there were as many as three thousand names of non-residents on some rolls. Yet Parliament in its wisdom, so that nobody should he disfranchised, a!lowed all of these names to remain on tire roll. They wanted it distinctly understood that the Alliance took no part in party politics, hut that the No-1 accuse party throughout- New Zealand had determined that if eighty men can control the voting power of the Dominion on a hare majority, they (the No-License party' are determined that they will have a democratic measure carried, by democratic represemtatives. In the past ter years- New Zealand had spent thirty millions on liquor, hut there had been no ,Royal. Commission set up to inquire into ..this “waste.” It was a well laid down fact that the liquor party throughout. New Zealand had “a vote and a hit,” while the temperance parly had only “a fit of a vole.” Hi Harmed that all fair-minded people

were agreed that this would have hr Ik’ rcnuivi (!. At the conclusion of a very enthusi astie mooting the following resolution was carried uriamhuouslv :—“lielicviric

in the demofTatic principle of majority rale in public matters tlihs meeting dooms that t.ho sett loin out of the Local Option I'oil should at once come under tin’s ride, and, as a step towards this position, this mooting expresses its tip-1 proved of the action of the .New Zealand Alliance in socking to obtain, h? all electorates, signatures of voters lr. the following pledge, ‘I hereby give my pledge that regardless of• party I will not at the next election give nr vote to any '-amlidate for Parliament who will not premise to, or at least sn'■ tantiallv, reduce the prerad. unjust condition of the three ! fifths majority upon both issues o'j Xe-t accuse and National Prohibi-l timid ”