THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14893, 16 October 1918, Page 3

THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

• EFFICIENCY CAMPAIGN

NELSON PETITION HANDED TO / MEMBER FOR DISTRICT.

shame, to have to appeal to such motives as finance, when they considered that the enormous amount of ■suffering, crime and disease caused by drink should have 'been amply Humanitarian considerations should have been iiic deciding factor, but they were luankful that now sordid and humanitarian interests were both pulling, in the same direction. In "America, where the watchwords were "efficiencyj more efficiency, ever more efficiency/ and where financial and commercial considerations were supposed to outweigh all others, prohibition was l>ein<r enforced, as a war measure, arid Canada, watcEing the experience of the finitect States, had also "gone dry." If prohibition was a good, sound proposition for those countries, they need have no hesitation in coming to thei conclusion that it was a good proposition for New Zealand. There were two other parties urging at least one other issue, viz., State Control, and on democratic principles one must admit that if a large section of the community demanded tnat issue it could not be refused, but unnecessary issues cloaked the real wishes of the people. As a permanent remedy State control must be utterly discredited at the present time. The National Efficiency Board had turned it do-n ; the' United States and Canada na(" turned it down,^ and practical expo- ence showed it did not achieve the enil desired. Mr Gibbs proceeded to refer to the Liquor Party's proposals, which he said" could be put on a par with the Kaiser's peace proposals* and the Labour Party's proposals, which were merely moans of propaganda. Another reason v>hv they sliould have prohibition was that it would protect the npr-re-shattsred soldiers returning from the front, who were particularly subject to the temotation of alcohol." It would remove from them the temptation of» the* open bar. It was their duty to give up what was a worthless luxury for those brave men. For the sake of national efficiency ami the returned soldiers. Mr Gibbs 'asked Mr Field to sunport the petition which bad been signed by nearly 3000 persons in the electorate". (Applause.)

___ I The New Zealand Alliance petition iv favour of the National Efficiency Board's recommendations for dealing with the liquor question was presented to Mr T. A. R. Field, M.P., at the City Council Chambers last evening, m tne presence of a representative attendance of Prohibition sympathisers. Mr F. G. Gib'bs, who presented the petition, which contained nearly three thousand signatures, said they did not come forward with the same feeling of embarrassment as they did when they presented the petition, for the meagre arid utterly inadequate 'measure of reform of six o'clock closing. They were no# emboldened to urge their member to.support a reform which would thoroughly -'banish* all the evils that sprang from the drink traffic. The recommendations of the National Efficiency Board, lie said, came as a bombshell, although they only declared. for what the Prohibitionists had been declaring for for many years. They were looked upon as "amiable lunatics," but what about those gibes in view of the report of the National Efficiency Board, which ; 'was composed of cool, level-headed business men, whose standing and experience in matters of commerce and finiittcp were unrivalled in the Dominion? After thoroughly examining the wholo question, and putting .aside .all moral considerations, they wore unanimously of opinion that national prohibition of the liquor traffic was a good commercial proposition—«ucfi a good proposition that it would. %c an excellent bargain for the country even at the enormous price of four and a half millions. Pro- ! hibition would save the five millions per ' annum that was at present spent in drink, besides a large "proportion of the money spent-on hospitals and asylums, and the enormous amount of inefficiency caused by drunkenness. Tlie prohibition campaign throughput New Zealand had been largely financed by business men, lor the reason that the business people i^id at last conic to r^aiise that what was termed "the trade" was a cannibal trade, which gnawed at the vitals of other trades, "which were all mutually lielpful to one another. All other trades

wero essential members of the body poli- Mrs Watson, as . representing the tic, but "the. trade" was a deadly can- W.C.T.U., urged that national prohibicer threatening the body politic, and it tion was the only up-to-date remedy for was i'or tho business men to extirpate dealing with the liquor question. ■ the cancer by a surgical operation which The jßcv. E. D. Jhitchett -referred to in this case was the expenditure of four the liquor question as being one at the and a half millions. It was a crying forefront or every political -programme,

! and said that at the outbreak of the ; war Great Britain, France, and Russia > Had each taken- steps to deal with the question in their own way, wifh a view •to banishing this evil, winch tended to .■weaken-the efficiency of the national ! life. Canada, he believed, had adopted • prohibition for ail time, and he was fully persuaded that the United States would soon want all-time prohibition as well, so : they had good grounds for claiming that the issue raised was one that must demand the most sympathetic and careful consideration. The National Efficiency Board had been set up with the approval of all parties m ttie House, ana they had recommended ■cliat the eUctprs of New Zealand should have ;an opportunity of voting on the question of prohibition witn compensa**°n- they asked for was a reasonable, clear-cut issue, and he hoped Mr £ield would use his best endeavours to have full effect given to the recommen- • dations of the Efficiency Board. ((Applause.) Mr Meld congratulated the speakers on the way they had. urged this very important matter. The question, was one of the-most important that would come before Parliament this session. With regard to the referendum, he was always in favour of it as a matter of principle. (Applause.) He was absolutely in favour of the main question in the petition. As to the issues to be placed before the people, that was another question, and at that moment he was not prepared to say anything very definite, because the question would have to be considered from every point of view. ■■; A voice: "Don't shelve it." IMr Field said he was not shelving it, 'and had never shelved a question "yet. A politician without principles was like ' a ship without a rudder ? and the principle he had always acted on was that 'of democracy, of service to the people. ' Whatever he clid with .regard to this question woul£ be for thd service of \ the people. He would treat everyone , fairly and give everyone an opportunity lof expressing his opinion in the great issues on this question. Whether the

issues be three or more his vote would be to put the proposals, so clearly and simply before the people that they could understand theni; for themselves. He would be' dead against any proposal that would give undue advantage to any particular, section of the community. Mr Gibbs and the -Rev. Mr. Patchett thanked Mr Field for nis reply, and the meeting terminated.