NO-LICENSE LEAGUE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13264, 19 April 1907, Page 6

NO-LICENSE LEAGUE.

AMENDED LEGISLATION TO BE SOUGHT. An open,meeting of the Timaru branch of the-No License League was held in the 'lrinity Hall last evening. There were about. 80„persons present. The Rev. Mr, Serpeli, jjresident, occupied the chair, and he was supported by Revs. T. Stinson, J. Olphert, and Mr G. B. Nicholls, organising collector for the fighting fund. Rev. J. Olphert was welcomed as a new member. ' Mr J. Workman made a report on the conference, held at Christchurch during Easter week. That conference, he said, was a much better one than that of the previous year. The members all seemed to be determined to fight to win. The plan of campaign had been distinctly altered, and made more vigorous. Existing legislation had proved tit a large extent inoperative; and it was proposed to ask the Government, for amendments to strengthen the weak points; to put a stop to the locker system, and the establishment of: depots just outside no license districts. •Some thought this movement, would b° dangerous ;—might lead to loss of some advances already made, but the leaders did not think so. Another point agresd upon was these proposals should be deferred till the last session of the present Parliament Other amendments to be sought were the adoption of a bare majority, the omiision of the "reduction" line,from the ballot papers, and the adoption of colonial option. / The chairman introduced Mr G. B. Nicholls, as a man who had done splendid work in Otago and Southland. Me had been working in limaru for the past month or o>, and he had been doing good work here too. Mr Nicholls stated that he had come to Timaru to collect funds for the campaign for two years. He thought when he came that £3OO would ba a satisfactory sum to raise, and he had the pleasure of reporting that he had obtained cash and promises to .the amount of £370. (Applause.) A day or. two ago he went to.Beaconsfield, having then £lO6 in sight, and he there met a member of Mr Serpen's congregation who gave him the magnificent donation of (Applause.) Of the total £52 10s was in cash.- He had very much pleasure in making" this report. The one spot in the. whole of his experience here was that a Christian minister was found fighting on the wrong side. Mr Nicholls asked the company to sing " Praise God from Whom all Blessings flow," in thankfulness for the liberal supply of funds that had besn provided for the league. v Mr Nicholls supplemented Mr Workman's remarks on tha Christchurch convention. A committee of four was ap- | pointed to draw up a Bill. It was probable that the present Parliament would ! not be approached at all ;' but that the ; candidates at the next election would be | asked to support the Bill, after it had been ! approved by a Convention representing \ the whole colony.

Rev. T. Stinson moved a resolution expressing satisfaction .with the manly utterance of Mr H. Overton, chairman of the agricultural committee of the Exhibition, in admitting that he had changed his mind regarding the propriety of selling liquor in the Exhibition. Mr Nicholls said he was at the Exhibition on Easter Monday, when there were 44,000 people there, and he met with no one intoxicated,, and heard no profane word. And he had not been five minutes outside the gates before he saw two young men who were badly intoxicated', and who were using niosi abominable language. A person in the hall quoted the report of Police-Inspector Gillies in favour of the results of no license at the Exhibition, and the resolution was then put and carried unanimously. Mr Nicholls moved a, resolution directed agtvnst the sale of bottles of liquor to persons already intoxicated. The motion made reference to the case of the man killed at Addington the other day, who had two bcttlr.s of liquor in his pockets, and Mr Nicholls said he had seen in Ti-

mum numerous cases of drunken men who had bottles in their pockets. Rev. J. Olphert seconded the motion, and gave some personal' experiences in support of it. This motion too was carried unanimously. Mr Nicholls then proceeded to give an account of a special investigation he had made in Ashburton. He had found in the south, that the condition of the no license districts was a great assistance in his work in other districts; whereas in South Canterbury statements about the condition of Ashburton were used as an obstacle to his success, "No license had mined business in Ashburton" was the cry. He knew that must be a lie, and set himself to kill it. After conferring with workers there, a protest and denial was drawn up, and 'he took this round to business men, and before he left 34 had signed it. Mr W. H. Collins, the leading ironmonger, was the first- to sign, and he added a personal testimony, as did several others. Mr Orr, owner of the Somerset Hotel building, said that restoration of licenses would mean more money for him, but he would not for money have licenses back again. Others had signed since, until . three-fourths of the business people of Ashburton had signed the protest against the slander on the business condition of Ashburton.; Mr Nicholls quoted some of the names, and the personal testimonies of signatories. That lie had been scotched. He then made some remarks on the condition of Port- Chalmers. Oamaru and Invercargill, under no license. He quoted the testimony of. residents in each place that no license had been a conspicuous success. In connection with 'lnvercargill a most misleading telegram had been circulated •that the duties collected on liquors had increased by £SOOO. ~ The fact wa3 that' the £SCOO was the increase in the total duties, liquor duties having been reduced by £3900, and other duties increased by £BSOO. Mr Nicholls concluded by wishing that Timaru might soon have the same experience as the places he had dealt with. Rev. Mr SerpeU said they had a hard fight before them to secure that result. He did not know how they would influence t;he young men of Timaru; it could not bs done by public meetings. He thought it must be done by personal persuasion. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Nicholls for his address,' and ths meeting was then closed with the Benediction.