THE BAY TEA ROOMS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13993, 31 August 1909, Page 6

THE BAY TEA ROOMS.

A SOCIETY DEBATE. Once again the fertile subject as to wuetiier the Tea lluuius at Caroline nay should or should not be opened on Sundays, furnished material for discussion, when the Timaru Literary Society held a debate upon it. Mr \\ llliam lilack, was voted to the chair, anu mere «c>c auout 4U present, including Councillors Gilchrist, Sinclair and i'orter. Air A. L. A])plegarth ,who championed the affirmative side of the question, aliened the debate, did not touch upon the legal or the religious aspect 01 the question so much as upon the desirableness of opening the rooms from the point of view of public convenience, and the moral well-being of young men, many of whom he .said *,.ouki be urawn to llie liny amid elevating surroundings on Sunday afternoons (if they could obtain a cup of tea there) instead of spending the Sabhath afternoon playing cards and twill p under fences and trees about Otipua and Wai-iti Toads. Analysing the petition from the 500 people opposed to opening. the rooms on Sunday, he said (.1) that ministers were at the bottom'of this and the petition was largely signed by ministers; (2) that the second-class who signed it were those who did so because they did not like to offend the parsons; and (3j it was signed by selfish people —men of the type 'of one who had said to him: •'•The Hay is no place for my wife on a Snndav afternoon; she should be at home looking after me and the kids." Mr Applegartli argued that, the rooms should be open on Sundays for the benefit ol the careworn and hardworked women as well as for tlie servant girls who could only gei/out on Sunday afternoons and who would have to pay a shilling at the boarding houses or hotels for a cup of tea if they could not. get. one on" the Bay. He denied that it would lead to Sabbath. .He bad travelled"- in Kngland. France, and some other countries in all of which ten. rooms were open on the Sunday, and they were productive- of no harm, "if it was wrong to drink a, ciii) of tea fit the Ray on Sunday, it was equally wrong to burn gas in the churches on Sunday as the latter involved work at the" gasworks, and eating new bread on a Monday, meant that the baker bad to set his "sponge - ' the night before. He had been told by one. man that as sure as he spent (id in the Hay Tea "Rnoms on Sunday, so sure would he go to hell, but ho was disinclined to agree with his informant. Mr Applegartli eonclnded a spirited address by advocating the opening of tea rooms on the 15ay and in the Park on Sundays, and getting the bands out. to play, and be added : '•The man who takes bis wife out on Sunday afternoons aud gives her tea is a brick."

Mr James Wallace, for I lie negative i.icte. of tile question, replied m a lurceiiil speecn. lie uemou mat Air Appiogartu Uad adduced any new argument, i.r that ne mid said muck caning lor reply, as not one ol his arguments supplnul any reason for opening tlie rooms on .Sutiuays. /it was a remarkable thing iu him that the matter snouiu come up for public discussion at all m view oi tin; I act that the Borough Council liatl received two legal opinions which stated clearly that it- would he a. breach of the law to open'the rooms on Sundays, ilo had luoked over the two petitions which had been sent to the Council and said that lie was confident that it would be a very easy matter to get a, petitiun.. i'roiii 2000 people opposed to the opening of the rooms. The rooms were unique in that they were the only municipally owned in the dominion, and there was this difference, between selling tea on. Sundays iu them to sellinsi if in a public house: That the latter was licensed to cater for the public and paid rates and taxes, while the former was not licensed,- neither did it pay rates or taxes. .Moreover when these rooms were first erected it was on the understanding that Ihey were to be open only six days of the week. If people wanted a enp of tea on the Bay, and it was Koiug to he a palliative for all those ills to which Air Applegarth had referred, why did they not go and have it on Thursday afternoons which were specially set apart for rest or pleasure seeking, it was absurd in the extreme to suggest that opening the rooms on Sunday would improve the morals of '.ne community, and if a plebiscite were taken to-morrow he was confident that a majority would declare against Sunday trading which was opposed to both ecclesiastical and national law as well as to the best interests of the community. Air .J. Pearson said that Air Applegartn \\ as ultogetner wrong m saying mat the petition Hum the 000 was promoted hy the parsons au'u largely signed h\ mom; it was not promoted hy any pai'siui, nor was it signed hy a. .single one of them. if Air Applegai tn's other assertions were on a par .t-it.ii this cue tliey were not worth much. Opening the tea rooms would Lena to late away the day of rest; it would be. opposed to the law of Uocl as well as to the law of the nation, anil altogether thev would he a lawless lot.

Air 11. Huut supported opening tin: rooms on Sundays ljtcau.se it would concentrate labour. Air Paterson thought the rooms should be opened because, it would tend to briutr more sunlight and happiness into otir lives. Air A : eugesch-wender argued that " tlie iorough <. ouncil had no right to take li.ense lees ii'niii lite hotels and boarding houses and iheu compete against them on the Bay with a. house that mid neither rates nor licenses. Air AYagstalf contended that as Britishers they should respect the law; Air Sinclair held that as afternoon tea on Sundays had been productive of no harm in other places it should be given a trial here; he also said that in other queslions of far less importance the people displayed deplorable apathy such things as the spending: of £3OOO given by Air Carnegie for (he library in a way that was not in accordance with the conditions of the gift. AJr Bannivoured opening the rooms on Sunday ■■■= a matter of cuminou iusliee, whil • Air Bunt 'opposed on hmnaniiariai'i trrounds. The chairman gave a disquisition on the oritiin and meaning of the Sabbath, and afier Messrs Wallace and Applegarth had replied (their reolies worn more forcible than their o!>euing reto ihe various a-rguinpnf-. lor and against, a vote was taken and the •"vision was even —IS for, V.', against. The chairman gave his castinn vote in favour of the affirmative.

To tlio Editor of the Timaru Herald. Sir,—l read your reproachful article, mure than once on the attitude the Timaru Presbytery took iu connection with the opening of the Bay tearooms on a Sunday, awl the obser-, vanco of the. Sabbath generally published iu your issue, of 27th hist. Your' unrighteousness and tim-all. 1 fi :• c ~n-\ meuts thereon, clearly sir) - ./ 1 : lif public which side of the line you are: .»n, in connection therewith, so that if the Continental Sunday is brought about in New Zealand you can take some credit for having helped to <!o it by such writings as the article "in question. Sabbath-breaking does not heed encouraging, but rather repressing, and the Timaru Presbytery are to ne commended for their fearless and outspoken opinions in regard to Sabbath breaking, which cannot be gainsaid. They have not. " missel the 'bus" as you say they have; for they are quite within their right and duty to follow the precepts of the good old bn"k at all costs, and I hope others will ring out the same warning with no uncertain sound, though they may lie somewhat persecuted for doing the right which will bring its blessed reward in time and eternitv. —T am etc., THOMAS JEFCOATE. August. 23th, 1909. ■