SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

Thames Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 18385, 5 July 1917, Page 2

SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

PUBLIC MEETING. A public meeting convened by the Miiyor was held in the Central Hall last night to advocate the closing of hotels at 6 o'clocks The Mayor (Mr H. Lowe) presided, and was supported by several ministers of religion. There was a fair attendance, ladies predominating. The Mayor explained the objects of the meeting, which were purely a move in the interests of curt-ailing the war. Every town was holding similar meetings. TKe movement- deserved every consideration, and he invited free ventilation of the question. Mr P. H. Ciaotton moved, "That this meeting of citizens of Thames, being satisfied .thai, in order to win the war, it is essential tthat throughout the Empire /evwry means^shouTd be adopted to secure the maximum of efficiency in military, commercial, industrial, and social affairs, ancT to reduce private expenditure and also the demands upon the means of • transport; and being convinced that the restriction of the hours of sale of intoxicating liquors would assist in these directions more than any other single reform, urgently requests the Government to prepare and introduce into Par. liament, at the earliest possible date, a bill to reduce the hours for the sale of TTquor from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the currency of the war and for sis nftiith.6 thereafter, and to use every effort to> have the- bill passed and brought into effect without delay. 1' In speaking to the motion the mover said he did not think the argument had two sides. They were not asked to view it as a temperance or prohibition proposition, but he askeci his hearers to see if it did not have sotne bearing on the war. An ex-publican of this town had told him that £30,000 was spent here annually on liquor. Was it not reasonable to say that this expenditure should be curtailed? He instanced Hie beneficial effect® of the abolition of the sale of vodka in Russia. During trie last year of peace the deposits in banks had decreased by £11,O'JOjOOO, But when the use of vodka was abolished the peoples' savings, had increased by £14,000,000 during the- first four months thereafter, £81,000,000 for the first year, and £151,000,000 for Mie first nine months of 1916. (Applause). They should endeavour to say that a similar experience was taking place here. But money was not the only thing , involved. The evils of drink affected our troops. They should insist that if our boys have to go to the war they should go sober. He referred to the Old Land, where many leading men were in favour of prohibition, and this being so we were adopting a moderate attitude in merely asking for the earlier closing of hotels. Dr. Lapraik seconded the motion. We were living in days which needed action , rather than words. To win the war we I must get rid of the drink traffic. Lead. I ing medical men, scientists, and military , and naval leaders were righting this traffic, so we were on the right side. King George had set an example by banishing drink from his table, and as loyal people we should follow his example. Tne speaker's experience of our soldiers was 'that they were as a rule

Chorouglily itemperate, but there was a small minority who gave "way to intemperance. He considered it was most disgusting to see a man in uniform drunk. He would" be ashamed to pass a man as ai soldier who had not the backbone to keep from strong drink. The Rev. A. J. Beck supported the motion in a long and forcible speech, which was frequently applauded. In the course of his remarks he said we *iad to regard this matter from the point of view of efficiency. ' We wanted all the man power and all the money [,ower we could get to win this war. The Minister of Munitions had said we must exercise themost rigid economy, and Joe ready to sacrifice everything. How much had the great combine of which he was the head sacrificed! The Hon. A. M. Myers would have made his name a household word it he had said, "I will close the breweries and public houses in, which I am concerned." Quoting from the "Spectator* Mr Beck showed that in England "Sixty-five million bushels of grain are every year being turned into beer, while thre<s hundred and sixty million pounds of sugar—enough to supply every ianily in the Kingdom with forty-five poundsare used ©very year by the liquor wade To put trie matter in, another way, 'three , millon acres of arable land are de-voted to the growth of foodstuffs to be converted into alcoholic liquor. These acres would grow enough wheat to keep the whole of London supplied all the jear round." As another London journal puts it, ''Great Britain has only six weeks' 1 supply of bread, while it has six years' supply of whisky in stock! As a matter of fact* the consumption of alcohol in 1916 is £22,000,000 greater than in 1915!" Sir Joseph Ward had. given his experiences of the small sugar allowance in England, but why could not the Government stop the waste of foodstuffs. The speaker referred to the case of a, young woman whoi was prosecuted for taking away from a tea room her small sugar allowance which she had not used in her tea. But no one heard of a brewer being arrested for his misuse of sugar. Tfle recent Imprest Supply Bill contained an item of £100,000 for the purchase of wheat from Australia., but if the brewers were not using corn for the manufacture of liquor that £100,000 would not be required. The time had conic when they must take a stand against this evil. Some people spoke of compensation, but th© compensation he would give for closing the bars would }>c to return the license feeis. During the Auckland strike in 1913 the hotels were closed, and there was no talk of compensation, and there was no compensation for homes ruined by drink, or ior parents or widows of those who had made the supreme sacrifice in this war. The motion was aiso supported by the Rev. J. Farquftarson*Jones and "Mr Creamer, and was then put and carried unanimously. The proceedings were closed by a vote o.f thanks to Erie chairman,' and the singing of the National Anthem. ;