RANGIORA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5508, 5 January 1886, Page 3

RANGIORA.

The remaining prize-takers at the Temperance Sports on Jan. 1, were R. J. Peters, Champion Mile Race; G. Truman, Good Templar Race ; A. Vincent, Sack Race in masks; A. Bramley, Obstacle Race; Miss E. Wilson, Single Women's Race (Blue Ribbon Army). At the conclusion of the sports a tea meeting was held in the Literary Hall, at which over 300 persons were present. Archdeacon Dudley presided at the public meeting which followed. Excellent music was rendered by an orchestra, under Mr T. G. Smith. Mrs Dudley Ward, President of the New Zealand Women's Temperance Union, presented the trophies won at the sports, and afterwards addressed those present, urging them to take and keep the pledge. The speeches were interspersed with music by the orchestra and choir, conducted by Mrs Smith, and recitations by Mr J. Voss. Mr Fred Fulton then addressed the meeting. He began by saying that there was more pure alcohol in hop bittere than in any beer or ale made in New Zealand, and, therefore, he deprecated it being advertised in papers of a Christian character. Hop bitters contained 14 per cent of alcohol, and only recently a grocer in Victoria was prosecuted for selling it without a license, and fined j.25. He trusted to see before long prosecution of a similar kind made in New Zealand. He declared there was not a bottle of pure wine to be found in the whole of New Zealand. If the whole of the vineyards in France were in as flourishing a state as they were before being devastated by the phylloxera, they could not produce enough wine to supply the London demand for one month ; and, further, that in one year there was consumed in New York alone as much wine as could be made from the vine crop of the whole world. As proving that very little pure liquor reached the Colonies, he drew attention to the fact that in England you have to pay 12s Gd per bottle for Hennessy's three star brandy, whilst here it can be bought for Gs Gd. He saw, only the other day, an account in an English paper of a sale of wine, where as much as 104s to 170s per dozen was given for wine, which was an average of lis per bottle. There were 3GO things from which liquor could be made without resorting to the old means. Good champagne could be produced from turnips, and it was from this vegetable a good deal of it was made. He could make as good brandy from drugs he had on the table before him, for 4_d per bottle, as was purchased for 6s per bottle. Some short time ago he had made a public offer in Dunedin to give J_2o to any man who would bring him a single glass of real sherry purchased in the place. That offer had never been taken up, and he would now make it in Rangiora, to be good for two months. He had no hesitation in declaring that the whole liquor traffic of the world, with but few exceptions, is a fraud ; a system of drugging and wholesale poisoning, with which the publicans themselves were taken in. The speaker had before him two cases of small bottles, which he stated contained chemicals from which he intended, if time had permitted, to manufacture any kind of spirituous liquor sold. The meeting was brought to I a close with the Benediction.