PROHIBITION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4715, 5 August 1893, Page 5

PROHIBITION.

■» — ADDBESS BY ICB MELVILLE. Last night Mr Melville again addressed! a large audience in the Tuam street halt, on temperance matters! dealing particularly witb the letter written by Mr G. Strlnge? on "The Failure of Prohibition in the* State of Kansas." The ohair was taken., by Mr George J« Smith. Mr Melville traversed the whole oi ther Iletter, reading extracts as he went tkhvg*' He said that the report was tbat 0» an interested individual, who had been paid by the brewers to travel in order to prove that prohibition was a failure. After showing many alleged anomalies contained : in the report, Mr Melville strongly contended that prohibition had proved a complete snooess in Kansas, and said that the prohibitionists of New! Zealand would willingly accept similar conditions as were there prevailing. In the report Mr Stringer bad told how he bad had to go into gambling hells in the night up flights of stairs to get liquor, and had explained very minutely the difficulties attendant upon the purchase of grog, and yet he said that prohibition had proved a j failure. Here waa olearly a contradiction j it liquor was difficult to obtain prohibition must have force. Prohibition had not been the means of lessening the population of Kansas. There were many causes, suoh as land booms in the vicinity, &c, to account fpr the decrease, and the faot remained that the population had increased 351,428 from 1880 to 1891, during which period prohibition was in force. The law had been made in Kansas by the wish of the people, and every year they had sent to Parliaments members pledged to further olinoh it. Mr Melville then quoted the utterances of Justice Johnstone, of the Supreme Court, Kansas, who believed that prohibition had done more tp benefit Kansas and advance the moral, social and financial conditions of the people than any other measure ever adopted. Sir Wilder, of the Insurance Department, said that it had been the greatest boon Kansas had ever had. The Treasurer of the State said that the increase of legitimate bnsiness since the abolition of the saloons had more than compensated the State for the loss of revenue from the cessation ot license fees. The printed testimony of the Governor bf the State, the State Auditor, the State Treasurer, the Chief of the Education Department, the Attorney-General, the Chief Justice and two Associated Justices of the Supreme Court were read by Mr Melville, who contrasted their utterances with those of Mr Stringer. ( These representative men said that the contest waged against the saloon had enlarged the population, increased the wealth of the State, had advanced the material, thp educational and the moral condition of the, people, and that the State of Kansas was far more prosperous under prohibition than at any other time of its history. With such testimony the temperanop party could, he said, almoßt afford to let the words pf Mr Stringer pass by, but they knew the aims of the liquor party, and realised its objects. That party would spare no pains to keep the houses open; it would lie and cheat and do everything in order to gain its ends. The books whence the words of the men he had quoted from had been taken, had been imported from America by Mr Isitt and Mr (Taylor. Mr Stringer was evidently quite unaware that copies 1 existed in New Zealand. After dealing at great length with the statements made by Mr Stringer, Mr Melville closed his address with an " appeal to everyone, to help the cause of temperance. A resolution was passed thanking Sir Bobert Stout and those members who bad voted with him on the passage through its second reading of the Licensing Act Amendment Bill. The resolution also asked that a three-fourth vote ahould not be insisted upon in the matter of licensing, and urged that .the bare majority should rule on this question as any other question. The resolution further pet forth that the drink traders had no legal or equitable right to olaim compensation in the event of losing their licenses. . The meeting terminated with votes of thanks to Mr Melville and the Chairman.