Prohibition.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5226, 5 April 1895, Page 4

Prohibition.

■ ' ■ ♦ — —^. ■•■*'• ■;• CANTERBURY CONVENTION. A meeting of the Canterbury Divisional League was held in the Oddfellows' Hall yesterday afternoon and evening. The Bey P. W. laitt was in the chair, and in addition to the Chriatchurch delegates the following were present from the country districts : — Kaiapoi, Rev and Mrs Smalley, Mr 11. Evanß; Cant, Mr A. D. Haßsall; Rangiora, Bey. P. B. Monro; Woodend, Mr B. Brown ; Temuka, Mr H. Wakely and others. It was resolved— ''(l) That the name of the League be the Canterbury Divisional Prohibition League, and that it comprise the electorates of Christchuroh, Avon, Eiccarton, Lyttelton, Kaiapoi, Ellesmere, Selwyn, Aahburton, Rangitata, Timaru, Pareora and Ashley. (2) That the plat- | form of the Leagjae be — (a) the aaaertion of the , indisputable right of the people to absolute control of the liquor traffic; (6) the exercise of such control by the electors at the ballot-box ; (c) the education of the people to demand the immediate prohibition of the liquor traffic. (3) That every member of a .Fro-, hibition League within the electorate, or of ,an Allinnce Branch, a Good Templar Lodge, Eechabite Tent, Son 3of Temperance Division, Women's Christian Temperance Association, and Band of Hope Committee who Bupportß the platform of the Lsague shall bo entitled to membership on enrolment. (4) That an annual convention be he'd in or about the month of April. (5) That all members of the League shall l>e entitled to attend the convention, but that the transaction of busine3B shall be confined to the dulyappointed delegates. (6) That tickets of membership in a Divisional League shall be issued by the Seoretary, and their production may be demanded at any meeting of the Convention. (7) That delegates may be appointed by all Temperance Societies within the Division ; the basis of representation to be one delegate to each twenty-five members or fraction thereof. Such delegates need not be members of the Society by which they are appointed, bat must be members of the Divisional League. (8) The first; duty of the convention shall be the election of an executive for the year, consisting of a president, four viespresidents, treasurer, secretary and eighteen other members. 1 (9) Delegates sholl be appointed by the convention to attend the annual conference of representatives from the various divisions, such delegates to be members of any Divisional League within the colony. The following officers were elected : — President, Bey L. M. Isitt; vice-presi-dents, Beva F. W. Isitt and P. B. Monro, Messrs B. Clephane and B. Evanß ; secretary, Mr J. H. Fabling ; treasurer, Mr J. Robinson ; committee, Mrs De B. Newton, ETTvb J. Hosking, W. Gillies, W. M'Ara, T. G. Brookes, B. H. Ginger, T. H. Lfon and J. Dawson, Messrs G. J. Smith M.H.E., T. E. Taylor, S. E. Webb, Hsssall, Harding, Barr, Devereaux, Earnshaw, Pentecost and Hadfield. Messrs A. B. Atkinson and W. J. Helyer were appointed representatives of the Canterbury Divisional League on the Alliance Executive. The Convention then considered proposed amendments to the existing Licensing Act, and .it was resolved to recommend the repeal of those clauses which — (1) Gave the Governor power to remove a Licensing Committee at pleasure ; (2) bestowed upon a publican, the right to a two years' renewal of his license; (3) conferred upon the chairman or two members of the committee the power to grant wholesale licenses ; (4) demanded a threefifths . majority for an. effective no-license poll,; required a, poll of half . the electors, and made 'provision for au increase of licenses on an increase of population. The following amendments were declared desirable :— (1) The abolition of wholesale licenses in no-license districts ; (2) the increase in licensed districts of the minimum quantity to te sold by a wholesale licensee to ten gallons, such sale to be of one kind of liquor only ; (3) the prohibition cf canvassing for orders in no-license districts, ' and the attachment of penalties for breaches of the above clauses ; (4) the abolition of bottle, New Zealand wine, accommodation, conditional, railway refreshment room and packet licenses ; (5) clubs to be brought under looal option vote ; (6) that no license fees be charged, and that the payment of all committee elections and licensing polls be made from the public funds. Itwaß resolved that a clause should be sought, declaring that Section 21 of the. 1893 Act, has not, and shall not be deemed to have had any retrospective operation, and that nothing therein contained shall be construed so as co affect or to have affected any suit or proceedings pending in any Court of Law at the time when the said Act was passed. J