EVENING SESSION.

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

EVENING SESSION.

At the evening session the Convention continued the consideration of amendmerits proposed by the Jf inhibition Party in the Alcoholic Liquors St&te Control Act. Mr T. E. Taylor spoke on clauses' of the proposed amending Bill dealing with polls, and explained that the principal: points wherein it differed from the present Act was that it proposed to abolish the provision that half the number of electors must vote in order to render a licensing poll i valid, and provided »that a bare majority should decide. It was also proposed that the elections of committees and the local option polls should be held in April inp.tead of in March, that the colonial option poll should be taken oh the date of the parliamentary election, that the voting papers should be a different colour from thos<» u&ed for the eleation. o£ members of i Parliament. If! prohibition were carried throughout the colony no further poll was to be taken except upon a resolution of | both Houses ot Parliament. On prohibition being carried throughout the colony the only saleß of intoxicating liquor permitted Bhould be through the Customs officers only for medicinal purposes upon the certificate of a doctor, or for use in the arts or manufactures; all importation of liquor was to cease. He said that he was in favour of bringing in one measure for both local and colonial option, and not a separate Bill for each. He thought that the adoption of local option would not result altogether satisfactorily, and that.tho drink evil could only be succeß6f ally fought by means of colonial option. He moved — "That this Convention approve of the proposals in this Bill, as amended by the Alliance Convention, having reference to locul option and colonial option, and is of opinion that the Bill should be introduced by an acknowledged representative of the Prohibition Party." He said that if they were to get the whole or the greater part of what they wanted, it would be by making the Government fear the party. The introduction and discussion of the Eill iv the House would be the only means of making the Government introduce a really honeßt amending Bill dealing with the question. Mr Wake seconded the motion. Mr E. Evans moved, as an amendment "That this Convention accept the Bill as drafted by Mr Adams." Tnis provided that the question of reduction should be included in the local option polls. He said that great good had been done in the Kaiapoi district by the reduction in the number of licensed houses there. Mr Atkinson seconded the amendment. A discussion followed, during which the Rev P. R. Monro, speaking of the s<une district, (-aid that reduction had done much good, and that the remaining hotels were much better conducted. The amendment was negatived, and the original motion carried by a large majority. The Ray P. R. Monro submitted a plan for the winter campaign. He contended that the prohibitionists were not men who would have all they wantad or none. They were not Horry to see things improving, even though they had not got prohibition, and it was unjußt of tl>» newspapers to accuse them of being so. They were not imprac- ' tical fanatics, but w-re willing to help in miuiiniaing the evils of the drink traffic, -j Their campaign this winter should, therefore, be on inoril auttßion linen. One of the objects of the campaign should be to get the whole, or as umoh as possible, of their proposed- Bill tbiough Parliament. He

had teen aorry to hear aome person even those high, the Naders . the temperance party, say that they wodtake nothing from the present Premjer.They should be ready to accept legislate from anyone from whom they could get . He had been surprised to see the Re' Alexander White, of Victoria, objec tha* prohibition was contrary to the livino plan, aa it treated men like chilen by removing temptation from then and he was much surprised to se the Lyttelton Tines endorsing that Ejection. The Press had said tha prohibition did not prohibit in Clutha.ut he did not think that that journal wod say that of Clutha now. (Applause.) Prohibitionists did., not want to takeaway everybody's drink, but merely wand the people to be able to say at the bait-box whether there should be license >r no license. The methods they must urßue should be threefold— the press, tlv platform and organisation. They Bhoulimake what use they could of the ordinarjareus. He urged them to support the 'rohibxtionist, and remarked that all itstatements were true. They should itrease the influence of the platform, ancaend men out to pueh tbe'ir chubo in the cmtry districts. They should thoroughly oianiae the League and get it into touolwith every electorate in Canterbury. Thej must be loyal to their leaders ananust continue in their present mefchodi but extend them. Daring the discussion which»f ollowl the Eev L. M. Isitt said that so far fro the prohibitionists being opposed to ti regulation of the traffic, they were thonly people who made efforts to cirry out egulation. With regard to the Btatemets oj the Prohibitionist, he said that the quition for temperance people to ask wamot : Were they politic ? Bufc wera they rue ? They intended to state nothing butiald, naked facts, and they would see whatacts would be given as soon as they gotheir own printing preaa. ■