THE PROHIBITION MOVEMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5310, 15 July 1895, Page 3

THE PROHIBITION MOVEMENT.

MEETING AT RANGIORA. A well-attended public meeting was held at the Institute Hall, Rangiora, last night, in connection with the prohibition movement. The Mayor (Mr T. Keir) ' presided, and in his opening remarks stated that the meeting had been convened to allow the local delegates to the Wellington Conference an opportunity to give a report of the proceedings, together with the interviews with the Premier, and other matters of moment. It was necessary to hold the meeting for the reason that the newspapers had published a biassed report of the interview with the Premier, leading people to suppose that the results were very much against the deputations, which waa not the case. (Applause.) He apologised for the un- | avoidable absence of Mr A. Shankland, j delegate from the Good" Templar Lodge. j The Rev S. J. Garlick, one of the Pro- ; hibition League delegates, said he did not ; think he could add much to the reports of the conference which had appeared in the newspapers. The conference emphasised the fact of prohibition being the question of the day. Among the hundred and fifty delegates there were men who had left their large businesses and their homes to attend, proving how much earnestness and life there was in the prohibition movement. (Applause.) The convention did good in giving an opportunity of learning what waß being done in different parts of the colony. It was surprising how little was known about the recent interesting licensing events in Christchurch. The Press Association had not given them the attention they would have given to a horee-race. The delegates had learnt that there was better organisation in the south than in the north, and arrangements had been made for greater efforts to be put forth in Westland, Auckland and Hawke'a Bay. One of the painful features of the conference was^the appeal from the aged Maori chief on behalf of his people. It made one feel ashamed to think that the advent of Christianity in the colony had been followed by the demoralisation and degradation cf the Natives, and if the conference had but promoted the one object of the welfare of the Maori race it had not been held in j vain. (Applauae.) The Rev P. R. Monro said, as one of a deputation of fifteen who waited upon the Premier, he could assure them that, if they had been present at the interview they would have carried away a very different impression as to the results than that given by the newspaper reports, many statements in which were pure fabrications. The conference proved that prohibition movement was making progress by leaps and bounds, and it was determined by the delegates to commence an unbroken line of attack on the liquor evil right through the colony, in view of the next poll. (Applause). The devil, the world, the publicans and a part of the Church were against them, but they were going to win. (Laughter and applause.) With regard to the interviews, that with the Minister of Education respecting the introduction cf the temperance lesson book into Native schools was entirely satisfactory, the Minister meeting them in a most courteous and fair way. (Applause.) Two deputations, each, consisting of fifteen delegates, waited on the Premier. The first asked for support to be accorded the Bill approved by the convention. Mr Adams having introduced the matter, the old Maori chief made his touching appeal on behalf of his people, to which Mr Seddon i replied in a beautiful way, doing infinite credit to his heart and his head. (Applause.) Replying to the deputation, the Premier said the question was too important a one for a private members' Bill, and the Government must take it np, although it would not be made a party measure. He promised to have it introduced within a week, but de'ay had occurred for which there might be good reason, and for which no reflection should be cast on Mr Seddon. He waa aura of this : that the Premier honestly deplored the fate of the Licensing Bill last session as much as any man, and was ashamed of the way in which it was treated. (Ap-. plause.) The simple fact was, that going on with the Bill meant the political degradation of certain members who were opposing it, and out of kindness of heart the Premier dropped it. (Applause.) The Bill proposed to .be introduced by the Government, if passed, would give a great deal more power to the people. (Applause.) The clause requiring half the roll number to poll would be done away with, and the poll wonld be taken on the general election days, whicfi was an immense advantage. Mr Seddon insisted, however, on standing by the three-fifths majority. He was asked whether it was to cut both wajs, and the question rather staggered him for the moment. The Hon W. P. Reeves interjected :. '•Yes, that is right." The Premier replied that it should be so, his Government wishing to be quite consistent. This meant that if prohibition was carried by a three-fifths majority, it would take a like majority to reverse the vote. (Applause.) The Premier's good sense was also to be much appreciated in Mb including all kinds of licenses in the decision of the poll. (Applause.) Mr Seddon remarked that he was a great temperance reformer himself— (laughter) but deprecated the methods adopteAby the Prohibitionists. He expressed the belief that their cause had receded, but in this he was mistaken, their voting power being much stronger than at the last poll. The lively point of the interview occurred when the. second deputation respecting the police was introduced. The Premier evidently knew all about what was coming, and when Mr T. E. Taylor submitted the resolution from the conference his whole manner changed, and he made the great mistake of introducing a personal matter affeoting Mr Taylor and in no way connected with the deputation and its object. He also | laid a very neat trap for Mr Taylor, into which he fell. "It was in this wise. Asking for grounds upon which the resolution from the convention asking, for a commission of inquiry respecting the police administration were based, Mr Taylor naturally instanced the recent events in | Christchurch. Upon this Mr Seddon based his refusal, whereat the resolution came from the whole convention, aad was the outcome of declarations of bad police administration of the licensing laws all over the colony, and therefore not of the Btrictly local interest attached to it by Mr Seddon. He refused to appoint the commission, and he did it in a most undignified manner not befitting the high office he held. But as for sitting on Meaßrs Isitt, Taylor and Co., as the papers would have the publio believe, such was very far from being the case. He had a very lively time of it. The newspapers gave a very unfair version of the matter, but the reason was well known. The report came through a coloured medium, the management of most of the papers in the colony being under the thumb of the liquor party Coker's Hotel case proved to the hilt that the police were not doing their duty. (Applause.) With reference to the prosecution of Inspector Broham for perjury, he had urged his party not to take up the case, as he was sure Justice was bo polluted and corrupt in relation to the liauor traffic that a conviction could not be obtained. What they must do was torouse the people to the state of matters and then a ohange mußfc come. He concluded a strong indictment againßt the police by moving —"That this meeting affirms that it is the first and paramount duty of Government to maintain respect for and provide for the efficient administration and enforcement of the law. That, in the opinion of this meeting the Government has culpably failed in its duty in connection with laws affecting the illegal .sales of intoxicating liquors, one ."? m( |diate and inevitable result oE which v to brine the law into discredit and disrepute, and we call upon Parliament and the Government to take prompt and decisive steps to reform the police force o! the colony, and to provide for the efficient administration of the licensing law. Further, that a copy of this reaoivriiofe M sen,!;

: the Defence Minister, and the member j for the district." (Applause ) I The motion was Beconded by the Bey ! S. J. Garlick, and, on it being pub to the ! meeting, the chairman declared it carried j unanimously. ! The Bey J. Edwards said he wished to ' explain that he did not vote for the motion for the reason that he waa not Bure the Government had been culpable as stated in the resolution. Nevertheless, i he wished it known that while not being an out-and-out prohibitionist, he would I unhesitatingly vote prohibition from the ; conviction of it being his duty aa a Chris- | tian minister to do bo. He would like to say how pleased he had been at the way in which Mr Monro had Bpok^n of the Premier. He had shown that while he could strike Mr Seddon, he could also . stroke him. (Applause.) He thought | the management of the Prohibitionist paper , would do wise to place Mr Monro on its j editorial staff, for he was sure that if a j little more of the spirit he had displayed ! was introduced into the leader columns of i the paper it would be beneficial. (Applause.) As for himself, he believed there were respectable publicans, men who would conduct their houses in a manner beyond reproach if they were not compelled ; in the interests of their business to com- : pete with those licensees who broke the law {by selling out of hours. (Applause.) | A collection was made to meet expenses, j and the meeting then terminated.