NO-LICENSE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9253, 4 June 1908, Page 4

NO-LICENSE.

DEMONSTRATION AT WOOLSTON. A No-License demonstration was < held at the Woolston Oddfellows' B all last evening. There was a large attendance. The Hem J. Barr, M.L.C., was in the chair, and in his opening address dealt with the no-licen»»:e movement from the domestic, the colonial and the Imperial stand points. The liquor trajiic, he said, was one of the sort: spots of the Empire. The election campaign was approaching and the enemy was in the iieid. They div not mind how hard that enemy fought so long as he fought fairly, but that he never did. The No-License Party, however, had God and right on its side, and it must prevail. The Rev J. J- Bates said that lie had sometimes been asked why temperance reformers did not devote their energies to ensuring that purer liquor should he sold than was at present the case, in Scotland some years ago the whiskywas exceptional'-* pure, but all the evil results of intemperance were rife in Scotland at that time. It was no use trying to purify either the liquor or the liquor-trade. The only thing to do was to abolish botii. He did not believe in abusing the brewer or the publican. Many of them were forced into the trade by force of circumstances, and some of them did not realise the harm their trade was doing. Ho was surprised to find that many working men, who professed to bo Socialists, .were supporting the liquor traffic. Any forward movement was retarded by theexistence of the liquor evil. The Rev A. Peters said that it was 6trange after so many years of temperance work that drunkenness and the use of alcoholic liquors should bo regarded with such toleration by society. J±e referred to the work of the NoLicense Party's organiser in the district, and to the 'necessity for more workers in the Lyttelton electorate. He thought there was a slightly larger hope for no-license in Lyttelton than in Christchurch so far as the next election was concerned. Tuere was no town, in New Zealand that had a more unenviable notoriety for drunkenness than Lytteltoa. He referred to a recent article hi the " Lyttelton Times regarding the attitude of the shipping authorities towards the liquor evil, and said that it thoroughly substantiated tiie- statements previously made by Mr ! G. Laurenson. M.P., regarding the condition of affairs in Lyttelton. He asserted that what was true regarding drinking among women in the four centres of New Zealand was also true of Lyttelton. He was speaking of what ho know. Mr G. Laurensdn, M.P., said that one of the most remarkable developments of modern times was the growth of a social nervous system. If anyone injured a little child in Auckland there was a roar of indignation throughout the dominion, and if a woman was cruelly treated in Sydney everyone in Australasia was indignant. This was ; ', the result of Christianity. la that-^

norning's newspapers they were told that seven hundred London detectives were searching- for a murderer of a little girl. If London d»«med it necessary to take such steps <o secure the murderer of one child, wLat\ should be done against those who did uot put one child, but hundreds to death every .veek and every month? It was stated that where no-license was carried the accommodation for the travelling public deteriorated, but at Tapamu it had been found necessary to i-ebuild the hotel since no-licence was carried, and at Gore twenty rooms had been added to another hduse that *.i«d. lost its license. In both cases tne accommodation was, he knew from personal experience, first-class. He also referred to the Packet Licenses legislation of last session, which prohibited any passenger supplying any member of a ship's staff with liquor, and, said that the introduction of liquor to the engine room of a steamer might be fraught with the direst consequences. Dealing with his recent controversy with Mr E. Nordon, he said that after Mr Nordon had made statements which were utterly at v varian<;e with facts, in the end it was found that every sea captain in Lyttelton and every shipowner, wanted no-liceusc in Lyttelton. Mr W. Thomas also addressed the meeting, and it closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman. j