FOR PROHIBITION

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1680, 31 October 1925, Page 5

FOR PROHIBITION

A WARM ADVOCACY. REV, L. E. FLETCHER’S ADDRESS. (By Arrangement.) An exponent of emphasis, and an able speaker, Rev. Lionel Fletcher “held" a large attendance at the KihiKihi Hall last Monday evening for nearly two hours, and gave a forceful presentation of the case for Prohibition under the title of “The Challenge of the Present World Crisis.” The 'chair was taken by Rev. W. T. Brabyri who briefly introduced the speaker. Mr Fletcher opened his address by saying that he was not a New Zealander by birth, but that was not his fault. His father and mother were pioneers and six of his brothers and sisters were born in this country. Personally, he was accused by his brothers and sisters of being an aboriginal, as he first saw light in Australia. His wife and himself had visited every continent in the world except South America; but they had never been in a country the size of New Zealand which had so many advantages and possibilities. If be were not on the platform for prohibition, he would probably be speaking On a greater theme—if there was a danger in this beautiful land it was that the people were so satisfied with things that they would omit to make provision for the welfare of future generations. Every thinking man realised that a world 'crisis was pending. Geinerals Smuts had issued a warning some years ago, and he did not say things like that without a tremendous amount of thought. Mr Fletcher said that he had made a life study of nations. The “White Australia” policy first interested him. He worked alongside the Kanakas and studied out the coloured problem. Then he travelled. He saw the World War coming long before the storm broke.

The world was now facing the c limax of the 1914 crisis—a greater peril. Peace was a spiritual condition, and there was no peace to-day. It had been said that only the bankruptcy of nations was keeping them from each other’s throats. Jealously and continual ferment brought leading statesmen together, and formed a League of Nations. How was New Zealand affected? The Dominion was in the Bosom of the Pacific. The consensus of opinion among those .who ought to know was that the Pacific was the Mediterranean of the. fut.ure. There was never a sea in the world that had affected the destinies of people as had the Mediterranean. Greece and Rome had risen and fallen there; the' Phoenician fleets put out there; on its shores the mighty Egyptians lived; practically on the Mediterranean shores Christ was born. The world’s life, commerce, war, and destiny were to be worked out on the shores of the lands bordering the Pacific Oceans. He was trying to arouse the young men and women to realise that the same Pacific that wash d the shores of New Zealand also washed the shores of great nations, for instance, Canada, the United States, Central and South America, Japan (with her 60,000,000 people ,who had come upon the world’s stage with such dramatic suddenness, and changed the world’s history); China a great giant awakening from sleep. The great trouble was that 450,000,000 Chinese were dismissed by the Whites with a smile as “Chows.” One great scientist said that the Chinese brain was the largest, heaviest, and finest developed known, and this was linked with fine physique. The “Chinese” in New Zealand were not Chinese at all, they were Cantonese, merely coolies. The real Chinese were often six-feet in height. The Chinese nation was in existence right back in ancient times, and looked upon Europeans as upstarts. It would take duly one big ideal to cement China as a nation. That would mean a tremendous upheaval in the, world—either commercial, or that she will become a Bolshevik nation. If the latter, nothing under Heaven could prevent the Chinese sweeping over Europe and finishing the Whitfe civilisation. There were 250,000,000 Indians under British rule asking for independence. Coming to Australia, her great open spaces were a magnet to Asiatics. Thdt was a bird’s-eye view of the Pacific surroundings. It would not be many years before the Pacific would be ploughed by the commerce of the world, or by mighty navies, fighting out the last great battle. New Zealand could not escape the position. His realsation of the crisis brought him to New Zealand from his work in Great Britain. New Zealand would be the Great Britain of the future. New Zealand was nearly as big as 'Britain, had lovelier climate and great resources. , Would the liquor traffic help in the crisis? Personally, the speaker said he had no bitterness or animosity towards anvone engaged in the liquor trade who believed they were right. One of the greatest tributes he ever received was from a publican whom he had fought on every occasion. “Fletcher was not a d hypocrite, he had said. The Prohibition party would rather lose the fight than win it dishonourably. He wished the other side were the same. He did not say all of them, but some of them. The September issue of “Cheerio” was full of lies. Proof had been forthcoming, but “Cheerio” had not published a correction. As an ex-journal-ist, he would rather break stones than publish a lie, and not retract it. Mr Fletcher went on to quote extracts from “Cheerio,” which, he stated, would not impress anyone but an “empty-headed loon.” No thinking man would believe that teetotal homes produced immoral girls, as alleged in “Cheerio.” The statement was alleged to have been made by a Colonel Butler, of the Salvation Army in America, but a cable received from America officially denied the existence of such a person as Colonel Butler in the American Salvation Army. Yet “Cheerio” had not retracted the statement. There were six lies in the September “Cheerio,” and in the October issue they were splashed from cover to cover. He had not always been a prohibitionist, but the terrible days of the war had convinced him. How did the liquor traffic help or hinder during thei Great War? He was the Minister of the largest Congregational Chu’-r 1 ’ Brit)'' 1 ' Empire, at Car-

diff in Wales, whi&h sent 657 men tothe war.

There were not many people living who had a more intimate knowledgeof the working class in great Britain, during war-time, than himself and his wife. Had the Germans taken Paris, Britain would have been starved within a month. The crisis came so suddenly that the food supplies were not organised. People lived in a. nightmare, and were near a revolution—not through disloyalty, but hunger. Then the Government realised the danger, and rationed rich and poor alike, there were 2000 men, women and children in one queue at Cardiff. Children werfe frozen to death in those queues during the winter. He had known soldiers deliberately to go back to Franca and risk death, instead of staying at home on leave and take the food their wives and children might have had. Mr Fletcher went on. to detail the small rations issued in England, and the hardships 9f the people. He did not taste butter for three years. Score, of old people died and everyone lost weight. What made him a red-hot Prohibitionist was the drink traffic in Britain. He said, that pamphlets published by Mr Arthur Mee were not allowed, to be posted to the Dominions, because 'the Government knew that if the fathers and mothers realised what the facts were they would not allow their boys to goto the front.

By an Order-in-Council, the British Government put the brewing industry on a level with the carriage of munitions, when people were starving for wheat. In li)17 the trucks allotted to the brewers, if placed end to end, would have covered 7000 miles. A ship-load of sugar, imported independently by the owner of restaurants which catered for 40,000 working-class people, was commandeered and handed over to the brewers, by nrder of the Food Controller. What 'right-had the British Government to allow barley to be grown to make beer, when wheat should have been grown for bread? After the war, men who knew said that the liquor traffic had prolonged the war two years. He had stood over Anzac graves. Many of those 'boys would not have died if the liquor traffic had not held the hands of Britain while‘she fought, and prolonged the war. The liquor traffic mainly ..sneered at America for not coming into the war for three years; but if the liquor traffic had not existed Britain could have won the war on her own without the help of America. (Applause). He knew hoy hard it was for people in a small town to stand out for their principles, but women and children, were worth fighting for. He appealed to them to stand up for the right. As God was in heaven, the hour of the liquor traffic and other evils had come. People talked about paid speakers, but he was. not getting any pay. The Prohibition Party'did not even pay his. train fare. His Church had liberated him for' a month, and supplied any little expenses l he could not meet himself. If it cost him his life, he would do his best for the cause. What 'had the ' liquor traffic done for the soldiers? Women were under a fearful strain during the war, and could not sleep, finally taking to drink. Simply crashing, mentally and morally; and the breweries paid millions in dividends. He appealed to his hearers, in the name of God and humanity, to consider whether it would not be better for the land to sweep the liquhr traffic from their midst. A firm stand for Prohibition would influence others, and would help to rid New Zealand from its greatest curse. (Applause).