N.Z. MODERATE LEAGUE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 16824, 1 December 1916, Page 7

N.Z. MODERATE LEAGUE.

WORK OF THE PAST YEAE. ' STZCOiND ANNUAL MEETING. ■■■ The second' annual Meeting of the 'New Zealand Moderate League was I.eld il. the ' Wellington. Chamber, of Couinierce, Mr. D. M. Findlay presiding. In movingl the adoptioa of the annual report the chairman referred to the successful year the league had passed tnrough.. in many cases the interests' c. tiio league and thore which arose out eft '.c paramount demands of the war' were merged, and wherever they did iaer;;e-. the members of the league ■would l:e found doing their best to furi- c gr-eat.:,yd;:paramouut objects he had referred to.; ,; Notwithstanding the hampering tend ncy of present condi-. -.tions,'"sr -is results had -been achieved by the leagua during the pa^t year. One of tiie objects of the league was to secure the carefiii' inspection cf liquor, and now, as a matter cf fact, t'-ere were quite adequate provision, on the Statute Book de«u'ng. with this subject. The league h<*d .done its otst to stimulate, the Executive cf the •-•uintry in putting thee- provisions in :.'orce. ■ Mr Finiay then read a letter received from the Eon. A. L. Herdniau in reply to certa'n representations made by the league. The commu2.ici.tion intimated that samples o? liquor ~.ad been taken from hotels, and the .•-nalyses were being ..waited. * Commenting on,the letter, Mr H'indlay.stated that spine prosecutilns'liacl already taken place, and exenlpli?.iy fiuog ]iad resulted. it was hoped th«t thia .would be an indication of the Aiye enfdrcemfcnt of what had been'a dead letter in fhe past. One objec'; ti" tjie league, Mr Findlay -v\;ent lon ;to state,'.'was scientific reform,' instead of tiie.'empirical.''or haphazard lt^fcthods tli'-t't'had previou&ly prevailed, iv roferred to the deputation which Lad waited cv the -Prime Minister with a rec^kt thai^a Com^isrion of Enquiry and Adyiceyshould be appointed, to which 'roq^.st the Prime Minister had replied th.A t >~« matter would have .to be he'd in aDeyance until after the war. llt wa3 somewhat impnvtant, ' said Mr Findlay, that the league and the country generally should at the present tin.-prepare for , the future. The annual report of the league," concluded Mr ;Findlay, showed that the organisation i-ad" beer, an active one, and the secretary (Mr R, A. Armstrong) was to ■at congratulated on the report. Mr A. de B. Brandoa seconded the motion,v remarking that the league steered, a middie course between optimism on thi one side and pessimism 011 •the other—between -^ the Prohibition Party and the over-indulgent. Tie report,Tfas' uuauimously adopted. •, iOb the. Trnotion' of Mr J. F. Atkins, •seconded "by Mr J. B. IJt\rcouvt, the following motion waa carried without disqussitta:''."That this, meeting of the New.JZealand Modera'.c League would again:" urg ; 1: upon the Oovernment the dtsitabiility of setting .pa "responsible impartial. Board of Ku oiiry to examine the liquor question from time to time, vuth a view to recommending competent licensing legislation for consideration after the •■war." ■ Th-* f6'lowing officers vere elected-— President,,.Mr T). M. Fintllay; e^ecutive, Mesrrs J". F, Atkins, E. B. Bristow,^. H. Brodrick,, J. B. Ha,rcourt, X Mnce, J. H. Owen, V. E. Pearson, ■ \t. Perry, rnj D. F. Skinner; hou sscrctary, Wellington, :?Ir.;W. G. TalLot: llr c: G:,;Allah. ;