Temperance Question

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume V, Issue 1410, 22 August 1905, Page 2

Temperance Question

No-Liceme Deputation Waits on ... Auckland CilK Council A Question of Ethics . Plain Speaking by tiie Mayor Jost beforo the Auckland City Council bogan its ordinary businosson Thursday ovoning last a large number of well-known 1 local prohibition advocates assembled,i n | the City Council Chambers, cecompanying a deputation from the Auckland No-Li- [ censo League to tho Mayor and councillors, " in order," as the letter of the Bccre- ! tary of the League (the Eov. A. Doull) , stated," to bring uudor your notice certain j matters gravely nfleeting the public health and welfare." Among those who wero present woro: The Revs. A. North (Bap- ? list), J. B. Rassoll and B, L, Walker (Presbyterian), W. Qittos and C, H. Garland 8 (Methodist), W. S.Potter andG. Clem- \ .-nts (Primitive Methodist), also Messrs j W. Richardson, R. French, and Wesley Sprang. The Council Chamber was pretty 6 woli filled, There wero several ladies | present. 1 Mr. M. H, Smcoton, as a membor of 3 the City Council, introduced the represen- " tatives of the deputation, tho Revs. Gar--1 land and Walker, and Mr Spragg. Mr 5 tiiiieoton expiuinect that the deputation was most anxious to impress upon the Mayor ? and councillors a vory grave matter, which they contended was seriously aflecting the 0 public health, 8 Tho Mayor thanked the members of the deputation ior waiting upon tho Counoil to 0 urgo the matter commended to them. '■ Addressing tho Council, the Mayor said r tbey had listened, no doubt', with a keen , interest to the members who had spokon 5| on behalf of the deputation from the Auckland No-License Loague. Although a the arguments used by Mr Spragg indi't cated that he was not there representing 53 the prohibitionists or No-Licenße League, ha (the Mayor) thought a most specious way had been adopted in addressing ihe Council, It reflected, no doubt, great ' 8 credit upon Mr Spragg's subtlety; but certainly not upon his manners. As fr Mayor, it was bis duty to give the Coun- '» cil his opinion as to what attitude Bhould ln be takon up in regard to (he matter. Tho °i (Jcpu'ation had used what it considered k- justifiable argument, but he was not going to confine himself soriatja to the opinions ho put forward by tho deputation. He would es Bft y at once that he was grieved and a pained at finding himself ini the position that night of having to listen to such a deputation, When he recently offered ' his services to the ci'.izeus of Auckland and

stood for tho high position of Mayor, the 'prohibitionists, as a league, were kind onough to advertise and address meetings to tho effect that he was unworthy of occupying such a position, presumably because he was a member, of the trade; that was what they did as a body. Ho 1 was a member of the firm of Campboll, Ehronfriod, aud Co,, the well-known brewers, and he desired to say ho was prond of it, He considered that deputation a gratuitous insult to himself, (Voices: "No," and hear, hear), and ho desired to ' spoak plainly. No doubt the gentlemen present were earnest and wero zealous for tho causo which thoy considered to be the correct one. Ho hoped the deputation would give credit to other citizens in this community for having conscientious opinions, notwithstandsng the fact that thoy might disagree with those other citizens on these particular questions. No city council had ever been approached on a matter of this kind in Australasia'beforo, and he could Only take it as a desire on tho ' part of the deputation to' in his position as Mayor, because be wffa ' mumW of the firm of Campbell,' Ebronfried aud Co. (Voices: "No.") Would the ' ladies and genllemon wbo composed tbo doJ puta'ion kindly have respect for the dignity of tho office ho represented, and remain | quiet, arid show, at any rate, that they had I some control oyer their feelings. He did I not interfere with member? of the deputation whon they .addressed tho Council, and lie would appeal to their sense of fairness, manliness, end fairplay, This was not the timo for argument, Ho was addressing the 1 members of tho Council, and a very painfnl c duty it was, [The people of Auckland re--1 turned him, as those present were aware, 1 by a largo majority, anticipating that ho | would devote whatever time was necessary, and also whatever ability he might possess, to looking after their interests, In hia oapaci'y .as Chief Magistrate of tho city, sinco his election, neither he nor the mom--1 bors of iho Council had spared themselves in any way in their oavnest endeavour to fearlessly aud loyally prove worthy of tho high position to which thoy bad been called ! by tho citizens ol Auckland. Their solo aim 1 was to sorvo their ftllow citizens to the bost of their ability, with dignity and honour, impartially, exercising their functions irrespective of all classes, and irrespective of thoir political or othor view?. At the.ena of his term of offieo ho hoped he would bo able to fearlossly hand over his reeponsi. bility, with the knowledge that his devotion to tho beft interests of the citizens of Auckland could never be questioned. He , lookod around him, and ho noted that there wero a number of prohibitionists who wero members of the Council, 1 and thoy wore aware that the question of prohibition had never been brought 'into their deliberations, and from their kjowlodgo thoy wero well aware that there was no likelihood of it over being brought up. They were elected for quite a different purpose. Although he, as chairman, said so, he did not believe there had been a belter City Council for many years. Important matters that had engaged their, aiKention had been seriously considered, irrespective of any class, and he hoped that at the end of their time they mightrcceive,. at any rate, the thanks of their fellow oitizons for having done their duty to tho best of their ability. Tho deputation was, after all, only representative of a seolion of tho community, What was thore tu provent an auti-gambling league, or an antiprohibition league coming forward and asking the Council, as tho deputation that ovening had done, to spend the citizens' money in put ting before tho public the particular yisws of those leaguos. There was a timo appointed by tho Legis-, latiiro to deal (with • these social quostions, and 110 ono knew it hotter than the ladios and gontlemon who appoare.l before tho Oounoil 1 that evening to urge it to do something which they (tbo deputation) knew fnll well |t was not within tbo Council's power to do. Tho timo appointed by tho legislature was at tbo local option polls, whon all qualified persons in the colony would huve the opportunity of exercising their votes on that subjeoi, and ho had no doubt that sovertil membors of tho Counoil would consoieutiously vote in a similar way to what'the mouibers of the deputation would 'do. Surely that ivould not make any difference on the following day, when councillors mot to consider civic busiHess, Tho arguments used had. been very * 'specious; ono might listen next day to a deputation that would say that tho manner in which tho no-license deputation desired to carry out their viewswas not God's war, mid that thero could bo no virtue tiioto was no temptation. He might nut it > from that or similar standpoints, but h/u respect for the dignity of. his office would provont him from answering the arguments put forward by tho deputation. He was, aud thoy all wore, iigainst exoessive drinking," as they all were against' excessive indulgence in ftoything. If they did go into 1 those arguments |h'oy would be only turning tliat olianibor into a bear garden. ;Ho hopid ih it in llie 'future, as in tho past, tho Council would bo controlled, ahs transact its , I ' .' . ■ . ■ '

nsiaosa irrßspaotive of any feeling 0:1 mat : ters of this sort. Councillors wei'o aware that the farictions and powers of a City i Council, and of all munioipal bodies, were ■ defined within the provisions of tho Municipal Corporations Act, under whioh the Council worked. This Act specified a variety of subjeotß whioh the Council bad power to doal with, details of which need not • <■■ begone into. Inall theseaubjoots,what fht ho termed the essentially practiwere entrusted to mnnioipal bodies, but questions of ethics, snoh as religious and moral topios, were distinctly reserved 10 bo dealth with by the Legislature. For example, the power to make by-laws was distinotly limited by tho provision in section 405, sab-seotion 4 ; tint inasmuch as it was inexpedient that quostions of religion • ormorala should be regulated by by-law, no ■ by-law was valid if a breaoh thereof would involve a breaoh only of some religious or moral rule. The request of the deputation if acceded to would open a door into which other bodios might step with similar re- ■ quests, and involve the Connoil in a con< iiderable expenditure, such as was not contemplated by the Act. Mr. Sprags had said it was not a moral question, but tho Rev. Walker had contradioted him by saying if was a moral question., Thoy wore all well B*are that questions of ethios, such as religious and moral topics, were distinctly left to the Legislature. He, thorefore, without further comment, but with deep regret, moved: " That, having heard the request of the deputation, the Council is unable to see its way to oomply therewith." Notwithstanding the fact that ho knew a number, a large nnmber, of tho members of the. Council held views similar to those held by the prohibitionists, he would urge them, : if they had duo respect for the onerous dirties they had beon elected by the citizens to carry oat, to unanimously pass that motion. Mr John Court said he secpndod the motion, and he agreed'with the Mayor that the membors of the Council were as anxious and as willing as any of the deputation to do anything privately to pro- i vent drunkenness. They were as much i opposed to excess in any other habit or crime. He thought the temperance party in Auckland ought to do its temperance work in other ways than that proposed. He spoke of the coffee-houses of Birmingham as an attraction to young people, and also referred to the Leys Institute Ie recommended the opening of some well-controlled club-rooms in tho centre of the city, where coffee, etc., could be obtained. Mr, A. J. Enlrican said he felt very 1 much for tho position in whioh the Mayor had been placed. Personally, although he sympathised with the views ospressod J by the deputation, and although he be- < lieved that the membors of tho deputation j were many of the best citizens, and had , the interest of tho community at heart, . and were actuated by tho purest of motives, f yet he believed the deputation was ill- ' advised. 'lf he thought the deputation had 1 the idea of humiliating the Mayor in his position, though agreeing with the deputation in the main, he (the Bpesker) would : have proposed that tho deputation be not . heard. He did not believe the deputation came with that object; he weuld be very sorry indeed to think it. The Council , was: Always ready to do anything .. for the welfare of tho oity in any possible way, and as citizens tho councillors were always ready to do their best for the well-being and comfort of the citi- ' zen's, and always willing to spend time ' and money in doing anything for tho ad-, s vancetnent of the oity of which they were ( ,so proud. And he could not do anything but support the motion the Mayor bad put before the Council, for he was quite satisEed tho Couooil had no power to move in the' direction requested by the deputation. Mr C. Knight said it was an exceedingly important question, and he realised ' the difficulty the Mayor and Council were { "plaoedih. While he believed, as much as ' any man, that alcohol was injurious, and ( Vjwhlle he was anxious to see the rising ' Ygwratnn taught temperance, yot ho foit \ "that the Council and the Mayor wero 1 placed in an exoeadingly unpleasant posi- ' lion. If he did not know tho membors of ' the deputation he would certainly think J ; there was some feeling in their minds, but he knew them, and he believed they were 1 sincere,'and he thought they wore under 1 the impression that tho Council had tho , same power as they had in France and ■ other countries, and could put tbo eame means into operation for spreading knowledge of tomperaucc. While he would be ( glad to,, do anything for the spreading , of such knowledge to aaye Auckland from { • the'soourgo of intemperate indulgence in ' drink, yot, at tho same timo, he did not think the Council was called upon to do . What was requested, He supported tho motion, for he could not see that tho Council could legally take any other step. The .notion was then' put and carried unanimously. . The Rev. C. H. Garland said hp thanked the Mayor and Council f or receiving the deputation. He regretted that the Mayor should take the request of tho deputation ' as a gratuitous insult to him (tho Mayor) person nib. Ho (the spoakor) understood from Mr S'pragg that a copy of the deputation's request in writing had been sent to the Mayor and all councillors. If that had been so the way was perfectly clear. He must say, on behalf of himself . and others, that the Mayor's thought concorning the deputation was quite wrong. 1 , The Mayor replied that he must thank tho Rev, Garland for bis remark. He (the Mayor) acknowledged at onco that lie had received a copy of the coumanlcation referred to, but notwithstanding that, he ... felt, rightly or wrobgly, that he was justified in expressing himself as he had done, However, he was pleased to reoeive tho ; Kev, Garland's assurance, ' The deputation Ihen withdrew,