“GROG ON, REGARDLESS!”

White Ribbon, Volume 26, Issue 3, 1 June 1954, Page 8

“GROG ON, REGARDLESS!”

Doings at Tauranga Mr. H. W. Milner, General Supt. of the N.Z. Alliance, recently addressed a public meeting, arranged by the Tauranga local committee, in the Town Hall. The Rev A. H. Finlay (Baptist Church) chaired the meeting. The Clm, “The Street,” was screened.

During the meeting, there was some slight disturbance high up in the front of the hall and an exhibit slithered down into position. This was a placard, flanked bv two whisky bottles and bearing the inscription, “Grog on, Regardless!” Here the Trade gave away its slogan. “Grog on, Regardles*!” Regardless of the untold misery of broken homes, sqi alor and wretchedness of thousands of people, whose lives and hopes are ruined; the shame and demoralisation of the Maori people and the continued toll of the roads. Grog on! Grog on! Regardless! It is a heartless and curel attitude, hut there seems no doubt that the Liquor interests have little thought, but to push their sales, that the defiling rivers may flow. Mr. Milner’s address was a revealing and fighting one, but only a nation-wide revival of religion will set the people marching to victory. Life has become too easy and we are accepting the blatant enormities of the drink traffic without a cry or a tear It is a time for deep penitential praying and a girding on of the spiritual armour, for nothirg else will arouse the conscience and deliver us from this defilement. It was fine, that, after the meeting, some of the thinking folk just got to work and had the money coming in, to cover all the rather heavy expense of this meeting.

—(Rev.) A. A. Bensley.