NO-LICENSE MOVEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 633, 9 October 1909, Page 5

NO-LICENSE MOVEMENT.

MASS* MEETING AT AUCKLAND,

THE BARE'MAJORITY, ADVOCATED. ' ...IBy lelecrapb.-l'fosn AMdclailoii.i .'.- Auckland, October 8. ; A .No-License mass meeting wis held .in the East Street Hall, Nowtoii, this evening.'. The hall svas J packed, rilany 'people .being unable to gain aamission,, and an .overflow, meeting was-carried'on in'another, building.in the'imihediate vicinity.,;;.;,, l .;' i',,''; -TM Rev. J/X>aws6n,: o{ 'WeUliijWirm'oVed's "That this, meeting;of :cifizehs: of. Auckland' affirms 'ttfot the time has' now.-.bbme, when—(l) all Questions. at tho licensing; polls should li decided on; the bnre-majority vote;"( 2- a',Dominion option vote should be'taken tricnnially In addition to the'local option vote by a bai» majority,; and urges on -the Goverhment and Parliament its respectful demand for imme-, diate . legislation ..to securo these Reforms,". . Mr. A. S. Adams, of Dunedin, seconded the motion, which was. carried unanimously. . Thovspeakc'rs,. who were.accorded' an ' enth*iiiastic. hearing, contended that if one side were. handicapped nit all it should certainly iot be virtue, but vice, such' hs tho liquor traffic, on which lay tho onus for its existence, and that the votes of £no manhood and i womanhood of-the country should count for just ae much as'those of a barman, barmaid, or liquor man; The .Rev. L. M. X'sitt, of Christcliurch; moved that the'members,of this meeting express their deep indignation at this violation of the solemn promise given to the Natives by the New. Zenland'Government that no liquor, licenses should ever • be, granted,, in the King: Country.:;.. They ortll .upon the representatives of.'every scctibii of, the phristian Church 'aild all press editors and members of Parliament to whom the welfare of .the Maori raie and honour of tiv\ ; natibri is dear to urgo the' Government ;to at onde annul'the license granted, and tb-remedy this tvil.''' Mr. lsitt condemned the .violation of. tho. promise in . strong terms, hinting that the liquor influence was behind it, not t. • settlers, and declaring that .if'the Government and':'Parliament did notgive immediate redress an appeal would be made to the 1- 1 perial Govbr.nbient.; , ■ • , The motibn, which was feconded by the Rev.. [J. Wilson, of Auckland, was carried unanimously.

SOME INSTRUCTIVE FIGURES. . . ■ -Tb .thoso who take 'ah interest;' in the liquor question A return which was presented to Parliariient j-esterday on the Mr.' Hanan; M.P., will be of .considerable interest. ■: First of ail .is given the figures showing , the offences which came beforo the Invercargfil Court, and in respect of which .'convictions Wire re-, corded (a) for; the period,; of two years ..immediately , preceding tho harrying of no-licbhse, and (b) for the period of two years after the ctiming into operation of flo-license there. It appears that during the former period 1901-1900 the convictions totalled 810, and there were 29. doirtmittals, whilst'during the latter period, 1906-08, the figures , were 843 and. ,22 respectively. The- principal items under the heading : cortvibtion, were as follow - (the figures for the latter.period being given in parentheses):— Assault 14 (10); sexual offences (0); attempted suicide, S.'(0); murder, 1 (0); theft, including theft frbrt the person, 36 (103); false ptbtehces, 6 (9);; forgery, 7 (7); breaking and.enttring, 2 (4)!, damaging propertjv 15 (s);■ druiikeriness, 313 (189); drunk arid disorderly, 3 (7);ioffences under Licensing Act,-15 (G4); obscene , language, 27 (19); vagrancy, 25 (3); breach of the peiice, 16 (2); breach. of bylaws, 114 (173),, truancy, 42 (17); absent from parades, 29 (51); breaches of game laws, 7- (21); breaches of Factory Act, 8 .(28). it is stilted that in the. case, of drunkenness tho, liquor : was obtained inside the electorate, and in 103 cases outside the area. Information with regard to offences proved to bo due to indulgence, in intoxicating liquor was liot obtainable. Another return deals with convictions recorded in the Invercargill Court during the period July .1;'1900,-. to August 1; 1908. It shows that in all 728. offences dealt with occurred 'within the district, and 213 outSide the area. Tho chief items lii this ''returnwere as follow,(the figures,relating to olFences committed outside the. area being placed in parentheses);— Drunkenness,' 174 (21); sly.grof? selling, 11 (0); theft,'ll4 (12); breaches of game laws, 0 (21); breaches of Factories- Act, 25 (3); truancy, 21 (9); obstructing or assaulting constable, 13 (2); by|nws, 20(1 (13). It,. is further mentioned as nn Additional item that fO'prohibition orders were granted ligaihst persons residing in Invercargill, and 28 egainst persons residing outside the no-license'area, '