CAMP CANTEENS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 683, 7 December 1909, Page 9

CAMP CANTEENS.

LOCAL PROTESTS, Witl; rcferenco to the canteen. question, .a' deputation will watt on tho Prime Minister on Monday i ; next, representing ' tlio ' Now 'Zealand' Allinuoo, tJio : W,C/J.'.U„ X.M.C.A., ; 1.0. G.T., Mothers' Union, and Biblo Class Union. ; : . The Board oi Directors ot' tho Wellington' Y/M.C.Av.at.'a ■ meeting :last night, passecLthe' following/resolution:—"'That tho-loung Men's of ; enter'-its. emphatic' protest: against -the. clausoMih .-.'tho Doienco;Bill which allows, the. oanteen'to; exist which STjll 'l)d:set :iip' undor the : Bill." Speaking as'chairmiin at-Mr;: Poole's lecture .ftt tho-Y.MiC.A; Inst night, Mr, -J).' HKClark; M,?., ?aul JIC ; thought tho Defence: Bill' was; on the-whore goodi' but there were somo .things ,in:it biHtsiwfti "stomijif 7, cantcoh'3:"in I%'ilitiry. f oampsV-"In. "his. own- voluiitco#>ng ,l «)fUii!£)tngo,irt»thai' absencool the :i)fintff6fi , "(llit , n(it'keyp"tte-/ounB: ■ men away. Its effect' was quite the reverse. Ho . would do his-best to g3t Y . tho . rolating-tQ'ennteonr strncb oul;'of the- Bill.. >" .'/i'hg.'iqUpiving 'itfesolntion. wri.?: passed by : the; Webb Street Primitive Methodist Church- .oil Sunday; : i'vaningi—"We,- the 'assembled cdngre-' gation of. Wellington ..Webb Street Primitive ' : M6tjiodist 'Church, ,beg 1 bit' inost emphatically to protest ' against: the i.action of { the Govornmolit in embodying in- their 'new Defenco Bill'provisions toy the r salo of alcoholic : liquorin ; 'military : encampments, be-' 1 hoving that tho sale of. alcohol as a beverage: always makes, figainst what should bo ; the 'initerests of an enlightened: defence measure'.to' conserve; namely, ' Jay' and and the moral and physical stamina of the ranks/:. We fur-" ther believe:that.such provision will do violence to tho. deepest .convictions of a; largo ma-; jprlty ot the young men eligible for service; that tto age limit restricting. tho' use of : can-: teen* to those over. 21 will bo workable or ; acceptable, nnd: that-tho proposal is in direct opposition tq the will of thodoctors of the Dominion 1 as' indicated' by. the. figures pf the lost ; local option poll.y

IN OTHER CENTRES. (By Telegraph— PrcS3 Association.) ' '.Auckland, i DecemborG. :,";;On. 'Saturday,■; local:''ministers:.received telegram? froiU lir, T,:E. Taylor,,on bohalf of tho New Zealand Alliance,' requesting them at jtho Sunday services ■ to have • resolutions pfissed' protesting the vpropdsal.'; in',"the . Defence 13>U for 'obtaining'"intoxicants in canteens in military', caraje.' 'In"most cases tho request was acceded,:'to;, and.''; strongly-wordedresolutions' were passed by tho congregations. v Chrlstchurch, December 6 . In all non-episcopal churches in the city and suburbs, and '.alio at 'the.- Young. Men's,. Chris',tiori ■ .Association,':, resolutions 1 .were passed *y es-' terday condemning:; and protesting against the establishment: of' canteehs .at Inilitary training: camps, as proposed in tho Dofenco Bill. Tho resolu'tidnsiiwope "passed, unanimously by largo congregations.; This '■ morning the, papors contain letters,.to #te editors, ;both for. and against canteens— mostly .against; The-only strbngono in'favour is from' a member of ono ot 'tho South African'contingents. Feilding, December 6. Thero was. a very, large. congregation in • the Wesleyau Church yesterday, when.the question of canteens atr_inilitary ;camps was laia before, the gathering, •/ '■ O Mr. C. H. Poole, M.P., spoko on the matter, after whwth tho Rev, C. li. Beecryft (ex-presi- : dent,, of the Wetdeyan Conference) .proposed that; the • following telegram bb sent to tho Prime Minister"Deeply concerned at tho Government proposal to continue facilities for obtaining iAtoxicants'at<ndlitary camps. ' Considering the danger ;to. wfiich .the liquor canteen system exposos the youth of the. Do-, jminipn, tho FeilriSnif Wosleyan congregation earnestly and emphatically urges its abolition" The motion was earned unanimously. A telegram was sentHq'.the Prime Minister, this' jiiorning. •; : . . • .. lAshburton, December 0. • Yesterday , all tho' Nonconformist churches passed resolutions protesting against tho provision forcanteew' being included in tho" Defence Bill. Several of tho young men's Biblo | classes : ' also passed ■ similar . resolutions) con-'I sidering that '.canteens, wore, calculated to. ex- I ereißO a demoralising influence .on.young ..men* who might bo compelled to attend camps. Carterton, December 6. 'Tho local Methodist-congregations passed re-. Solutions; yesterday' condemning, the,, inclusion of canteens in the-Defence Bill. ' (By T«lcßrADh-Specl»t' Oorr«spond«nu - ,Warganui, Decembor 6. Tha congregations of the local Nonconformist Churches last night passed strong resolutions against! tho: fact, that ■ tho new Defenco Bill dia not proposo 'to abolish canteens at training camps. Tho "Herald" this ovening points'-out ; tlmt;.thdSO protesting say about prohibiting tho importation of linuor to camps for private consniupuon uiuopondont of canteen supply. If this is not forbidden,; it thinks that tho abolition of tho canteen is bound to mako matters worse, and says: "It is a matter of whether thero shall bo unregulated '' or regulated drinking.' If drinking is to bo unregulated, and, at anv hour at which tho men feel inclined, it will bo a great deal." moro to tho temptation of young lads thnn it would be with a cantooft in which drinking would bo'subject to regulation,, and strictly ; limited to certain- hours.' •

CANTEEN PROHIBITION MODIFIED. r (ny ■ Tcleijriph.—Prc«» Association—Copyright.) , Melbourne, December 0. The Federal Senate amended tho clause in the Defenco Bill prohibiting conteens, by prohibiting the sale of liquor - during training camps. The offcct is to leavo ■. the . barrack . canteen '-'as -: at - present. : The Housq concurred In tho amendment,