NO-LICENSE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 922, 15 September 1910, Page 5

NO-LICENSE.

A GREAT GATHERING IN THE

TOWN HALL

"BARE MAJORITY."

PROMPT LEGISLATION DEMANDED.

STRONG LANGUAGE BY MR- TAYLOR, : -, : -'- / M.P. The No-License demonstration in; the Town' Hall: last night 'attracted one of the largest assemblages citizens seen at :& publio meeting iii Wellington for some time. .;Almost tho ; entire' available seating accommodation was.occupied before the proceedings opened...;. The platform, ■was .filled by; a large number, of wellknown local and visiting leaders .in the No-License' movement, and contained, in addition,' eight members/of the Wellington Trades; and Labour Counoil. On a screen displayed overhead, was a diagram illustrating the . advances made' both in New Zealand and Massachusetts in regard to the' abolition'■ of the liquor trade. Mr. Wesley Spragg (Auckland), president of the New Zealand 'Alliance, occupied - the chair. .Apologies were' received for the non-attendance-owing to : Uliiess-rof the Revs; R.'S. Gray'(Christchurch) and Leonard Isitt.' The meeting opened. with the singing of the hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers,". after. which ; the Rev. R. J. Serpellled in prayer. '■■'-.';. . ( .:•■ ...Mr. Wesley Spragg, ;%he chairman said they; must all feel gratified at. the, immensity of the. audience, the dimensions of which, .clearly showed what a great deal of interest was being taken in the.'No-Licen'se movement. Taking 1 a survey of the. position ' of, the movement throughout the*world., the NoLicense' question was the most important at present'being, discussed by any people; (Applause.) It was, making great, strides in-the United, States;,it was going "albngsteadiiy.;'in; Canada;:. and/New Zealand seemed to be' the,'only country ■in.which 'there was any; hacking '.and .filling going on.. Nothing;on:earth./could' sever those, -united: in the temperance .cause ,or hinder the'-progress. of;tMs;.;.movement.- : (Applause.) That fact, should' strike ■ terror into , the hearts, of their ' foes—the foes of the. country, with Jwhoni they found them-' selves/in antagonism., They,could -also claini to be a successful, .body—although -it was sometimes".suggested. 1 that. 'No- ; License was not, a success.'; That was only partly true, and this'moyement'.wasabig success.,' Those 'amongst; them 'who; had the "honour,' .to 'be r resident., in No-License.;.'areas could., speak .with authority ;'' : on ■-.-the. subject. .- .Waihi was one of the: most striking' illustrations :of-'rthe;success; ■of No-License,/and. there' they had an' illustration recently, in: the fact that- the lock-up 'was. able to be; used : for the storage \o'f: contraband liquor, there -,'being no prisoners for .detention. There was no more;risk of..this, cause failing -than there was .'of the. sky falling, because they .'had. right on. their, side.. They had 'no/personal/quarrel,wjth, the brewers and liquor-sellers, but with' their "business. ; (Applause.) • \ ...

'./.:..: 1; Mr.C-H; ; Poo!e,'M.P. : ; v ■.'■ • 'Mr. "C.:', H.'•'': Pook-if M.P. v (Auckland West),-who was warmly applauded, y s spbke; on-the. people's right to progressive legis-; lation'during the present-session,of-Par-.-liament. Ho felt it quite an honour, he said, to be' associated with somevof' the modern fanatics of this country; and .if: :they cast their ;eyes arouncßthe platform they'iwould find some, men there who had ■been:■.•responsible.'-for .creating numerous .disturbances throughout New' Zealand; and these, disturbances had'been; amply 'justified by tho magnificent'.'results thatihad accrued.". These disturbances' ;were going' to xontinue: until .the people:were emancipated■ from; the' habit.:and'-; curse of. strong, drink—(applause)—and until , every • man; and-woman in the community "would bo .able ■ to; move into the activities of life without being tempted and; assailed by one of the most', brutal influences that had ever opposed.the onward march':of mankind.' .'.(Applause.)'■..i-.They were-pre-: .'pared to declare that if, the liquor traffic ,gbt hold-of this country the enforcement; of the law'. would,ba l a'-thing of the',past. Three dangerous, factors, had'to. be considered in connection with the:;admihistration of .the'affairs 'of'a country: (1). Ibr the. Legislature to be;behind I :public opinion:in legislating; (2) for. the: Legislature to be ahead : of .public; opinion in introducing legislation; (3), >nd most important,; for;^he. Legislature to be against the people in connection'with: its'policy. (Applause.)'' The. speaker contrasted theamount of time devoted by Parliament to I discussing noxious weeds,'disease.in bees, and other, mattersof infinitesimal -..-..im'-. ; porta'nee compared to 'this, great. subject, J1 and went on.- to say' that where; they had -a . majority of 30,000-, people , in .-..this country demanding progressive legislation, in regaTd to the liquor 'question,' ..the Legislature or. Administration which, recused to give consideration.; to , : constant, protests and appeals for'fair plajp was 'endangering its. position all. along the'line. (Applause.) The liquor;.traffic of. this country. was still a'menace to'.'the" affairs 'and interests; of our best' people, ."and to •the: common good. They ..had a right to demand a further, and jnore democratic measure '.than any.yet passed, to enable them-'to' lock out"of this "country ; for ever : the' vilest thief of. all; (Applause.) ' '•'':'//•■ ; Mr. ; A.;S. Adams. ; Mr.:A. S. Adams (Dunedin) dealtwith the:proposals of the No-License party ..in' the' matter of legislation,. In doing so, he .ridiculed,a: suggestion made in a leading article ; he had : read—that the ■.brewers,-and the publicans were a,great party in this' question. -'They were the mere'moneybags in-this-niatter—a mere negligible-trifle so far/as the voting and .the rights of the'people were concerned. No■ jugglery* could do away with the fact that the No-Licenso party represented the largest' party in the vState on. this subject.. (Applause.) The -majority was thwarted iii its will in regard to this question.' They demanded immediate, legislation which embraoed the .bare majority, no: breweries, in No-License dis-' tricts, no beer depots within . ten miles of the' boundaries of a No-Licenso' district, the. abolition of the abuses of the locker system, and the abolition of barmaids. (Applause) They had a right to demand that such a Bill should; take precedence of less-important legislation to be put : on the Statute Book during .present.session of Parliament. (Applause.)' They' ] objected' to' the subordinating of moral issuesto revenue purposes. They, would .not be satisfied, with any treat mentof the questionwhich meant trying to please both sides. The two sides were 'as wide asunder as. the ;Poles, and they would not be content with',any proposal that was drawn to satisfy the other side. (Applause.) ■ Mr. T. E, Taylor, M.P. ' "Mr.' T. E. Taylor, M.P. (ChristchurohNorth), who was received With loud and sustained applause, opened with a'refer-ence-to tho fallacy of a statement recently: made by a stipendiary magistrate in the" South Island—that it was no use in a woman going to a No-License area to' protect her from' her appetite for strong drink, because every house -there contained liquor— ■■: A voice: Quite true. ■''■-'. .' • Mr. Taylor: You are a liar. (Loud applause.) I cannot see that man, but I tell him to his face that it is a lie, and that he; is a liar-because he said it deliberately. (Renewed applause.) For a man who will mako a statement like that, that he cannot verify, and that ho knows is absolutely false, ■ thero is only one short word, in the.'English language that fits him, and I : use it. (Loud applause.) ■ • The speaker went on to acquit the magistrate of wilfully stating a falsohood, but, on the faco of it, the magistrate was .talking absurd nonsenso. How many homes had the magistrate entered in NoLicense areas? He (Mr. Taylor) would guarantee that the magistrate had not entered fifty sepa-rato homes in these districts; yet he had made a remark which he' roust know would be eagerly seized

upon by those'who ran tho liquor traffic, and quoted to the disadvantage of the No-License party. There were fifty thousand .honest men and • women who lived in No-License districts, and who knew the facts, would agree with him when he said that the magistrate in question had made a woefully inaccurate statement from : the Bench last week. (Applause.) The speaker went on to urge the need and justice of the bare majority in, regard to Dominion as well as local option, and gave credit to tho present Government for closing the King Country against the liquor traffic, bringing club charters under the . same law as hotels, and abolishing railway refreshment-room licenses in No-License areas. The No-Li-censo party had waited since ISM for the rectification of grievances that were unreasonably strong, and their patience, colossal, as it had been, was almost exhausted.. They wanted a Bill that .would smellsweetly of democracy from the first clause to the last, not one. containing clauses intended to suit the liquor party here and there throughout, but a Bill .which would be honestly drafted for tho people and not for the publicans. They were tired waiting for what they had a perfeot right to possess for. many years past.: (Applause.) The liquor party had been protected for. sixteen years, and they were not going to bear that burden any longer. If they did. .not get their demands conceded, it would not.be of their own ohoice they would go into politics as a party—they would be forced into politics next year. They had been patient, but their demand wasijust, and they could defend it by logic. (Applause.) He begged to move:—> •"

."That this meeting expresses its conviction that the time has arrived when the.-right of the people to determine the continuance of the liquor traffic on the basis.of democracy should no, longer be denied. I there- . fore call upon ,the Government to in- . ', troduce without delay a measure securing this, right,; and at the same / time making provision for. i taking a vote on Dominion prohibition, such ; measure also to providefor all neces- ' sary amendments to the existing '_1i- ..; censing law" as shall make, effective the. will of the people as expressed at ■ the ballot-box." ' Mr. A. S. Malcolm, M.P. (Clutha). seconded the resolution, which was passed by acclamation... .;.-.•_ * .". '._,'■ i.The proceedings closed with the singins of the hymn "Praise' God from .Whom All Blessings, F10w."...