N.Z. ALLIANCE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1094, 5 April 1911, Page 6

N.Z. ALLIANCE.

ITEMS FROM THE ANNUAL REPORT. TEMPERANCE INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS. The annual report of the Now Zealand Alliance stales:—'Tor ninny years past our conventions have demanded temperance instruction in our schools, and it is gratifying that this part of cur work is about to bring forth fruit. Temperance instruction has been largely neglected by the school authorities as it was merely one subject in the hygiene division, but at a recent conference of school inspectors a. resolution was adopted providing (hat the syllabus should in future require special reference to alcohol when instruction is being given in hygiene, thus temperance instruction will shortly occupy as definite a place upon the school svllabus as does arithmetic. Wo are hopeful that the syllabus of this subject will bo available for inclusion with our reform. 'We gladly acknowledge the assistance in this matter of tho Hon. Geo. Fowlds,, Minister for Education, and we take this opportunity of expressing our appreciation thereof.

Canteens. "The long, anticipated Defence Bill was introduced by the Government at tlio last session "of Parliament, and contained provision for compulsory military training and" for the usual canteen for the sale of alcoholic liquor in the encampments. Our party has long looked with disfavour upon such canteens in volunteer ei.campments, and representations have been made on the subject from time to time. "When the suggestion was made, however, that such canteens should be. recognised institutions in the camps where our boys and other peoples' boys will be compelled to attend for military training, our party's representations were increased both in volume and in force, and in that we were joined by large numbers who are not usually with us. The physical, mental, and moral deterioration which must come to the lives of many if such canteens be allowed in the compulsory training camps was so well appreciated that thousands were prepared to risk an unlikely foreign aggression and its attendant ills rather than face certain and worse ills for scores of our boys, and therefore the cry was raised from one end of the Dominion to the other that there must cither be no alcoholic liquor sold in the canteens or no Defence Bill. Thank God that the forces which make for righteousness prevailed." After rehearsing sections of tlje Act which deals with the sale of liquor in camps, the report mentions tlio good work done by the Henry-rotts mission, and refers to the organisation of the Alliance as "in a mobile condition, and capable of great execution." Finance. The balance-sheet for the year ending April 30, 1910, shows that the expenditure amounted to .£llO3 lis. 7d., and tho receipts to ,£1302 19s. lid., leaving a credit of ,£199 Bs.' 4d. on tho year's working. There is a debit on the assets sido of ,£4OG 10s. 2d. The liabilities are made up as follow:—Overdraft at bank, MSi 19s. 2d.; loans, JE2IO; sundry creditors, ,£l7l Bs. lOd. Legal. "The losing of the Hutt licensing case involved our comrades there in a total cost of rather more than ,£3OO, so that, after they had dono their best and had raised .£SO, your executive had to come to their assistance, and as our balancesheet shows we have already advanced •EMS lis. lOd. on this account, which we ask the convention to endorse, and we ask them to assist us in devising a method whereby we can raise the ,£lO5 12s. lOd. still due'to the legal adviser in the case. Sly Grog-Selling. "AVith all the legal facilities there are for selling liquor, there still continues tho contemptible practice of selling grog on the sly. Some offences have been proved .in No-License, areas,, but the chief and more numerous offenders .are to bo found in Licensed areas as the following figures, supplied by the Attorney-General, the Hon. Dr. Findlay, on April 13 to a deputation from the executive conclusively proves :— " 'During the last three months there had been nine convictions for sly grogselling in Wellington, and the penalties imposed had been as follow:—.£10, £\, .£2O, .£2O, .£ls, ,£ls, .£ls, .£2O, and ,E5, a total of £121, or an average of somewhere between ,£l3 and <El 4 for eacli fine. In Masterton there had been two convictions, and a penalty of «£SO imposed in each case. Three offences bad Wen proved at Christchurch, and the penalties were ,620, .£l, and 10s., but he had no doubt that these were cumulative penalties, and not necessarily against different people. Other instances were:—lnvercargill, one of ,£ls; Duncdin, one of ,£SO; Ohakune, four against two accused, the fines totalling .£190; Auckland, one of £3; Palmerston North, one of ,£5, and one of seven days; and ; Geraldine, one of £I.'

Othor Matters. "Reliable information goe9 to 'prove, that some chartered clubs not only need that a commission of inquiry should bo set up, but- that tho charters should be abolished forthwith. "There is undoubted evidence that the locker provisions of our Licensing Act aro most grossly abused; indeed; the iniquity is so great as to.demand the abolition of tho system without delay. "It having come to our knowledge that liqueurs. are again being sold in tho Dominion, we have made such representations to the Government as have caused them to make an official analysis of certain chocolates, which has proved that they contain a certain percentngo of alcohol. Tho Government are now making fuller inquiries with a view to further proceedings."