THE LIQUOR QUESTION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2283, 17 October 1914, Page 9

THE LIQUOR QUESTION

SOCIAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSES BY MR. & MRS. SNOWDEN Tho first addresses in Wellington by Mr. and Mrs. Philip Snowden, in the interests of the New Zealand Temperance campaign, were delivered in the Town Hall last night, to an audience numbering about 1000. Mr. Snowden is a member of the English House of Commons, and with Mrs. Snowden has been prominent in social movements in England for some years. They are undertaking a lecturing tour in New Zealand, and. will address several meetings in Wellington. Sir Joseph Ward presided last night, and in introducing the speakers said that they were known in all parts of the world as leaders of social reform. Mr. Snowden said that they were present to consider an aspect of that great problem which v went by the name of the social problem. They had all talked in a rather loose sort of way, he was afraid, about social problems and social questions. . What was known as the unity of the social problem was recognised by all thinking men, and apparently independent problems were all allied to the great problem, that of devising some scheme of industrial and social organisation under which by the least expenditure of human labour, sufficient wealth might be produced to supply the reasonable needs and comforts of all; under which the-wealth might be fairly and equitably distributed, and leave each individual the largest possible amount of leisure to be utilised in the development' of his intellectual faculties, and in social intercourse. During the past fifteen years in England there had been a change in political feeling towards the social problem. Every ..party made the welfare of the peoplo a plank of its programme; twenty years ago the feeling in England towards the working man was that his unfortunate position was due entirely to his own misdeeds. The Temperance Party took up precisely tho same attitude then. They held that, the drink problem was entirely distinct from all other social problems. The. Temperance Party's view had changed now, .for they thought collectively, and not .individually. It was the intelligently discontented workingman that helped,,to;raise the standard of the workingman's wages, and not the . man- , ' vho consistently drank. •' Socialists now recognised in England that the drink problem affected all the other social problems. Ho had never said that it'caused the poverty of the working classes, but ho did say that it aggravated the poverty caused by economic conditions. (Applause.) When the Socialists spoke of the drink problem and the social problem they meant that the hundred million pounds spent annually by the working man for drink, aggravated poverty to that extents Why had that change come-over intellectual trade union and Socialistic opinion? . The leaders attached so much importance to the liquor question because of the painful effects of the liquor traffio upon the trade union movement. • Mr. Snowden went on to deal with the opinions of Socialists, trade union loaders, and others upon the liquor question. They did not think, he said, that the abolition of drink would do' away with all economic problems, but it would make them- all the easier to solve. (Applause.)

' The Woman's Viewpoint; Mrs. Snowden spoke on tho . liquor habit and the liquor traffic from the woman's viewpoint. Sho saidithat' she did not disguise that her second purpose in coming to New Zealand was to discover if the women here understood and appreciated their powers and responsibilities of equal political Sho had prophesied that when the. wo-' men of her own country had the vote they would do what the women of every country had done where they had the franchise, ,and make an impression upon the right side of the liquor question.. Although she did not say that women were better than men, she did say that there was a sense in which the children women bore were their special property. When women came to consider social questions they would always act in the interests of those children, whom they had suffered for. AH tho organisations concerned in the liquor traffic were as bo much dust and ashes when compared with the effect of the liquor traffic upon children. That was a woman's big, conclusive argument—the children. In conclusion Mrs. Snowden referred to the growing habit of drinking among women. She appealed to tho chivalry of men to sacrifice any small pleasures of drinking, and to make it safe for women by making drink inaccessible to them.

A vote of thanks to the speakers was moved by Mr. D. M'Laren, and carried with acclamation. '■ \

A CIVIC RECEPTION. VISITORS WARMLY WELCOMED. In the City Council Chambers yesterday afternoon a civic reception, was accorded Mr. and Mrs. Snowden. The attendance was large and included well-known Temperance workers, and members of Labour organisations of the city. The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) said that it was his very pleasant duty to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Snowden to Wellington, on behalf of the citizens. As a member of the English Parliament Mr>Snowden had been an honoured member, whose work was appreciated, both , for his social and business activities. They were doublj hon-i oured in Wellington by the presence of, Mrs. Snowden, who herself was a great source of strength to 'her husband. Mr. Snowden had four ideals in his work, and while all might not see eye to eye 'with him in hjs socialistic Utterances, they honoured him for what he had done. They felt his idea was to uplift humanity, and they hoped he would profit by his visit to' New Zealand. He would find the /goodwill of the people everywhere extended to him. As to his mission to assist the Temperance movement, lie would find tho Temperance organisation very live indeed. He again heartily welcomed Mr. and Mrs. Snowden to Wellington. (Applause.) ■.- Councillor T. C. A. Hislop said that the feelings they extended to tho visitors wero hearty and sincere. All realised that the Labour workers of England wore men of power, working to uplift their followmen. Ho trusted Mr. and Mrs. Snowden's stay in New Zealand would bo a long and. pleasant one. (Applause.) Councillor J. Codber said that they welcomed Mr. s Snowden as an illustrious member'of the House of Commons of the old Motherland. 'Mr. D. M'Laren, the Rcv.Jas. Patterson, and the Rev. J. Dawson also spoke. Replying, Mr. Snowden said that he only wished lie had done one half tho things ho had been credited with that afternoon. It was hard to reply to such kind words, and such a warm welcome. He deeply appreciated the honour. They had had many touching experiences in New Zealand; and had heard hundreds of thousands of peoplo who had never seen England speak of it as Home. That .was extremely touching to an' Englishman—(applause)— and whilo England 'had eueli expressions from the Dominions she could stand always firm to tho four winds of the world. Mrs. Snowden spoko in similar terms. Timo and again they had felt at homo in New Zealand. If they wore obliged at any time to leave I England tliero was no country in which they could f?o1 so genuinely uL'ttobit [as-here, .(Ajjplauee.)