SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2790, 7 June 1916, Page 6

SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

DRINK AND WAR

RESTRICTIONS SOUGHT

Patriotic speeches were made anil natriotic resolutions were carried at a large gathering in the Town Hall ; last evening. Tho meeting was in connection with the Domibion Congress of the New Zealand Alliance which is being held in the city. The Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. ■P. Luke) presided. Among the resolutions was one favouring 6 o'clock closing of hotel bars.

i ** The Soldier and the Man. The Mayor, who delivered the opening address, paid a tribute to the enthusiasm of the British people, which had enabled the Umpire to carry on tho war in the way it had been carried on. Knowing the spirit of the people there was no doubt that the war would be carried to a successful conclusion. The people had raised a huge army, and moreover had supplied it with immense stores of ammunition. Some there were amongst, us who considered we might be making a little more progress on the Western front, and a few others thought all was not aa it should be at Salonika. However, the British were slow to move; they were ' waiting for everything to be thoroughly ' well-established, and then they would go ahead. (Applause.) He understood that 1 resolutions to be submitted would bear on the drink question and the subject of "shouting.'" Therefore, he wished to eay that his attitude was that the soldier did not deteriorate after donning the khaki. .'llo had watched the soldiers in the streets after 10 p.m., and he said unhesitatingly that the man in uniform was no -worse than the civilian in tlie matter of drunkenness. On the other had, the civilian was the more easily distinguished. Mr. Luke touched on the question of the financing of the war, and quoted Mr. L. C. Money aa 6aying that it was assured that we could carry on tho war on the grand scalo till 1818, and after, and that the longer the enemy carried on the contest the greater would be his comparative exhaustion after the war. Mr. Luke then drew attention to a remark made by Mr. Eeginald M'Konna to the effect that the amount spent on liquor in the Old Country would finance the war. Follow the King! Mr. A. S. Adams (Dunedin) agreed with the good word the Mayor had said for the soldioVs. What he wished to see, however, was tiliut the licensed avenues of temptation should bo closed. (Appjause.) They were going to have that temptation taken away if they could remove it. •They were going to hammer, at tho door of Parliament till they got it. Mr. Adains expressed great admiration of the action of King George in'banishing drink from his household during the war. (Applause.) He moved: "That this, meeting desires to place on record its loyalty to tho British Crown, its deep pride in its association with British. Empire and its determination to face whatever sacrifices may yet be heeded to onsurc tho triumph of justice and freedom in this great war. It wishes also to record its intense • appreciation of the selfsacrificing patriotism which inspired His Majesty; tho King to banisa alcohol from the Royal household during the war, and calls upon all lov- • ors of their country to follow His I Majesty's example." ; The resolution was seconded by Mr. Wesley Spragg (Auckland), who also dwelt on th<3 lead given by His Majesty. Mr. Spragg added that ht would have been glad to see such a fine example fol-. lowed in some . ofc'ber quarters. A similarly good lead had been given by the Tsar of Russia, which was an instance in which autocracy had been beneficial to a country. He would willingly give King George autocratic power, as far as tho drink traffic was concerned, fcr the period of the war, and probably for the .whole of his reign. The grave danger to the Empire was the liquor evil, and the way to save tho nation was to banish the evil. (Applause.) ; . llhe resolution'was carried unanimously.

Work for the Women. Mrs. A. E. Atkinson (Wellington) moved.:— ■

"That this meeting should place on record its prida in the conduct of our soldiers in the 1 field, and in the reWard of high duty faithfully performed that they have .achieved, its respectful sympathy with ■ the relatives of the gallant irien . who have made the great sacrifice, and with the soldiers : who have returned wounded in the great struggle, and its hope that the Women's Patriotic Fund will meet with strong support."

Mrs. Atkinson, said that the Women's Patriotic Fund was for the purposo oi making the men comfortable in the trenches. The men were going to have what oomforts were possible-or theii motheid wer* going to know the reason why. (Hear, hear.) She was going to ask the women to subscribe to this good cause, and#by the end of the month a sum of JE3333 was needed. '

The. Rev.' P. S. Smallfield (Auckland) seconded this'resolution, which was carried without dissonl. ' '

The Example of Russia,

The following resolution was moved bv :ho Rev. R. S. Gray:—,

"That this meeting directs the attention of all patriots to the statement of M. Bark, Russian Minister of Finance, in the Duma, in' August, 1915, that owing to the practice, of total abstinence by the people the total national:savings had that year increased bv .£80,000; and, believing that alcohol is a strong ally of the enemy in this war, and that it leads to serious national waste, urges tho Government, in the interests of national economy, and of military efficiency, to restrict the consumption of alcohol by providing for the closing of liquor bars at 6 o'clock."

file seconder, was the Rev. J. Paterson, M.A., who'argued that it could never again bo said that New Zealand needed the liquor trade because of the revenue it produced. Russia had proved, that it could prosper after casting aside the trada and its revenue. The man who called himself a financier, and said that such revenuo was a necessity, was a fool. It had been said that the Government of New Zealand should not act in the matter of the liquor traffic because the neo. pie had spoken at the last election. Well, at the time of the last election, "would the Government have dared to go to tho country on a compulsion Bill platform? Not them; but now the country realised mi position. (Applause.) ■ Ihe resolution, alEo, was carried unani, mously. During the evening songs were sun* 1 Miss Brittain, Sertrt.-Major R. S. ■ All. wright, and Mrs. Kennedy. At the con. elusion of tho proceedings the National Antneni was sung.