EARLY CLOSING OF HOTELS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3108, 12 June 1917, Page 4

EARLY CLOSING OF HOTELS

ANOTHER RESOLUTION CALLING FOR IT.

\t St John's Church on Sunday night, at the close of a sermon on. the crisis in New Zealand, in which lie had dealt with the need, of restriction, and, indeed, prohibition, of the traffic in liquor during the period of the war and the subsequent demobilisation. Dr. Gibb said he was going to make a new departure and submit a, resolution to the congregation. As a. rule he had no liking for anything which might give to publio worship the aspect of a public meetins. Trained as he had been for the nimistrv of the Scottish Church, all his ipipathifs were anainst procedure of that kind, and this was indeed the first time in his ministry that he had ever taken such action. But there was nothing else for it. Tho situation was too eenpus, the crisis, too real, to neglect any right means of impressing on the authorities the absolute need of at once dealinc witfc the matter thor had considered, in tlie interests of tho woll-being. nay, tn» existence, of tho nation. Ho then put tho resolution, which was adopted br the whole of thn very lar?e conereeation (between 800 and 900), rising and standin? till (he preacher asked them to resumo their seals. •. The resolution was \n the followvns terms :-"Wo. the members and adhprpnts of this congregation, in view of the waste and misery wrought by the «istiwr traffic in Honor, nlways a source of lo*s and peril to th" roromnmtr, and much more so now (hat Hie krrniiTO w in Hie Miroes of e desperate conflict, in which nil our resources in men and money are requiveil if v.Hovy is to lw Kpiiioml call nr n " th° ('"vp'nment and ■Pnplinment of New 7»?'iml to enact Mint all liflHOT bar-: shall '-e closed at wx o'clock durine tho whole period of v Ji"o irar ""d W'" |l<-mo>>ili-sfition. And we farther rrnuesl Use Oovprmnoni: to take «fops tn swrtain without deliiv Hib wishn= of th« neonle as (■o tli" nli'olntn nroTiiWtion of drink during the same neriotl."