THE SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING DEPUTATION

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3118, 23 June 1917, Page 6

THE SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING DEPUTATION

! Sir.-nlri tho course of his remarks at ,the citizens' meeting a week ngo. His the Mayor said ho would not rfitand for placing a disability upon the •sojdier that was not to be imposed upon 'the civilian. Yet he favours six o'clock dosing of hotels. The civilian is to be froo to use hotels whilo the soldier is .training in- tho field all day, and whon the soldier seeks to bnjoy the same privi'leges as tho civilian ho is to find the '.hotels closed against him. That is the ■ 'Mayor's proposal,' so that immediately a i man puts on the King's uniform he ';will lose his civilian rights in this "respect. Wth sublime indifference to the Incongruity of his position, the Mayor , stands for six o'clock closing, but also lor no disability upon the soldier! It was Mr. Hutcheson, however, who said that six o'clook closing was not designed against tho soldier alone. ■' In this respect he contradicted tho Mayor, for it is'against tho soldier as one party that the hotels must be closed at six o'clock. The soldier is good enough to be entrusted with tho defence of the Empire, ent he is not good enough, according to iMr. Hutcheson, to bo entrusted' with ■liquid refreshments. The military authorities know better. They trust the 'soldier and they have stated (both Colonel Porter and Colonel Maedonald) that ; if there is to bo six o'clock closing of •hotels in tho City, thon there must be %wet canteens in camp; otherwise they ttouM not bo responsible for the conduct Df the soldier. Colonel Sir James Allen will •not have any discrimination between the soldier and. the civilian, and ho is •against wet canteens in camp. The posi.tron is pnazling. Mr. Morison' put his ifinger, so to speak, upon the weak spot on this agitation. If sis'o'clock closing .'is agreed to, then tho den of iniquity' •and the sly grog shop will flourish, and 'it is Mr. Morison's fear that 1 the last .condition of society and the eoldier will be worse than before. With this Viow. •Sir James Allen agreed. He said these Wens of iniquity and the sly grog shop "were the two sroatost menaces to the young soldier. Wo have trained and equipped some' sixty thousand soldiers -of the best fighting material in the -world under existing conditions; and surely it is a libel upon the Now Zealand soldiers abroad to assert that they , would havo been better men if we had had six o'clock closing. In my opinion we had better leave well alone Wo are now able to control tho supply of ,-Jiquor under license with reasonable 3 r? V ,Dd if we Lave treasonable I restrictions wo will have worse 'evils Earlier closing will breed the sly grog ' •hop and the den of iniquity. I am pleased to not e Ihat Dr. Newman C dropped-libellmj the people of New Zealand about their drinking habits. ; But 'mtioa area yet.-I am, etc.,. ' ,'. ■'."■■'" -LET WELL ALONE;