DR. GIBB AND EARLY CLOSING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3193, 18 September 1917, Page 6

DR. GIBB AND EARLY CLOSING

Sir,—Dr. Gibb's attack on the members of our National Government ivns not, ill ray judgment, a becoming part for the revei-end geutleman to ji.lt. alter the religious servko on. Sunday evening. His muck took place in tl«e Town Hall at \ public meeting orgriuiitod by a' political party which is using the war for tie purpose of pushing its politusal aims upon the people of this couutiy. l'ho people laughed uproariously at the humours of the reverend doctor; but that 'lues not ;ot away from the serious aspect of Dr. Ltibb'e charges. Ho charged the National Government that it had "l.ctrnyed, tho nation." This charge is altogether 1 without foundation. Dr. Gibb went i'ur;her. He said: "The Government must ::bey tho voice and the .mandate, of tho people of New Zealand." If the National Government obeyed the mandate -of the people as clearly expressed at the last licensing olection, they do nothing; For the mandate of tho people- was thatno alteration should be made in tho licensing conditions. This voice and van;late received a majority of forty-five thousand electors. Ami tho Rev. Dr. jibb puts in opposition to this voice ind mandate of the people a paltry peti;ion, faked and engineered by. the Prohibition Party, signed by children at school, and representing, all rold, considerably less tlian one-third of tbo electors who recorde<l their votes at the last ?lection, to the effect that there should oe no alteration in the prc3snt licensing system. In April, 1915, Mr. Lloyd George said ;hat drink was a greater enemy tlian ;he German submarines; but iie formed :hat view on misleading evidence \submtted to him by the Prohibitionists, '»i'd ijloyd George became converted mid changed his views, lie discovered tho I'iade to be patriotic, and more >*elfincriiicing from a natioual viewpoint ;hiin most sections of the community. Let Dr. Gibb read Uv. Lloyd George's speech delivered on Hie occasion of hits lecond 1910 Budget for verilicatioii of uloyd George's praiso of the patriotism >f the Trade. Lloyd George tlioii mado he exclamation: "Tho man who drinits i pint of beer is eontributiiiE! to tho ichtinK funds of tho Empire, providing he silver bullet wherewith to <!#slroy ho enemy." Then he imposed certain axation, and exclaimed: "I havo cniisht lie olusive teetotaller this time. Ihe ■lusive teetotaller is always evadniK sac•ifioo himself, and ho is always wanting Tic other fellow to suffer; and thus it s that Prohibition liglifd, who mate 710 sacrifice themselves—or very little, enmjiiiativcly speaking—nru so impressed yith the need of sacrifice by other people. But Dr Gibb did more. He told us that wo oiißht to follow the example of ;hc other nations. Australia lias prolubitvl the importation of boer 'Uid whisky, jut it linH increased the duty on the ocally-mado beer and whisky for Hie pur- , nose of helping to win the war. h'ew Jealand has followed this ucample as far is increasing tho duty is concerned, to liolp win the war. How much aro tho Prohibitionists contributing of tho million 1

of money which the users of these cuiiimoditics are paying into tlio coffers of tho State every year to liclp win tlio war? England has curtailed the hours for hotels, and throughout Great Britain hotels open as early as 5 o'clock in tUo morning, and with varying lours close as late as U o'clock and 9.30 in the evening, with live hours on Sundays. The New Zealand Government is doing belter* ciiun Unit as far as restriction is concorned, and there is less necessity in New Zealand for it. In America tliey have stopped the manufacture of whisky, but the- manufacture of beer is unabated, and tlie consumption of Ibis alconolic liquor i≤ nearly double in America per lic-ad of the population what it is in New "enland. In France they have abolished the sale of absinthe, and have prevented the exixirtation of wine bec-iuso tiiey want it all for themselves and tlicir soldiers, to help win the war. And what '-.-.all bo said of Russia, where the j'lc'nibitionists and the Germans engineered the abolition of vodka, which l?d to the overthrow of the German-tainted prohibition Tsar and the institution of the bloodiest revolution the world has jet known', and the creation of a condition of affairs which have prolonged the war as far as the Allies are uojiceivwd by at least 12 months. If it had not been for Prohibition in Russia, and German intrigue, the war would have been over, yet Dr. Gibb tells us that New Zealand ought to follow the example 'S Russia! But if our legislators do not follow Dr. Gibb's advice in this matter what is going to happen? "The recalcitrant legislators," he threatens, "will discover to their cost. . .'." *flie change :f isann«r in Dr. Gibb was remarkable. After telling his audienco that the National Government conscience was seared Ijy hot irons; .that they were devoid of moral and intellectual qualities; that they were the merest dullards; the reverend doctor unctuously declared that a nation's wellboiii<j depended on Godliness, spirituality, ami lore! The doctor's concluding observations was an endeavour to combat the fact that the Russian democracy, like every other democracy, is fighting against I the autocracy of Germany and all the assailants (including Prohibitionists) of national and lndividinl freedom and the rights of man.—l am, etc., , DEiuOS.