SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3194, 19 September 1917, Page 7

SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING

CITIZENS' DEMONSTRATION AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE . appeals to the prime MINISTER NO COMPROMISE . The big demonstration organised'' by tie supporters of six o'clock closing took "place last night. Shortly after 5 o'clock etfaggling groups of people : began to come .to Parliament Buildings, rcfyidly swelling in numbers until, tnr main bodies of the marching host armed at the appointed hour.. Bj - that time the approaches 'to the building were all thronged, and it was . only with the greatest difficulty that the speakers were able to .get, through' the crowd of onlookers to ' the 6teps from which 'the Prime Minister was, to speak. Already the orbwd ..was beginning to get restive in ' places,, for all " those, in. .the •throng" of ■ seven thousand people '' who had congregated from curious as well as other motives ,were not in favour of six o'clock closing. N The procession arrived in two sections, both led by bands, but by far the greatest number of the people came along in unorganised ' groups. , When, the crowd ihad assembled and everything was ready to begin the proceedings the band played and'the sang the National lAnthem. \Then there -were : cheers for ,the King, and cheers mixed with some "booing" for six o'olock ' closing. The Boise had: scarcely quieted when ' Dr. Newman; .introduced' the 'deputation to Mr.' Massey-and Sir Joseph. Ward.

Business Men's. Request. Dr. Newman said that the deputation represented not only the Temperance Party, but'the business people in several ■towns in New Zealand, from Auckland, Wanganui, Napier, ajid other ;• centres; (A. special delegation of 21' business iotn had come, down from Auckland on purpose to be present, 60 important was the subject considered' by the business people. ' ",. - The Rev.' P. S. Bmallfleld : was the first speaker. He claimed also' that the deputation represented not only the New •Zealand Alliance but the business community generally; .The deputation had come to ask the Prime Minister and the of .the House to grant the prayer of the petition that had been presented to Parliament—six o'clock closing or a referendum on the question, or in defanlt total Prohibition. The Anglican Church had in General Synod agreed to a resolntion. in 1 favour of sis o'clock closing. In a somewhat informal t> ay lie olaimed to represent the electorate of: Franklin, which : Mr.- 'Massey repre. sented in, the. House, and he had come charged with messages from very many of Mr. Massey"s constituents, spraying practically unanimously that the prayer of, • the; petition for' six o'clock closing fee granted. ' . .• .. '. ,

Not Grateful. Mr. A. R. Atkinson spoke at considerable length. He said that the deputa : \tiou came : representing 177,000' ; electors who had signed the petition to' Parliament,and about asmany more people of the country who favoured six o'clock closing, but who had not signed the.petition. fl'he"deputation claimed to represent:the solid common sense and patriotism of- the .people regardless of the. ordinary divisions in regard to .the liqtior issue. - .New Zealand, of fdl 'the belligerents, vna almost the only one that had 'done nothing, to regulate its chief domestic enemy in this war. TJp till a few days r.go 16 thought it would have been just to say that for three years We- had. done absolutely nothing in this country to eon- - trol, the drink traffic. And now that they had 'the Government's Bill he was sorry to say that they could not express even the minimum of graritudo l to tho Government for it. There was a the part of Borae men m tho .to . count Mr. Atkinson out. V.; Mr; Atkinson said that it would bo hypocrisy for them to .express gratitude which they did not feel for .what they found in the Bill. On the contrary, they rather marvelled' that the-Government, having decided that it was necessary to do ' something, had brought down' such a wretchedly email proposal as that contained in the Bill. Such a' microscopic reform was, he had no hesitation in declaring, fiddling rather than "statesmanship. Ho appealed to the Government, to make the Bill bettor in Committee. • A voice: What would you'do if yotl had pub?' Mr: Atkinson: "Shutitiip." IlewentC'h ' to-refer to what had been done in other countries since the beginning of tho war to : regulate the drink traffic, but the crowd became increasingly noisy,' and ciily a verv few of the people mute close . to the speaker could hear anything it all of rfhat he was sayinjj. Several times a few men and boys counted fci.ni out. His last word.was a.reminder that tile Government had been asking the people? to practise economy and a suggestion that i if they really wished to make t!ie people economical the Government could make a good beginning with the drink traffic, j For. this and other reasons he 1 appealed to the Prime Minister to mate the Bill

a. 'better Bill whan the Committee stage was reached in tho House.

A Stone Instead of Bread. Mr. H.-Holland, Mayor of Christchurch, ' said that ho was representing the business community in the procession, : and he. was there in support ot' a request for six o'clock . closing, and nothing else. He had never heard of anyone asking for ' eight o'clock closing. The people had asked for bread and; they had been given a stone, and the business peoplo -were not going to accept a stone. He was commissioned to say on behalf of file business people of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Wanganui, Hastings, Napier, and many::_other places that they would-not accept any • compromise whatever. . They-would continue to. ask for what they believed to be their' legitimate right. The Government had: asked the people foe eight millions r of money last year, and the people had >. given them twelve millions. This yea,r : the Government asked them for twelve > millions, and the people gave them six- ■ teen millions. The Government had aski ed them to give their boys, and they had : not withheld them. Now the people ask- > ed ii.return:this little request for six i. o'clock closing. Drink was responsible > for the destruction of a great deal of i. food material, and a great deal of fuel. ■ In Christchurch it was not possible for > him to get more than a quarter of a ton of coal from the State Coal Department. 1 A. voice :• Why ? 1 .Mr. Holland: "Because it is all wanted 1 in the breweries." He urged the Gevernmeat and the members of Parliament to eliminate eight o'clock from the Bill, and to substitute six o'clock. Then the people would be satisfied, and they. would not be satisfied with anything else. : Mr. John Court, of Auckland, was the last speaker. "I have three brothers on active service," he said, "and I ask for a fair hearing." His appeal was in vain, however, for he was given an indifferent hearing. - The crowd was out of patience, so that nobody oould have possibly got a goi/d hearing. He handed to Mr. Massey the resolutions carried by a meeting of business'men between 300 and MO strong in Auckland, and assured him thatthe temper of the people of Auckland was such that they would not accept any compromise.' They recognised that the drink; traffic was the. greatest enemy in /the country to economy and efficiency.

| PRIME MINISTER'S REPLY. ■BILL GIVIiN A STRAIGHT RUN. Mr. Massey stood forward to speak at a time when there was a good deal of noise... One section of the crowd called "Square deal!"'and "Give us a square deal !"• In ' another place in the crowd a man shouted "We want beer!" and a few burst into the strains of an old music-hall song, "Mr. Mr. Massey 'was; allowed to 6peak in a moment or two. He said that the speeches had for the most part been • commendably brief. Mr. Atkinson had criticised the Government adversely, .but Mr; Atkinson was a critic, and they did not expect anything else from that gentleman. He did not think the position of this Bill was very generally understood by members of the deputation.

, Mr. Isitt:'oh, isn't.it?j Mr. Massey : The Bill is introduced in accordance with a promise I _ made as Prime, Minister within two or three days of tie arrival in New Zealand ,of HlO Finance Minister and myself, after our recent trip to Britain., -It has been suggested that this Bill was not-thought of until the last day or Wo. Tlie fact is that it was promised then,, and the promise I then made as Prime Minister is being lcept. I am not going to speak in reply; to all the. arguments that Lave been raised, I am going to move the-' second reading of the Bill to-niglit— l

Cries, of "No, no," and in other -parts of tho crowd, "Hear, hear," and applause. Mr. Massey: I want to tell the members, of. the deputation that no liquor Bill ever introduced in New Zealand'has had as straight a run. as this Bill.has had and will have until it Teaches the Statute Book. I am in charge pf the Bill, Ibccause I probably represent a majority of Cabinet. Not the slightest influence has lieen used on any member of the Cabinet, and no influence will ho used on'any member of the. House : until Xe,' have.finished v with. .the'.'Bill: •• Every .member.' of .tie' to Vote,, in with his consciencß. I don't "think, anything , could bo more fair and, straightforward than: tha!t.'.

. " . A Great Reform. Mr. Atkinson, ho continued, had suggested that the Government bad done nothing to control the sale of liquor. He would ask Mr. Atkihsoil-what'had happened last session, when the antishouting law had been passed. . . Voices"Rottenl" and "Humbug!" : Mr. Masseyi Very well, shall we take' it off the Statute Book? A voice: Yes, tako it off. . .Mr. MasSey: "You don't know the good it has done." He referred to. the comparison that had been attempted between the. hours for the sale of liquor in London and in. New Zealand. But there was not a member of the deputation who would accept the London hours in preference to those set out in the Bill. -In London the hotels wfiro allowed.to remain open t/Tl 9.30 o'clock. If the Bill was passed in its present shape the hours would be shorter, in this country than-in any of the Stales of the Commonwealth, except Victoria. It was just as ■ well to be fair in connection with these matters. He hoped that the Bill would be passed. "It is the greatest

and most important reform in connection with licensing matters that lias been introduced in recent years," said Mr. Massey, in conclusion, "aud instead of ebing blamed and abused and threatened as we have beeii, wo should rcceive a certain amount of lhaiiks and gratitude for what we hayo don.e." The cries came back from the <\rowd: "Six o'clock closing!" and "'We. want a square deal!" The National Anthem was sung again, and also,there were cheers for six o'clock closing. At a meeting of the Cambridge Farmers' Union yesterday, a resolution was passed demanding 6 o'clock closing of hotel bars, and declaring that no compromise would be accepted.