THE LIQUOR FIGHT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 261, 31 July 1919, Page 6

THE LIQUOR FIGHT

WOMMIDE CAMPAIGN

PROHIBITION IN AMERICA

The Kev. John Dawson, secretary of the New Zealand Alliance, has returned from his trip to America, where ho recently attended the great conference held for tho purposo of forming a world-wide , league to fight for world-wide prohibition of alcohol. The first movers in this , scheme wore the Anti-Saloon League of America, and it was at the invitation of this body that tho New Zealand Alliance ] sent delegates—Mr. Dawson and Mr. G. H. Wilson (of Auckland). The conference was duly held in Washington D.C., and the league was formed on June G. The first clause of the proposed constitution is: "The object of this league is to attain by education and legislation the total suppression throughout the world of alcoholism, which is the poisoning of the body, the germ plasm, the mind, the conduct and society, produced by the consumption of alcoholic beverages. This league pledges itself to avoid affiliation with any political party as such, and to maintain an attitude of strict neutrality on all questions of public policy not directly or immediately concerned with the traffic in alcoholic beverages." The constitution was signed by ° all the delegates accredited, but only provisionally, as even - delegate must of necessity come back to his own organisation with the constitution for approval bv the organisation. There were delegates present from Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland, Switzerland, and the United States. Mr. Dawson was unable to toll much about tho-conference to a reporter who met him .yesterday. Presently he will have to report to the Alliance, and when he has done this he may be in a position to tell some more about what the scheme adopted is to be. He did say a little about prohibition a* he had found it in operation in America and in' Canada. "In addition to attending the conference," said 'Mr. Dawson, "we were invited to investigate prohibition in exercise in the various dry States of America, and the -dry provinces, of Canada. We were gjven special facilities for making these inquiries. We were received by governors, premiers, and members of Governments, and by representative men all over the country. Personally, I visited five of the provinces of Canada, and after the conference I visited several States of America. -We have gathered a mass of statistics and facts. More generally than I had expected to find the people are behind the prohibition law. Representatives of -all classes I came in cont.net with, and they all supported prohibition. It is true that there are evasions of the law, and'there is still a section fighting desperately by every means, fair or otherwise, to try to upset' the decision of the Legislature and the votes of the people, but they have/'had little encouragement. President Wilson was appealed to und asked to abolish wartime prohibition before ; it came into force on July 1. but he referred the people to Congress. "The Labour Conference at Atlanta recently carried a resolution by a largo majority asking Congress to allow beer of a -strength up to two per cent, of alcohol to 1» sold. They did not even osk for ardent spirits, so that evgnif Congress were to listen to them, this resolution would still have brought about a tremendous weakening of the old enemy, alcohol. .. , "Without loading you with details at this stage, I may say that what, greatly impressed and pleased me was the attitude of the leading men in both State and Church to the liquor question. The Governor of Manitoba (Sir James •Ukine) recentlv said: 'In the. after-war reactions which are now taking place, some aeitntors are urcing for repeal (o, the 'prohibition law). The experience of the pconlc, however, is such that, it may be safely prophesied that they will not permit reaction to be carried so far as to reneal the Act; or to weaken its adniiiXtion.' The State of Washington after having had one years experience of prohibition had the bone-dry issue submitted to it, and the majority for prohibition was increased manifold. Mr Dawson speaks with _ enthusiasm of the record of prohibition in of Denver, Detroit, and Seattle, saying that these cities have afforded magmh-cc-nt obiect-hwoi*. Ho was par icu aly struck with what he saw at tho shipyards ntVeat.tle' where the 23,000 hard'muscled, strong-limbed men working in the yards have taken to drinking milk instead of ljMr-10,000 pints of mi k at even- lunch hour. "It was a delight .to mo to see the men of these yards comin* to work in motor-cars. It was the first time in mv life T had ever seen such a thing. Outside the yards there wore standing even- day over a mile ot motorcars. When the day was owr these men, big strong, grimv men, come out, got into their own cars, and drove home. "Tho Legislature had not dealt with the/ appeal of the Liquor Party to abolish the war-time prohibition when I lett Vancouver." continued Mr. Dawson, but in an official bulletin reee-ved by wireless, and posted on the ship, over the captain's signature, it wa? reported that the liquor business in the fenate was in the position of a convwwd criminal appealing for reprieve, and this mi doubt represents tho position in America today Whether the war-tuna prohibition will be cancelled between now and JanlMirv 16, after all the American soldiers come home, remains to be seen, but one thing settled is that constitutional prohibition from January 10 next throughout the whole of America is a definite thin".' America cannot go back on that a/inaior.itv vote can 'he secured in thiriv-sk of the Stole Parliaments, nr thev'have not tho slightest prospect of i cettiii" that in this generation. I have como'biick convinced that, if New Zealand can secure prohibition this year it will be one of the greatest blessings that have ever come to this country. On . thing was made abundantly clear—that ■ America and Canada are determined to ■ become so efficient industrially, physically and morally, that they are settled i to'cut out the liquor business as the thing that has hindered them in the past. Tf Britain continues to bolster un strong ■ drink as she has done hitherto it seems ■ to me that it will be physically imposs sible for her to maintain present i place in tho march of nations."