The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1908. THE LIQUOR TRADE IN GISBORNE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2366, 5 December 1908, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1908. THE LIQUOR TRADE IN GISBORNE.

Various. reasons, which it is unnecessary to enumerate here, resulted in the defeat of the No-license party at the recent polls, but unless something takes place in the interim to materially alter the views of the public, it can be accepted as almost certain that the victory of November 17 was nothing more than a reprieve, the abuses of the liquor traffic are apparent to everyone, and the last iwo elections have shown that a substantial majority of the people are in favor of closing down the open bars. The trend of public opinion is thus clearly demonstrated, and it therefore behoves those whose financial interests are involved to take ail possible steps to remove the evils which threaten the extinction of licenses. Some time ago we suggested the appointment by the Licensed Victuallers’ Association of a vigilance committee, which would co-operate with the police in bringing to justice licensees who offended against the wording and the spirit of the law dealing with the sale of alcoholic liquors. There are hotelkeepers in Gisborne who conduct their trade in an absolutely irreproachable manner,* and it is distinctly unfair that they should suffer as the result of the unscrupulousness of greedy and callous licensees, whose disregard of either legal or moral obligations brings discredit on the trade as a whole. While on this point it is gratifying to note that so conservative and influential a journal as the Christchurch “Press” has taken up the same line of argument. In dealing with the recent licensing -results our Christchurch contemporary says:

If the licensed victuallers see nothing menacing in this prospect they are most singularly blind to the signs of the times and extraordinarily incapable of judging the growth of public sentiment. As wo have repeatedly said, there is only one way to stem the rising tide of prohibition, and that is for a thorough reform in the svstom of selling alcoholic liquor to he instituted. It is up use for them to go blundering on in the present fashion—going to sleep immediately after a local option poll, and then suddenly waking up and spending a good deal of money in an attempt, just before the elections, to impress their views on the electors, while the No-license party are seeking to educate the public all the time. If, however. the licensed victuallers’ trade is to be saved in New Zealand, it will not be by a distribution of partisan literature and the delivery of platform speeches, but by the removal of every element to which reasonable exception can be taken by the great class of “moderates.” The latter do not object to a man getting reasonable refreshment Every time, however, a drunken man is seen in the streets, especially if he is a young man, votes are diverted front continuance to “No_ license.” If the open bar system were abolished, it would, in our opinion, practically remove the objections to the trade from the moderate party. What they particularly object to is the fact that young men—ifi some cases their own soils —waste both time and money by loitering in front of bars, talking with the barmaid, or drinking merely for the sake of drinking. If this could be stopped it would deprive the Prohibitionists of half their armoury. Tim profits of the hotels might be a little less, but, assuredly, unless something is done to conciliate public opinion, there will, in all probability, be a still further strengthening of the No-license vote. The fact that the Christchurch “Press” is practically advocating tlio abolition of the open bar is a sign of the times that will be well understood by “the trade” in the South. Prior to tbo elections we could not see our way to advocate the cause of Continuance in this electorate. The results of the open bar system were in our opinion much too deplorable to permit its justification, and they still are. At the police court yesterday no less than six persons were called upon to answer charges of drunkenness, a record which is not frequently exceeded in any of the chief cities of the Dominion. Of these six, four were first offenders. Hardly a day passes when there is not one or more of such cases heard at the local court, and the fact must necessarily stand as a concurrent result of the present licensing system. These form only .a small proportion of those individuals who daily become drunk as the result of the ease with which they can obtain liqtior at the open bar, for, as a rule, an intoxicated person is taken charge of by his friends and usually evades the attention of the polico, who are not called upon to interfere until the necessities of public order demand that they shall. This excessive drunkenness can be avoided, and for tlio credit of the town something should be done to lessen it. "Wo have no hesiation in saying that if all tlio hotels in Gisborne were conducted as strictly as one or two are, the record for drunkenness would be diminished by 70 or 80 per cent. It is for the licensed victuallers as a hotly to take some-definite and prompt steps to see that a closer supervision is exercised in' tlio serving of liquor to their patrons, otherwise they will bo inviting certain defeat at the next licensing poll. :

A meeting of the Tai Itawliiti Na tive Lund Board will bo hold on Monday at 10.30 a.m. The City Band will give a programme of music on the Waikanae beach to-morrow afternoon.

The subjects at fit. Andrew’s tomorrow are: 11 a.m., “The Name Magnified” ; 7 p.m., “Living Water.’' Miss K. Browning, M.A., will hold a conversational meeting in -connection with the Gisborne Theosophical Society in the ‘Masonic Hail to-mor-row afternoon. The vicar of Holy Trinity Church is giving a course of Sunday evening addresses on “Our Life after Death.” Written questions on the subject are invited, and will he answered from tlho pulpit. Tlio Waiapu County Council is calling for tenders, to be sent in up to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, December 23, for the erection of a bridge over the Mata River, on the Waipiro-Waita-kaia Road.

At Wesley Church to-morrow morning,' Rev. C. Griffin will preach on “Learning by Experience.” The evening service will be taken by Mr. Dawson. The Young People’s Bible Class will meet in the .afternoon. There wi.l bo communion at the morning service. Technological examinations m connection with the City and Guilds of London Institute, and science examinations of the Board of Education, South Kensington, will be hc?.d in New Zealand probably in May and July, 1909. A notification to intending candidates appears in our advertising columns. At the meeting of the Cook County Council yesterday the Clerk said that the rates were beginning to come to hand, but he was still unable to issue a cheque for £I2OO due to a contractor. The Chairman suggested that all councillors should pay their rates so as to ease the financial position, and at once set the example by handing Mr Warren a cheque. At”the Bg.ptist Tabernacle to-mor-row the Rev. W. Lamb will take for his subject “A Saved Soul, but a Lost Life.” On Sunday evening, at ten 'minutes to seven, the orchestra will play “Lascia Oh’io Pianga” (Handel). The anthem “O Taste and Sco” wall be rendered by the choir and orchestra. The duet “Looking This Way” will be sung. A strong endeavor has been made by tlioso interested in the local Baptist Church to establish an efficient choir and orchestra as a corollary to the services. These efforts have been largely successful, and with a view to obtaining still greater efficiency t-hosh interested in the musical portion of the church’s work have arranged to hold a concert in the Tabernacle on Tuesday night. A first-class programme of vocal and instrumental items is being arranged. Admission is to be free, but a collection will be taken up at a convenient 'interval. Mr Artbu-r Blanchard, manager for Fair’s Pictures and Entertainers, has arrived to make arrangements for a return visit to the Gisborne district. /Since they were last here the comp'finy have had a successful tour through the South Sea Islands, including Rarotonga. Suva, and the Fijian group.. where they did excellent business. The management have added a number of novelties to their show, including some very fine colored biograph films. An advertisement in another column .gives a list of places where and also dates on which the company will appear, starting at Te Ann on” Monday next, December 7. The sacred song recital to be given in His Majesty’s Theatre to-morrow night promises to be a great success. Mrs. Buckeridge is making her last appearance before a Gisborne audience on tfliiis occasion. Some of her numbers, which were so well received at her recent recital, will be repeated, also “There is a Green Hill.” “My Gentle Child,” and “Crossing the Bar.” Mrs. Buckeridge will be supported by Mr. Harold Piper (piano), Mr. Swaillow (flute), and Mr. H. C. Phillips (baritone). Mr. Johnson Brown will give recitations. Doors will open at 8 p.m., and the concert will start, at 5.30 p.m. Brigadier Janies Glover, superintendent of the G.J3.M. operations of the Salvation Army, arrives from Wellington this morning on a brief mission. He will conduct the Salvation Army open-air meeting this evening, and will be in charge of tlie services n/1.1 day to-morrow in the Citadel On Monday evening the Brigadier will deliver a social lecture entitled “The Army’s Work Among the Fallen,” and on Tuesday ho -will lecture on “Salvation Army Operations in Foreign Lands.” The Brigadier had command of tlie Army’s work in Java for a number of years, and his second lecture particularly should be decidedly interesting. Each lecture will be free,but special collections will be made.

A passion for lonely islands, and “society where none intrudes,” is becoming a characteristic of New Zealand scientists. The Chatham Islands, the Auckland Islands, and the Kermadoes Oiave been ransacked and trifled, and again, unlikely as it seems, the Chathams are “calling” .Hike the East. They will probably be visited iu February next by an-expedition comprising members of the Philosophical Societies of New Zealand, -who are now engaged in correspondence on the subject. A party of Christchurch scientists l will visit the West Coast Sounds in January, returning in time to join the expedition to the Chathams. Final arrangements are not yet complete. Formality ran riot in an amusing and harmless way last week in Auckland. A newly constituted Drainage Board, representing a number of local authorities, is mainly officered from the City Council, and as the Town Clerk (Mr. H. W. Wilson) has been appointed temporary secretary to the Board, wo will have the pleasant duty in writing letters in one. capacity to himself in another capacity. “Yes,” remarked the chairman, who is Mayor of Auckland, when the curious position was pointed out, “and I will also inform the Mayor of . what lias taken place to-night.” It might have been added that the newly-appointed engineer to the Board (Mr. W. E. Bush) would also confer, as required, with the city engineer, which office is also held by Mr. Bush.

In spite of the accusations stated to have appeared in articles in the German press that Britain is privately prompting the Turkish boycott of Austrian goods, ia-nd warning the Young Turks to beware, this week it’s cold handle poker's for sovenpence each at Parnell’s Popular Saturday Sales, fifth oply.

Mr T. [Downs will give a lecture in Townley’s MI to-morrow evening, under the auspices of the Spiritualists’ [Society. Ihe subject null be “Life after Death.’ Messrs G. A. Gammon and Co., the ’ well-known Wellington and Hawke s Bay savvmiliors, are arranging lor tiho erection of large mills in the Raj or Plenty district. The Seddonvillc State Colliery is at present working a splendid seam ox coal, says the “ Westport Times, xno next balance-sheet should show the mine to be in a much improved financial position. * , Between 20 and 30 barrow men made application for permits at Wellington a few days ago, and 22 were granted licenses to sell fruit from stands, in the city streets. At the beginning of last month only four hawkers wunt- ! ed business sites. It is understood that the Hon. V. Hall-Jones will not make any alteiations in the staff or organisation ot the High Commissioner’s office tiff he 'ld is been sufficiently long at Home to become thoroughly acquainted witn his new department. Mr Remington, M.P., for Rnngitikei, was seen the other day by a “Dominion” reporter, but he declined to say anything definite *as to the position created by Mr Hutchinson s acceptance of his challenge to a contest- for the R/mgitikei scat as a means of taking the verdict of the electors on certain -allegations. “In my own time,” he said, ‘-‘and in my own way, when I have given them rope enough, I will deal with the matter.”

Cricket as a pastime for members of the gentler sex lias not yet “caught on” to 'any great extent in the Dominion. There are, however, several ladies’ cricket teams in Christchurch. With the laudable object of fostering the game among their sex, the prime movers in the southern city (lately decided to arrange if possible matches with teams in other centres and would be glad to know of any ladies’ teams in other districts which would be willing to accept a challenge. Arrangement's are now practically complete for the taking over of the Manawatu Railway by the Government on Monday next. No alteration will be made at first in the service, except that the two guarantee night trains to the suburbs, which were stopped by the company -a few weeks ago, wil:.-bo re-installed. It is expected that the introduction of the tablet system on the line will he completed by Monday next. Trains will ■run from the Manawatu station, as in the past, there being no room for additional traffic at the Government station.

A scheme is now being promoted in London for the purpose of establishing a Colonial Chamber of Commerce and Exchange in the great metropolis. It is desired to afford facilities to commercial men from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, or any other part of the Empire to meet- and transact their business with commercial houses of London. Manchester, Bradford, Glasgow. Belfast, or any other part of the United Kingdom. Negotiations have been opened for the acquisition of a large site in one of the busiest thoroughfares of London upoil which a suitable building will be erected.

Two very bad cases of contagious chronic in amm Lis were observed by Inspector Miller at the Matawhero saleyards on Thursday, but owing to proposed legislation dealing with this disease not having been brought down this session the animals could not -be disposed of by the Department. It is proposed to prohibit the safe of cows so affected as the Chief Veterinarian is of opinion that S 9 per cent, of cases in herds is through a new cow bought in 'i- saleyard being placed with a healthy herd. Affected cows should be dried, off for the season or turned out with calf at foot, and afterwards fattened off for tlie butcher.

In a letter to a gentleman in Gisborne, an ex-New Zealander at present- residing in Queensland gives some interesting particulars about that country, deferring to the kind question, he states that the old Queenslanders do not think of going in for freehold land, as do most of the New Zealanders who.are settling over there. Instead, they tike up r lease of a, block of from 100,COO to half-a-million acres at a rental of about £1 per squire mile, and then, to use the writer’s own words, •‘'they either make a fortune or break themselves in a drought.” Qwing to the good seasons which have been experienced over there for the . Hast few years, stock fiave been increasing at a very rapid rate, and as there is only a small export trade from th'it State, "the probabilities are that veinlow prices will be ruling directly. The writer further adds that a grefit quantity of high table-land of an excellent quality, at an altitude of 3000 ft, has just been discovered, and promises very well.