Temperance Meeting at Kawhia.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 194, 27 January 1905, Page 2

Temperance Meeting at Kawhia.

A meeting of those interested in the temperance movement was held in Sooti’s Hall, Kawhia, on Friday rivening last, when Mr Fleming, organising agent of the New Zealand Alliance, gave an address, which dealt with the evils of the drink traffic arid tbs plan of campaign for the forthcoming fight at the next general election. There were abont 20 people present. The Bev. B. Mitchell occupied the ehair, and briefly introduced Mr Fleming. In the course of his address Mr Fleming dealt with facta and figures showing the evils and the enormous amount of money spent by various nations annually on strong drink. Talking of the evil of drink in their own colony, Mr Fleming said that in Wellesley street, Auckland, on New Year's live, it was easier to count the sober people than the drunken ones. He proceeded to show that under no-license there would ba little or no depression of trade. All modified systems of controlling the traffic in strong drink had bean, and would ever be, rank failures. Under nolicense in New Zealand crime bad disappeared ; drunkenness was unknown. In this connection Jhe referred to Ashburton and the Ulutha districts. In the former place the police cells on one occasion had been vacant for a period of three months, and men in those districts who bad previously opposed no-license wore now strong advocates of it. At the conclusion of the address, a branch of the No License League was formed, the following officers being appointed President, Bev. B. Mitchell; vice-president, Mr Hustler, je.; secretary, Mr W. Wright; treasurer, Mr P. Ward, committee, Mesdames Hustler, Wright, Miss Buckuidge, Messrs Turvey, Jones and V. M'Oardle. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to Me Fleming for his able address.