CONFERENCE RE THE SUPPRESSION OF INTEMPERANCE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5090, 17 July 1877, Page 3

CONFERENCE RE THE SUPPRESSION OF INTEMPERANCE.

The third conference re the suppression of intemperance in Wellington was held in the Provincial Hall last night, and was but sparsely attended at the hour named for assembling,; 7.30, only twenty persons being present. The' Ven. Archdeacon Stock, in the absence of Bishop Hadfield through illness, took the chair, and stated that Bishop Hadfield had read the draft petition to be submitted to the meeting, and had expressed his entire willingness to sign it on behalf of the conference.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.

Mr, James Woodward moved the adoption of the draft petition drawn up by tbe committee appointed at last meeting as follows : “To the Honorable the Speaker and the members of the House of Representatives of the colony of New Zealand in Parliament assembled.—The petition of certain inhabitants of the city of Wellington, assembled in conference, humbly sheweth that they, having taken into consideration the acknowledged evils of intemperance and the inadequacy of the present licensing laws to lesson such evils, are of opinion;—1. That all licensing districts should, as far as possible, be bounded by the same boundaries as existing boroughs, wards of boroughs, or highway districts, or by subdivisions of the same. 2. That on the requisition of fifty householders in any borough or ward of a borough, or of twenty householders in any highway district, it should be imperative on the Resident Magistrate to take the votes by ballot of all the adult residents in the district in the usual manner, as to whether any existing license shall be renewed or any new license be granted. 3. That’ in case a majority of those actually voting being against the granting or renewal of any license, such license shall not be granted or renewed. 4. That not less than two months before application is made for a now license, the intending applicant should give to the Resident Magistrate written notice of his intention to apply, and such notice should, at his expense, be published twice a week for four successive weeks in some newspaper circulating

within the neighborhood. 5. That applications for licenses should be heard only at annual meeting of the licensing officers. 6. That conviction of any offence against licensing or other laws for the regulation of licensed houses should, in addition to the other penalty, render the offender liable to forfeiture of his license. Your petitioners, therefore, pray that the laws of New Zealand may be altered in conformity with the principles set forth in this oetition. And your petitioners will every pray, &c.” It would be seen that this petition was a kind of amalgamation between the petition submitted at the first meeting of the conference and the resolutions proposed by the Kev. Paterson at last meeting. Mr. Hooped seconded. Mr. Shaw and the Pvev. Mr. Paterson having spoken, The Kev. Mr. Coffey moved as an amendment, —That an adverse majority of twothirds of those actually voting shall be deemed a prohibition to the renewal of all existing licenses, while a simple adverse majority shall deter the issue of any new license. Mr. Fraser seconded pro forma. Mi - . Ollivieu proposed a resolution which should compel a poll to be taken on the issue of any new license, but would prevent the renewal of a license being refused on a mere vote without the holder having committed any breach of the Act.

Mr. Wanless seconded. _ _ , Mr. Woodward supported the petition as originally put. On the amendment of Mr. Ollivier being put to the meeting, it was declared lost. After further discussion, the Rev. Mr. Coffey withdrew his amendment. Mr. Shaw moved a further amendment, — That a clause be added to the petition, declaring the present constitution of the Licensing Court unsatisfactory. The amendment was agreed to unanimously. The petition, as amended, was then adopted, and Bishop Hadfield was requested to sign the same as chairman of the conference. The members for the city of Wellington were requested to take charge of the petition and to support it to the utmost of their power. The Kev. Mr. Reid, on request of the committee, submitted a motion for the establishment of a Wellington Temperance Society as follows, —That in the opinion of this conference it is the imperative duty of all who desire the moral and social well-being of this community to aid to the best of their ability in efforts for the suppression of intemperance, and with this object in view this conference recommends the immediate formation of a Wellington Temperance Society, and that the following general rules be adopted as the rules of the society: — 1. All persons joining the society mutually agree by example and precept to do all in their power for the suppression of intemperance and for influencing others to observe a similar course of conduct. 2. That a subscription of not less than five shillings a year be paid by each member of the society, and that the same, with any other money donations, after the payment of the necessary expenses, be appropriated in defraying the cost of lectures, meetings, the purchase of temperance literature for free circulation and any other mode by which the cause of temperance may be promoted. 3. That a committee including all gazetted ministers of religion resident in the town, and ten laymen to be chosen by this conference, be appointed to give effect to the foregoing resolutions.

The motion was seconded by Mr. Ollivier and carried.

The ten laymen mentioned in the resolution were then selected as follows :—Messrs. Bowles, Fraser, Oostall, Ollivier, Woodward, Holdsworth, ■ Smith, McLean, Woolcook, M.H.R., and Hon. Fox, M.H.R. Mr. Shaw moved—That this conference thinks it desirable that no new publicans’ licenses shall be issued until after the next session of Parliament, and that this he conveyed to the Licensing Bench. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously. A number of signatures to the list of members of the Wellington Temperance Society were then appended, and a cordial vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings. __________