PROHIBITION RALLY.

Otaki Mail, 1 December 1922, Page 2

PROHIBITION RALLY.

AN APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE, Owing to the heavy rain last evening the attendance at the prohibition meeting at the Otaki theatre was not so targe as would otherwise have been the case, while keen disappointment was manifest when it was known that 1):, Mary Armour, owing to disorganised shipping, was unable to be present. Mr Brandon (Mayor) presided, and after apologising for the absence of Dr. Armour, introduced Miss Holder, of Melbourne, and Miss Kirk, who he iKjintcd out had arrived to till the gap. Miss Kirk, who is well known locally, expressed regret that Dr. Armour was absent and stated the fault was due entirely to the ferry service being disorganised. In touching on various matters connected with the drink traffic Miss Kirk told how she had seen in Wellington women and children who had suffered through alcohol, hoir drunken husbands had broken up happy homes, ruined lives, and degraded I themselves, and made an earnest ap. I peal to have the liquor traffic done I away with. She had seen people, ar : dent supporters of continuance, converted after hearing addresses, and she. hoped after Thursday next to be one to see that the prohibition law was enforced. It had been stated that alcohol hud proved a blessing during the epidemic, but she could assure all that she had labored iu temporary hospitals and had found that alcohol could be done without. Liquor, she maintained, robbed peojde of everything worth having, and for the sake of women and children alone the drink traffic should be wiped away. She had kiicma homes, oace prosperous and happy, destroyed through husbands going home the worse for liquor, she had known i case where a drunken husband snatched a child from its mother's anus and seen it thrown across the room, all through drink; she had eventually seen the chiid die due to the drunkenness. She implored all to think of the rising generation and give the children a chance. (Applause). Miss Holder, after regretting Dr. Armour's absence, said the Mayor had failed to introduce her as "the million horse-power wowser of Australia," a name she was well-known by. Many knew her by that wonderful musical title and she was delighted with the name. To her "wowser" meant "wo only want social evils removed." She did not mind being called wowser when she endeavoured to remove th«> fjreat social evil. Before coming to Xc'v Zealand -lie was interviewed by the press, whom she told she wus goiny to New Zealand to assist in the funeral of old John Barleycorn, who was about to be cremated. She told the newspaper men she was taking an urn to bring back some of his ashes. Misr HoW«r went on to say she had come to Nc"*" Zealand on a special mission and wis pleased to be here; she was here for a definite purpose and not merely to represent 'he Victorian League. fsho stood before them as the representative and mouth-piece of suffering, wronged, terror-striken little children. She took exception to "the trade's" placards, pamphlets, etc., and considered tho trade's propaganda an insult to Xe* Zealand's intelligence. "The Trade"

!ue ii prohibition was carried. Thia v,u:- an untrue statement greatly exaggerated. The trade thought nothing of making usi- or untrue statement?. and hoped the people would not he j influenced by such advertisements as appeared in newHpaperw. It ww tai'J that many would be thrown out of employment if prohibition wa* carried, but there was no doubt that men wore unemployable because tsf the drink traffic. The drinking man was the last to be hired, and the first to be fired. The man at a morgue at Chicago saH before prohibition trae carried that SO bodies per month had gone to nameless graves, since prohibition only two pel month were so treated. A man in Chicago was also charged with sclliag wood alcohol, and it transpired that that, man was an undertaker. The trade said there would bo a slump is business, and judging by this there was! The trade did not care for the liberty of the working-man, in fact it cared for no man. Miss Holder tfcec dealt with sad case* she had ee»awhere women were torn asunder froztheir husbands and children, how th* craving for drink had ruined many homes-, how mothers had fought again?" the temptation only to fall again, and how men had given in to the era vie;: for alcohol despite determined attemptto avoid liquor. Misn Holder said ska had nerer known tea to hare such a ck- ;

moralising effect as liquor, and said drinking tea wa« not the Can*o of a mother selling heT baby's shoer. to bur ' liauor. She stated how cultured vro- ; men had faSSr; & w - t0 tlle Ji l«t>r traffic, how deaths had ocenrrt-a tj l£ SD " I cent children, and how returned -'•!• diers became degraded. She regretted that ;ke had seen children put in nor: ■ I —the result of drink on the part oi •parents; she had seen mothers brokenhearted owing to th*- craze for drinkshe had seen them tern over a new le--** ■ only to snectrsb to temptation let r ! She implored ail, on behalf of the v.: I tiits. to do away with liquor, exercise : the glorious opportunity of acting oa behaJf of the children, and let the dav come when men and women eotsld they did not know what liquor imj>. She asked that all pan.se whr-: hi ndl»» % their voting papers on the 7th aad =•-•- "Whack iiaii i| b&—a vote for the lit- ' tie &£?£, of a vote for £ « <L Ike retted interest's, and snfteriig- of IHs drini: jtraffie." She asked that they "Lord God of hosts, be with you jnst, lest I forget, lest I forget." Is conclusion she asked all to strike oat tie two top lines and deal a death blow to the enemy of the little ones. (Ay p.'ani»). The BoV? it. p STesll, in awving i t*:« o£ thicks to tie, speakers, r*f*" »** to the rpoaoaflc as e«<}«#iingly i»-

teresting. and stated the audience were cot disappointed in listening to Miss Holder, while it was very kind of Miss Kirk to accompany her. Ho admired the courage of both ladies for holding the fort and taking the place of Dr. Armour. Mr Wise, in seconding, said they could not, after hearing such addresses, do better than vote for prohibition. The vote was carried amidst applause, after which a similar eompli- | ment was paid the Chairman. i