“Dry or Die?”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 373, 6 June 1928, Page 18

“Dry or Die?”

DR. POOLE ON LIQUOR LAST EVENING’S “RALLY” “England abolished slavery in 1832 and made it morally impossible for slavery to exist in any Christian country for more than a generation afterwards. America abolished beverage alcohol, and has made it morally impossible for any country to allow that slavery for more than a generation.” rpHIS was one of the prophecies made A by Dr. W. C. Poole, Ph.D., D.D., in a lecture to a filled Town Hall last evening, when a “prohibition rally” was held. His subject was “Dry or Die, the Anglo-Saxon Dilemma.” Mr. J. W. Court, ip the chair, said he hoped the meeting would be a great contribution to the success for the coming campaign. The Rev. L. B. Busfield, introducing the speaker, said that 45 per cent, of the youth of the nation which grew up in “spiritual illiteracy,” became ready victims to the “drink curse.” Dr. Poole, who was greeted with cheers, said that the same old arguments advanced against the abolition of human slavery were advanced against the abolition of alcohol slavery. There were four simple key-words to the present position, “educate, agitate* legislate, and eliminate.” He had faith in a democracy making laws which crystalised the will of a people. “PERSONAL LIBERTY” “In a Christian community personal liberty is not the right to do as you like but to do as you ought,” he said. “Some there are who make personal liberty a fetish, and we know there are no more perfect organisers of the sob-squad and flim-flamming than those who declare for Marquis of Queensberry rules and no hitting below the belt.” To him the “liquor traffic” was not a trade, because it did not take raw material and build up some valuable article, but- actually took a million tons of good food and made it into something worse. “The rumour that beer is liquid bread was started by a brewer, who, if he had water on the knee, certainly did not have it oh the brain,” continued Dr. Poole. “Alcohol is not a atimulant but a poison', and that is why an endeavour is being made for euphony’s sake to change the name from intoxicating liquors to excisable liquors. Alcohol was a narcotic and a rare poison, and nearly a million a day was being spent on it. If for one day or a month that amount could be spent on boots and shoes, or other manufactures, what a great difference it would make. There was talk of the economic difficulty in abolishing the liquor trad% It employed only one-quarter of the men of most ordinary industries, and if they were released to make national equipment, employment would be found for four times as many. “I don't think prohibition in New Zealand would bring in the Kingdom of God, but I say it would remove the greatest single hindrance to the building of the kingdom in our midst.” Dr. Poole condemned the “sickly ami&bla,” tae “Ayndicaters courage,’*

who were content to live in tolerance of the liquor trade. He accused the “trade” of “playing with loaded dice,” of “stacking the cards,” of ‘•ambuscades and camouflage,” and of “converting human weakness into divL dends.” (Applause.) “NOT ON YOUR LIFE.” “If I took a glass of beer from Pat. Malone, and it was six per cent, alcohol, it would have an affect on me,*’ he said, “and if it was handed to mo by the Archangel Gabriel himself, do you think there would be any alchemi cal change?—Not on your life!” It was useless to say that the squalor and dirt of old inns was being done away with. The liquor was the same and had the same effect.. Thirteen visits to Canada had convinced him that Government control had in no way solved the problem. “In U.S.A. prohibition is not a failure,” he declared. “America may not be as smart as others, but she is too smart to stay with failures. Don’t listen to lying reports about it.” Concluding, Dr. Poole said that the nation or nations which would take the lead in the problems of the Pacific to-morrow must necessarily be free from “toxic poisoning.” The Rev. Lionel B. Fletcher also spoke, saying that the “liquor trade” was built on selfishness continued because of self-interest and bolstered up cm BcU-lndulgeMe*’