TE AROHA BAND OF HOPE.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 9, 4 August 1883, Page 2

TE AROHA BAND OF HOPE.

_ The usual fortnightly meeting of the nboye was held on Monday evening" last I in the Wesleyan Chapel, Mr Uott in the j chair. There was a good attendance. ; After the usual preliminaries, in a short address, the chairman referred again to the remarkable petition lately presented to the House of Commons in favor of Sunday closing ; and also to the amount of money annually spent in the United Kingdom in strong drink, particulars of which 1 appear in our issue of 21st ult* He went on to say that since that he had, boen looking up the statistics relative tol the drink traffic in New Zealand. ThSf,. result surprised and grieved him, foY iCrthe conclusions he arrived at were correct*!' New Zealanders had already far out-stripped :' the people of the old cottntry in the • amount they spent on strong .driuk in a proportion to the population. According ; to r the Treasurer, here in New Zealand^ last year over £3,000,000 was spent on drink ; whilst the population (1881) was some 53^801 43*090 Maori^Jt , Ovei} ,&3;000,00p expended in drink, but jitflt' &rcefctfound figures only, and payv £3,000,00(&md-.a..population of 600,000,. , and they were bound to come jio the sad conclusion that in New Zealand on an, average the population were annually ' spending £6 per head in strong dnnk.' .« It was simply awful, disgraceful, and > something to be ashamed of. Thia h %» bright and sunny land, a land naturally and 1 jrreatly favoured ; a land with room ton' spare for many many thousands more,* ihan were likely to make it their adopted*. home for many years to come, and.: it was sad to see that already, such, a vast" sum -of money wai expended thus. If* this imoney were annually expended in legitimate chinned, in opening up the- 1 resources of the country, in developing, ; agriculture aud manufactures, without' doubt New Zealand would speedily , % come to the front as one of the most advanced . ami prosperous place-? in the world. , Tlie-»fT l ie-»f facts and figures put forward were OW\ vern'raent statistics, open to anyono tot challenge. It wms a bnd beginning for*? this ynung colony to thus ahuiiall^,^worse ' than waste, so large an onxount of wonuy.;'-. He went on tn my that thowe present had,' : perhaps never seen what drink top oftenfc'V leads to, never folt the 1 dire, rosntts th&tti follow when Jit onoe takospossej^sipn of n,. > o/ice linppy- home, and (xb(\ grant tbab"^ they, nevet might. H« hndtiiiius^f visited •/• and explored some of tns worst: placisin -1 Liuidou an^otlu^cities,,^,^^^^^-'^!^ oi'tvn previously ni«d, and cuyf|^«»t":]giv^ them anything ike hiiA^^i' of i enf;i^ he 'haS witnessed 5 ; oC^^T^Pt^^^r^ii^ degriul.ituiu l»n .uglit ■ 'ulioVit^B^ dfiitKgg dimply because no words^werer'atleiiuki^

'fi? picture it; 60,000 immortal beings "annually went down into drunkards graves in the United Kingdom, and there were 600,000 habitual drunkards. He concluded his remarks by giving some very striking figures and calculations, and by relating several instances of those . whom he had personally kno vn, who had begun life with bright prospects, but hud, speedily come to grief through falling into drinking habits. The number who had already joined the Band of Hope in Te Aroha* was most encouraging ; they had every reason to bo thankful for tlio success already attending it, and he hoped the elder ones, n* well as the juveniles, w.ould rally round them and help on the . good work. A series of readings, recitations, and - firtngs were then delivered, interspersed *l>y a number of temperance hymns ,and •songs under the able leadership of. Mr Ash by, who as usual kindly presided at . the Irani) onium, and a very pleasant evening -wns spent. Master Evan Smithe was awarded the prize for best recitation. Next meeting takes place on Monday evening, 13th inst.