NEW ZEALAND ALLIANCE. Auckland, January 6.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 341, 9 February 1889, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND ALLIANCE. Auckland, January 6.

A public meeting in connection with the New Zealand Alliance was held last night in the City Hall, for the purpose of receiving the reports from the New Zealand representatives ab the recent Internationa^ Temperance Convention in Melbourne, Sir Harry Atkinson presided. Amongst those on the platform were Bishop Cowie, who was received with npplauae, Revs. T. Hamer, VV. Miller, J, Chew (Congregational), P. Mason (Presbyterian), and Percy Smalllield, Sir William Fox (K.C.M.G.), Colonel Haultain, Cap-tain-Commandant Leßoy, Messrs 11. M. Clatk, W. McDowell, T. Glover (organising agent), W. Lodder, Theo. Cooper, F. G. Ewington, T. Garlick, R. Monk (M.H.R.), E. Tremain. A number of ladies were also accommodated with seats on the platform. Sir Harry Atkinson attended punctually at 7.30 o'clock, but most of the audience did not put in an appearance until close on 8 o'clock. The insignia of the 1.0. G.T. order was worn by many of those present. The audience was nob large, there being plenty of vacant seats in the dress circle. Precisely at 8 o'clock Sir William Fox came forward amidst applause, and briefly introduced Sir Harry Atkinson, the Premier of the colony. Sir Harry Atkinson said : Ladies and gentlemen, some timo ago the Executive Committee of the New Zealand Alliance were kind enough to ask me to deliver an address upon the principles of total abstinence, bub this I was compelled to decline on account of the large amount of my time which was taken up with public business. But now, when they asked me to bake the chair ab a meebing like this I was very pleased to do so, because 1 desired by my presence to signify approval of the genoral principles of this Association. I don'b piopose to say more, excepting to wish the cause success, bub will introduce Sir William Fox, who has prepared an address to deliver to you. (Applause.) Sir William Fox then stepped forward and said that it was his duty to give a slight sketch of what had taken place at the Convention at Melbourne, wheie he represented the New Zealand Alliance, and his friend Mr Ewington the Blue Ribbon Army. Well, he might tell them that, to use the words of the " Age," the Temperance Convention was as complete a success a3 the most enthusiastic fcupporber could have wished. A convention was not supposed to do anything beyond onabling persons who weie carrying out reforms to meet and conveise upon their business. The Convention was held in the Melbourne Town Hall, which held 4,000 on the lirst day. The Hon. James Munro was President of the Convention, and introduced the various representatives from different parts of the world. Next day the business of the Con vention began. They met that time in the large Temperance Hall of the Alliance. The Convention sat twice a day, and discussed matters connected with temperance work. Papers were read on the historical aspect of the temperance question and other matters. It was a centenary celebration, as it was exacbly 100 years since Captain Phillips had landed in Botany Bay, and from there removed to Port Jackson, where the magnificent city of Sydney now stood. Ib was stated by one gentleman at the Convention that in the early days the only currency was rum. Even the chaplain of the forces received his salary in that shape. (Laughter.) He must tell them that in Australia none of the colonies had anything like prohibition excepting Queensland: Victoria came next. There they had power to decrease the hotels to acertain number. In New South Wales it was similar. Ab Queensland they had something very near local option. The almost unanimous opinion of the Convention was in favour of local option. On the second day there was a discussion, conducted almost wholly by ladies, upon the question of " Women's Work." The Convention unanimously decided in favour of the female franchise ; at any rate, in the matter of local option. On the third day, the leligious aspect of the question was considered, and the Church came in for some hard knocks. The physiological aspect of the temperance question was also considered. An old gentleman, Dr. Singleton, addressed the meeting, and said that 80,000 patients had passed through his hands, and yet he had nob administered alcohol to one of them. Mr W. J. Macdermobt'a paper was lead in the afternoon of the third day by a young lady. On the fourth day the '* Social Aspect of the Temperance Question," was dealt with, and objection was taken to the burnt-cork exhibitions at some temperance entertainments. Next day they considered the economic question, and a paper was read from Mr VVamer, a merchant of London, who stated that 45 years ago he had been refused by an Insurance Company because he waa a total abstainer. Well, that led him to inaugurate the Mutual Tempex-ance Provident Society, which now had a capitai of £4,000,000. It had paid as much as 17 per cent, bonus to the temperance section. He found that young Australia appeared to be growing up more temperate than their fathers. They had 166 speakers in the four days, and they had to hmic them to five minutes each. During their stay they received every hospitality from their Melbourne friends, being invited to a freo lunch each day in one of their magnificent gigantic coflee palaces. They were different to many temperance hotels in that they were comfortable. He was sorry to say that he had often in other places been compelled to go to the licensed hotels in order to get more comfort. In Melbourne he stayed at the Grand Coflee Palace, and he could state that everything was satisfactory. The waiting was so nice, there were no dirty looking men, but nice, pretty, dainty little women, not exactly young. They were so nice that they were really a pretty article of furniture. (Laughter. ) Thub hotel could accommodate 560 guests. It consisted of 360 rooms. Those hotels had paid 10 per cent, from the first. It wa3 a sight to witness the blacking of 500 pairs of boots in the hall. He used often to see it as he came home late ab night from his nocturnal trips in the slums with his friend, Mr Ewington. (Laughter.) One night the boots all came unstrapped, and they were all compelled to go down and pick out their boots. Before ho left the Hon. Mr Munro entertained 643 of them to a sumptuous breakfast. Li was so pleasant that it lasted till 3 o'clock (laughter), and some stayed later than that. He could tell them that the Convention was an entire success from first to last. They held over 24 meetings while in Mel bourne, and much good was done by ad1 dressing the people upon bhe question of total abstinence for the people and prohibition for bhe State. A collection was then taken, after which the Chairman called upon tho nexb speaker, Mr F. G. Ewington, who said bhab ib was 25 years since he first met the Premier ab Taranaki. He was then Mayor and the speaker wasa volun teer in his ' 'Bushrangers. " He remembered that on one occasion they charged a Maori village and took it without losing a man, for there were only empty whares. (Laughter.) It was not always

like that, for on one occasion they lost 42 of their men and had 86 wounded, while 50 or 60 poor Maories were killed. Now their Premier was with them in a nobler warfare against the drink traffic. Whatever the Chairman's particular opinions might be upon the question of total abstinence, his presence there that night showed that he sympathised with the movement. He believed that their laws rei gulating the liquor traffic in New Zealand were better than anywhere else in the world, for the 42nd to the 47th sections of the Lunacy Act, 1882, provided that people could by application to the Supreme Court be committed to the Asylum and kept quite separate from the lunatics. Unfortunately, at present there was not soparate accommodation in the Lunatic Asylum for such patients, and the Premier would do good work if that matter l'eceived attention The prohibition clauses were as inoperative as the Sunday-closing clauses. They all knew that it was a farce, for men got drunk regularly on Sunday at their hotels. A Crown Minister once told him that he had seen 60 men go into the bar of an hotel on a Sunday while he was sitting ' close by. Mr Ewington then spoke at v length in favour of temperance and depicted with force the evils of the liquor traffic. He pointed out how fast the prejudice against total abstinence was disappearing and how the masses were coming round. He considered that it was only a question of a few years until the evil was got well in hand. While in Melbourne he was much struck at the many temperance organisations the women had in Victoria. He could tell them that you might go six nights in the week through the streets of Sydney or Melbourne and not see so many drunken men as you could in one day in Auckland. (A voice: Question.) He considered thatthe hope of the temperance work centred more in the women than the men. He hoped that the people of Australia and New Zealand would never give up the struggle until they had carried the day in this matter. The only way to do it was for all to be united in one common cause, and to work For the cause that Jacks assistance, The wrong that needs resistance, And tho good that they might do. Mr T. Glover then moved a vote of thanks to the Chairman. He said he did so in order that Sir Harry might say a few more words. Statesmen did not often commit themselves, but they knew that he was with them, as he was Vice-President of the New Zealand Alliance, and had helped them manfully in the past. (Applause.) Mr Joseph Newmen, Hon. Secretary of the Alliance, seconded the vote of thanks, which was carried by acclamation. Sir Harry Atkinson in responding said : Ladies and gentlemen, — I return you my sincere thanks for the hearty way in which you have responded to the motion which has been proposed by Mr Glover and seconded bj my old friend Mr Newman. I may say that I certainly did not come here to be drawn, and I am a very awkward man to drive. (Laughter and applause.) lam not going into a confession of faith. lam a Vice-President of the Association, and that should be sufficienc. (Applause.) I must confess that I have not very much hope of success in the matter of giving full power to the people on the question of local option until we succeed in giving the women votes upon the matter. (Applause.) And I believe that then, and not till then, we shall have «uccess in this and other social questions of the day. (Applause.) Sir Harry then proposed a vote of thanks to the speakers of the evening. This was seconded by Mr Richard Monk, M.H.R. for Waitemata, and carried by acclamation, after which the proceedings finished.