PUBLIC MEETING.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 351, 16 March 1889, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING.

A public meeting' in connection with tho New Zealand Alliance was held last night in the lecture hall of the V.M.C.A. Buildings, when there was a good attendance.

An efficient choir was present, conducted by Mr R. Tmiehopo, Mi3s Hayles officiating at Che piano. Mi J. tl. Upton presUed. On "the platform wore Miss Ackerraann, i Mrs Main, Sir \V. Fox, X.C.8., Revs. IK j Smalih'eld and J. K. Davis (Anglican), J. I Chew and W. Miller (Congregational), Bray and Driver (Baptist), A. Reid (Wealeyan), Me*grs (*. Aldridge, Hunter, VV. J. Speight, (j lover, Gregory and Taylor. The proceedings opened by the choir ren^ dering the chorus " Village Home. " The Chairman then made a few remarks. He said that the annual meeting of the Alliance had been held during the day, at which the usual report had been presented. He saw by the report that already the Alliance had 150 brandies, had during the jear i-\"ued 3,500 cards, of membership, and held 180 meetings. He was pleased to nay »lso that the youn^r Now Zualandora were not such a drink - loving race. That was t-liown by statistics. He did. not know whether it was that the climate stimulated them so much that artitio.al restorers were not required. He coiifideied that the Alliance was entitled to the sympathy of the people, as it was workiny for the good of the people. The Alliance vi as considered extreme, but it u&ut-t be remembered that they worked on the piinciple of local option. After a few further remark-, Mr Upton called upon Mr VV. I*. Hunter to move the first resolution.

DIRECT VETO. Mr Hunter moved, " That this meeting rocognifeing the liquor traffic to be detr - mental io ohe economical, phys cal, moral, and domestic; wel aie of the inhabitants of the eol>>ny, altmns with ino eased emphasis the constitutional right of the people to suppress tho tr.flic, and that the exercise of the direct veto shall be absolutely unlettered, so that in no district fhall thB sale of intoxicating liquois be licented contrary 'o the will of the people resident therein." He said the resolution recommended itself. It contained the pilJais upon which the welfare of the people depended. From i>i) economic point of view it had nn imno'. t/int bearing. When they lon&ideicd that in the colony something like til ty miil ons of money had been expended on alcoholic drinks within the last twenty years, and their asylums, refuges and prisons were a legacy left by it, they would ?-ee that tho financial aspect of the resolution wad an impoitunc one. Then J there was the phy&ical a»pect. Ifc was how an acknowledged fact that the temperate man had t'.e h> althiest body, and could therefore weather the storm when drinkers feh thtough. The third aspect was the moral one, and they all knew that theie was little moral action in the liquor traffic. The home was a!*o degraded and dragged down by the iiquor traffic. He considered i hat tho resolution in its fourfold aspect was an important o> c. Still it wanted nothing but that which mi&dit be obtain«.i in a constitutional way. They were only asking that the will ..of the people should have tree scope. The Rev. A Reid seconded the motion. He said ihat he hoped the time was not far distant when in this colony they would be rid of what were called the whisky ills. He said that he represented the Maori race, as he did not notice a Maori on the platform. He re forred to the sad offect of liquor upon the nati c people. Ho also mentioned that the Maninpoto tribe was the first to get a dis trict made tupu against the drink. He desired 'o e:ili-t tho sympathies of those present on behalf of the natives who wished to be freed from the evils and temptations of intoxicating drink. If diink was so bad, why did they tolerate it at all ? Why not struggle until they swept it away? What pi cater work was there than that of living out the principles and precepts vyhich their Master had lived before them as an example ? The Rev. Thomas Hamer suggested thafc tho word *• religious " bo added after the word "domestic " in the mooion. This was not, however, seconded. The motion was then adopted, after which Mr T. W. Jackson sang " Ora Pro Nobis s in a manner which evoked wellmerited applause.

NO COMPENSATION. Mis.s A"kermatin moved, "Thafc this met bin q tejoices at the success which attended the great agi ation in England against compensation, believing as they do t».at any tuch proposal for the compensation of liquor sellers is contrary to political equitYj social justice, and British law." She referred to the fret that in America, when the slave trade was swept away by lhe North, no compensation was allowed. Thus it was swept away by the voice of the people, and thus it must be the voice o ( the people wnich would sweep away the liquor traffic. It cost them two million lives to settle the slave trade, bnb it was settled right, just ns the liquor traffic w ould be some day. In Madagascar, when the liquor traffic was forbidden, the traders demanded compensa tion. The Queen said, " When you have paid your debts we'll pay ours. Go home | and mal:e out your bills. When you have j supported the orphan — made by drink — then strike the balance and we will pay it." In Kansiitf they had set a good example. \ Instead ot sending their whisky dealers to Cungiess, fchoy sent them to gaol. In Kansas the women Kid a voice in these matters, and there i hey had the fii tt lady Mayor in the continent. They had the licence system in America for close on a hundred years, but it had proved a failure, and so in some parts they had increased the licenses to b high figure. But two wrongs never made a right If whiskyselling was wrong, thf-n taking more money for it would not make it right. Such a law should be branded with shame. There was a great danger in clothing a sin with respectability. But that, was what hiifh licenses meant Kespectable saloons would tempt the boys pooner than low grog shantie*. If they were to have the drink tj»m>, let it be as low as it could. They did not want to regulate and restrain the liooor traffic — it should be prohibited. Thus; was what they we>e calling out for now. Mi.<s Ackermann then explained the principle of prohibition. She also referred to the devastation caused in the homes of the land by the drir»k. She considered that any t-ystem which injured their homes m as an enemy to society, and they had a right to demand that it should be swept away. Sir William Fox seconded the motion. He thought that hotels had not the slightest, right to compensation when closed by prohibitionists. Seven years, ago an Act was pas&ed which gave licensing committees tne power to shut hotels without paying* any compensation. But in the sei-en years only 25 hotels had been closed out of 1,500 then in existence. He then I desf-anied upon the evils of the liquor | Ira file at some length. i Ivjc F. O. Ewington said that it must be patcne to all th^t their temperance ranka Aveie divided. That was manifest at Ponj pojil'V, and they had a right to be thought I as conscientious aa those who had voted for proliis> (.ion. He thought that the future success of the temperance movement depended upon unity. He was of the opinion that they wanted a different law to that in existence, 88 it had caused them to erect buildings a.t

immenee cosb under the belief that infcha future they could claim compensation;- if * their houses were closed. The changes should be carried out mercifully. (Cries of dissent.) There were amongst those who had property in hotels, widows whose all was ves'ed in these houses, and they required coripideration. It was no use talking about prohibition until they had got Ike "masses with them. Afc present the sympathies of the masses were with these Avidown. - , He believed that it was possible to devise ! some scheme by which the masses, could bo' gained. That was by doing the work gradually. Say, notify by legislation that in 5 years 25 per cent, of the hotels would be closed, two-thirds at the end of the next 5 years, and the remainder at the expiraof another 5 years. It was no use unless they had the masses with them ; they could never carry prohibition. Mr Speight said that Mr Ewington, while a most earnest temperance reformer, had submitted a proposal which would bo ruinous to a successful prohibition cam* paign. It was patent that at the end of 5 years the houses might bo opened again. They should root out the idea that there was one farthing vested interest in hotels. If the hotelkeepers 1 families wera re luced to pauperism the State could keep them as they had done those who had been reduced to paupers by the traffic. Mr Gregory al?o replied to Mr Ewington, the audience meanwhile leaving the room rapidly. He said there must be no misconception ; the Alliance would only have prohibition. The motion was then adopted.

PROHIBITION. Mr E. H. Taylor, of the Thames, moved, "That this meeting records its gratification that in a number of districts in the colony licensing commissioners have been elected pledged to refuse all licensed to sell intoxicating liquors, and expres?es its con* viction that many other districts are »ipening for prohibition ; and therefore urges npun trusted leaders of temperance refoim the wisdom of as frequently as possible putting this insue before the people during licensing elections, and at. every possible opportunity." He thought that a temperance man who would not hang with the temperance workers for piohibition, should be hung alone. He spoke strongly in favour of prohibition before resuming his seat. Mr Glover simply seconded the motion, and then resumed his seat. The motion was put and adopted. The choir then sang the chorus, ♦• Now We Sing Our Temperance Song." Votes of thanks were accoided the chairman and others who had assisted, after which the meeting closed.