No-License Meeting.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXII, Issue 42795, 24 October 1905, Page 2

No-License Meeting.

ENTHUSIASTIC GATHERING. It was arranged that Mr John Field, a business man from Ashburton, should lecture last night on the working and experiences of No-license at Ashburton. A large audience was assembled in the Public Hall, when Mr T. Mclndoe, the chairman, announced that a telegram had been received to the effect that through some unfortunate circumstance Mr Field would not be able to get to Te Aroha until Tuesday evening. The local committee had tried to get Mr Taylor, of Thames, to i speak, but he too, was unfortunately also unable to come. The Chairman therefore invited discussion, as he knew there was undoubtedly a deal to be said both for and against. The Rev. J. Blight said that the local committee certainly felt j ust as disappointed as the audience did, and proceeding said that the two electorates of Mataura and Bruce, after observing the results of No-license in Clutha for eight years, carried it by a fourfifths majority. After eleven months under No-license in Bruce, it was thrown out over some trifling technicality, and the election declared void. But the universal expectation is that Bruce will now carry No-license with an overwhelming majority. Theresultof the diminution of crime in Ashburton is most convincing. A great many people liked to say that No-license encouraged sly-grog selling. The people who encouraged sly-grog selling were those who had had their appetites for drink created by the open bar. After a time, if they could remove the cause of this craving, the sly-grog shops would no longer exist. A deal of sly-grog sellingexists at present in licensed districts. He once heard a gentleman asked if there were any sly-grog shops in Waihi, and that gentleman said he knew of twelve —that was in a town where open bars were allowed. What a hue and cry there would be if anyone could come and say there were twelve sly-grog shops in Ashbuiton! There were practically now no sly-grog shops in Clutha electorate. Nolicense, said Mr Blight, is a subject which touches us all, and upon which we have a right to vote. Suppose, said he, someone built a pigsty in his front garden, he would soon be told to remove the sty and pigs as being a public Jjnuisunce. The open bars are a public nuisance and should be removed. Some people said that drinkers injured only themselves, but he had found different, once having a narrow escape from serious aocident by a settler who, mad with drink, was driving furiously along a narrow road. Chairman : Will any gentleman say how we are going to make up the loss of local revenue ?

Mr Geo. Devey, in answer said that the revenue of the Borough averages about £BOC yearly in licenses arid rates. How muoh do these public-houses net during the week? what is their cost and intake, and what becomes of the money they take ? Their takings must be at least £3O weekly each, or a total of £9O weekly. Where does this sum come from ? I consider it comes from our working peoples’ pockets. If this money went into a better channel children would be better olothed, and houses better kept and furnished. People hardly know the poverty- and suffering that exists all around, As long as public-houses —those traps at the corners—were in existence it was no use, Many a man could not help himself. The only way was to remove the temptation from such a man. As regards revenue, what would he the difference ? Every man, woman and child would be happy! The speaker related how ho was once at Tapu, when two brothers kept a public-house when there were only two in the place. He

asked for a bottle of brandy and was told they had none. In a few minutes a Maori came

and asked for two bottles of brandy, and was supplied, being charged 15s a bottle. On enquiring afterwards the reason of this move, Mr Devey was told “ That ain’t brandy: that stuff kills at 500 yards Next morning lie saw two Maoris lying out on the frosty grass. They had. used the “ brandy,” Friends, said he, can such a thing ho right ? There was once an hotel where Mr Molndoe’s shop now stands, and a man once went in, remarking as he pointed to a oertain bottle, “ Youdon’t ever give us that Btuff.” “No,” said the publican, “that’s only for the swampers.” “Well, ain’t swampers as good as me?” was the reply. This was the kind of thing that was filling our lunatic asylums, this wretched stuff that is poured down people’s throats, said Mr Devey, and that if that £9O could he diverted into a better channel there would be a great change. Rev. J, Blight volunteered to say a word or two about revenue. He did not think the rateable value of the hotels would be reduced, for many people would come to see how No-Lioonse was working in Te Aroha. In Temuka an hotel had been built at a cost of £II,OOO, A gentleman put it up in full expectation that No-license would he carried, and it changed hands a few weeks later for £15,000: there was certainly no reduction in the rateable value of that building. Mr Blight believed it far better to pay the revenue through the draper, bootmaker and cabinet maker rather than through the hotelkeeper, New rates derived from additional property will make- up the loss of revenue from the hotels. We don’t want to close the hotels, only the bars. Mr Blight said he did not like the idea that friends whom he might meet in the street thinking ho was trying to take away their living : he was only doing it from a senselof duty. Had not those people applied for a license to accomodate the public? and they would not be prevented from carrying out this part of their business. At this point the platform was taken by a speaker said he had been in hotels for fifteen years and had never seen young men kicked out or anything wrong, and were not public house servants as good as any other servants? (Loud laughter.)

Mr Routfey then explained that £65 is contributed by the Borough to a neighbouring hospital. The sickness of the colony, judged by the total amount contributed to hospitals, cost .£153,768, of which 40 per cent was due to alcohol, namely, £61,507. Rev, J. K. Burrows said that the lecturer tho other night in the brewers’ interest reminded him very much of the Irishman, who, when asked if he knew any tunes, said he knew two, one was “ God save the King’” and tho other wasn’t, so in the other instance, one of the lecturer’s tunes was freedom, and the other wasn’t. There is a working majority for No-lioense in this oolony, said Mr Burrows, and if we are to be ruled by a minority, where does the freedom come in ? He then discussed a leaflet whioh had been inserted in the newspapers, on the “ Moral Aspect of No-license.” Mr Burrows, referring to statement No. 1 on this pamphlet, “ That every hotel would be oompulsorily closed, which would mean that property involving assets valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds would be confiscated without any compensation,” said this was a deliberate lie, as hotels would be free to sell ginger ale or anything except the cursed alcoholic liquors. Had one single hotel been closed in No-license districts in New Zealand ? No, not one. Regarding the statement that Old Age Pensions would be abolished under No-license, the speaker said this was a mere dodge to get people to vote for continuation. Under NoJUvense he believed that only half the present sum would be required for Old Age Pensions, and that would be a great source of revenue. People would put more money by for their declining years, Mr Roatley, with some telling figures, showed how the drink traffic was at piescnt a really heavy loss to the colony, losing lives, money, liberty, health, homes, character, happiness and trade, and producing slums, pawnshops, fallen woman, criminals, lunatics, drunkards, sickness and misery. The Rev. Blight then moved “That this meeting believes that No-license would be a benefit to the district. This was seconded by Mr Geo. Dovoy, and carried by show of bands with only one dissentient, fully 150 being present. After a hearty vote of thanks to the Chairman, the meeting concluded.