NO-LICENSE CAMPAIGN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 120, 14 October 1914, Page 4

NO-LICENSE CAMPAIGN.

ADDRESS BY MR, SNOWMEN. The Theatre Royal wob well filled last night when Alr ; Fhffip Snowden, !M.l\ for Blackburn, gave an address on the No-license question. Ma - . ,W. A. Oollis preisidjd, and briefly introduced both Mt. and lUrs Snowden.

On risiing Air. fchiowden received a great evauon. Ho said that in such a campaign as that w which he waa* engaged a public speaker was in- great difficulty. There, were, no doutat, a large number of people who expe.ricnctd some trouble in- making up their minds on the question. If ha lutnw their difficulties he could all 'the Ibottcr meet them, therefore (he comidea-id the method ■of coiuWting wieh meeting wan upside down, at* the better course would be to first hear ths difliciurtiics of the audience and then answer them. He had not had miuuh cxpc.riim-e of the people ■of New Zeiiand, but he was impressed wiun the fiiet'i'luit New Zealand audtienoes appeared' to bo. reaptptable. He iwoposcd to addm-is his remarks to all classes -of the community. He had heaTd that thu working classes objected to h:* referred to ;k) snob, but 'he considered the term should rather be extended ■than resented. It was a term that he uW to distinguish the wage-earners from other clashes. Every industrial conflict was a. recognition! of the failure to recogrti.se the identity of interests of all classes of tin-* community, and for the same reason all legislation for the betterment of ;fclie .unufises had ton opposed by employe™ ami capitalists, {•'oiiij preseint might wonder what he had said had to do wdtili prohibition, 'but it lay at .the foundation* of the movement, for what injured one portion of the community affected the whole. The. worker* mint not weaken or destroy 'their capacity. It was the 'saving of waste, and unnßceesirr,', effort that taxed the ingenuity of all business men to-day. The social problem w-.is nothing mwe than the saving of waste, and thu promotion of efficiency both human and mechanical. This was especially noticeable in relation to machinery, the successful manufacturers ml hesitating to throw away thousands of pounds worth of machinery in order fro get better results by more modem appliances. Tlia capital of the working man was his miuscle, and that should not be wasted as it was when tempted with liquor. In the' Old Country the drink •bill amounted to £156,000,000 a year, while the total commodities amounted to £800,000,0U0. The amount spent in dnink there practically, amounted to the whole of the taxation, and every penny of that money spent in drink was wasted. How long would a business man or shopkeeper keep out of the bankruptcy court if he spent soimethijig like one•sixth of Oris earnings on- that which wasi waste? ( Th o penalty of tibia was seen in the increase of crime and the ill offnets on child life. The problem .was one for the business man and the wortviir. If ei'ory man engaged in the liquor trade was kept in the same comfort that they now enjoyed it would be the best bargain that could be made. He did not suggest that course- should be taken, but he did urge that they should be prevented from carrying on a business that was go harmful to the people. The amount of labor employed in a public house was far less than in any other 'business. If the amount spent in liquor were diverted to obtaining otiher goods there would be sometiling to show for the moncjyi. It would lead to the employment of double tile amount of 'labor than if spent in liquoT. (Moreover, the-productive trades would be stimulated, and thatt_agaiji would double the numbiir of employees in the manufacturing trades. One result of this would be to extend the exports and imports between tlio Old Land and New Zealand. Those, employed in the brewing trade would be absorbed in far more useful and healthy trades than they were in at present. 'As to the question of revenue, it was said that in New Zealand there was a million a year 'do be made up lif prohibition were carried, but such a sum was as nothing compared with the health, a-nd moraflity ; of the pciople. Why was not money not raised Ity licensing gambling saltans? Because- the people would not permit it. Than wihy should the liquor traffic bo permitted, for it served no •useful purpose, and the money spent on it was wasted, fro order to Taise a million of money the pe/opl© of New Zealand wcro wasting throe millions 1 , besideg undermining the health and morals of the community. It amounted to tins --Sd was beiivs wnisted to save 24. Kliminating this waste would increase the mental and bodaV-! powers of the people, besides stimulating an increase iu trade. In a few weeks they would have an opportunity to ««it their vote on this matter, and lip urged them to use it nguinlst thu continuance of the liquor traffic, lie ¥ ai:nt(! <l out there was majority rule on every question ex- . eept that of prohibition, 'and he urged that they should vote for a- man as tlwir representative in Parliament who would use. hi; power to remove the prasent ■handicap. He pointed out the objections to local option and the great adraroUigo of national prohibitioa, which he strongly urged shoiddi bo carried. Each man was Us brothcrls keeper, and wii* responsible for placing temptation in liis way. England needed -the example that Vew Zealand was gofiift to show at 'the coming poll. If New Zealand would abolish the liquor traffic it would do much to encourage the abolition of liquor both m England and the United Steles. '-Realise." said the speaker, "your rctsponsiibilitiiv in this matter, ami if you do that future generations will riso up and! wCI you blessed." (loud i'pplausc.) MRS. SXOWDISN SPEAICS,

Mrs. Snowdon (wUio was vray warmly m-cived) said she liad bem for the lost bmir .trying bo measure up the audience, ami wa s extremHtv. gmtiifkvl at Die large number of young people who in the matt«r ot voting were Ilia- political superlors. she humorously twitted lier husband with 'having spoken to the men ruther than to the women. (Some young won positively Moved fJuit it was much more .manly to take a little liquor occasionally and toow when to stop, than to give it up, but she differed from that view, and considered it tocJi far more moral courage to ba called a. toward than : 0 take a. little and know when to stop. Evil could only bo overcome <by Rood. She recognised it was lhard for joung people brought in contact with ,%} io , m > and !t to(>k courage to do it. Slie knew thousands of moderate winkers who were good men and women, but they were careless about their 'hoys and girla i u giving expression to opinions assorting their frccA>m and in(lepeEdeiw to do as thchi iplcased. The modura'te drinkers in England wore the bulwarks of the liqwor traffic, and by supporting tlhat traffic -were into'fering with the rights of other people. Her last word to all present was that they were to give a stimulus io the movement for the abolition of the traffic. Women who had never voted for prohibrbon before wore going to do Ba now rney were going to win. There wa« no doufbti about it if tihey all pulled together