WET CANTEENS.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 April 1916, Page 3

WET CANTEENS.

THE WELLINGTON DEPUTATION. MINISTERS' REPLIES IN EXTENSO. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, April 12. A deputation representing the War Necessities Committee wailed upon the Prime Minister (Right Hon. W. F. Masscy) and the Minister for Defence j (Hon. J. Allen) to-day, in order to lay before the Government the following resolutions recently adopted by the committee: (1) That wet canteena should be established in all military camps in the Wellington district during the period of the present war. (2) That all hotel andelub bars in the Wellington should be closed between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. during the present war.

Mr. Grey, in explaining the purport of the resolutions, said that the War Necessities Committee consisted of ladies and gentlemen who were intimately concerned in the welfare of the troops, and who had been forced to face the fact that there was over-indulgence in liquor on the part of some of the members of the Expeditionary Forces during the training period. The reforms that were proposed had the support of a very large number of men and women throughout New Zealand. The movement had absolutely no political significance, and it was not associated in any way with either the prohibition party or the liquor traffic. The funds used by the committee had been provided by the members and their friends. The proposals had been subjected to a great deal of criticism already. It had been said that the demand for wot canteens was the first step towards the introduction of liquor into the territorial camps. Nothing of the port was intended. The proposal applied merely to the period of the war and to the camps occupied by members of the Expeditionary Forces. The deputation was aware that both the Prime Minister and the Minister for Defence had expressed their opposition to wet canteens, but hoped that the Ministers would reconsider their opinions. The wet canteens would meet the cases of many men who were accustomed to the reasonable use of liquor, and would prevent the trouble that arose through men going to the towns on leave with what might be described as accumulated thirst. The military camps in Britain, India, Canada, South Africa and Egypt had wet canteens, fhe closing of the hotel bars at an early hour was regarded as the corollary to the establishment of wet canteens. Probably the closing rule need not apply to the whole of the Wellington district. The canteen would do a part of the work, but there would remain some soldiers who were incapable of resisting temptation when it was placed before them in the city, and the early closing of hotels would help Jiem. The Prime Minister, in reply, said that he realised the members of the deputation were actuated by the best possible motives. With reference to the wet canteens, a great deal of stress had been laid upon the opinions of the military authorities. He himself had approached the question with an entirely unbiassed mind, and before making up his mind he had asked for the views of the two military officers who had most to do with the training of the troops in New Zealand. Tbo.-o officers had told him plainly that wet, canteens were not conducive to and not consistent with the proper training of the troops in the camps. His feeling up to that time had been rather in favor of the canteens, but in view of the strong expression of opinion of the military experts the deputation would hardly expect him to take the responsibility of changing the present system. He was convinced that wet canteens were not the remedy for the troubles that had been mentioned. Reference had been made to the fact that wet canteens existed in the military camps of the United Kingdom. That argument did not stem to him to be a strong one. The public-houses were open on Sundays in Britain, but it was not argued that they should be opened on Sundays in New Zealand.

With regard to the ordinary hotels, hj" could tell the deputation that the law had been found to be defective. The Government had intended to impose certain restrictions, hut had found that the law did not give power to do so. It would be necessary during the coming session to ask Parliament for some amendment of the law. flc had no doubt that would be done. The question of early closing was far more difficult than that of wet canteens. He was sorry that he was unable to show the deputation reports that he had received from the police concerning the early closing proposal. There were certain establishments that it had been found impossible to abolish in Xew Zealand or in any other country. There were places where liquor iras sold, and it did not appear to be possible to prevent men getting liquor if they were determined to have it. The whole matter Vonld be considered by Cabinet, and if Cabinet decided it was desirable to close the hotel bars earlier than under the present law, Parliament would be asked for tlie necessary legislative sanction. He knew that the deputation had not intended to suggest that any large proportion of the soldiers was addicted to drunkenness. Voices: Xo, no.

Mr. Massey i>rocpc(loil to say that lie \va<i not often about tlie streets at night, but he had gone into the city hUe on a recent evening in order to see the parade of some departing troops who, owing to unforeseen circumstances, bad been given leave between 4.30 p.m. and 10 p.m. The men had been put upon their honor to parade at the hour fixed, and be hail watched them arriving at tlie parading point. The men had lit en fresli from tour, months' heavy training, they had gone short of sleep tile night before, and they had many friends in the town. But they hail paraded in a way that did them infinite credit, even the few men who showed some signs of having had liquor being determined to join the ranks in time. The incident made him very proud of the conduct of the Dominion's soldiers. A number of the deputation asked if the hotel-keepers had been giveir any special warning on that occasion. Mr. Massey said he did not know if special steps had been taken on that particular day. The hotel-keepers bad been warned about allowing men in uniform to get under the influence of liquor. Some of them had beer, specially warned. The Prime Minister added that be bad not reached a definite conelusion on the question of early closing. The matter would be considered by Cabinet in connection with the arrangement of the business to be placed before Parliament, and Cabinet would reach a decision,' durinc the next week- or two.

lie thought that then a proposal would be presented to (Parliament for the better regulation of the liquor traffic during the war period. He could speak definitely on one point, thaf there would be no discrimination between the soldier and the civilian, lie had made up his mind with regard to the xut canteen*;. He believed their establishment would be a retrograde step. Jn conclusion, Mr. Massey said he had shown another deputation that the restric,j ons pltitrotl on the liquor traffic dumiL- :„> W!U . j n som(! oilier countries hr.U iL-a.iy ngt brought these countries abreast of Now Zealand in the matter of licensing law. The Hon. J. Allen said that time would not allow him to say very much. He could state as a military man of thirty years' experience that' it would be a very great blunder to introduce wet canteens into the camps. There was a special reason for the wet canteens in Egypt, where no licensing law existed, and any person could sell the soldiers liqi-or of infamous quality. The suggestion i,<., made that liquor was sold illicitly in New Zealand. That point had an important bearing on the question under r-msideration. He could say that as Minister for Defence he did not care if all the hotels were closed, but he would insist that they must not he closed to soldiers and open to civilians. He would warn the-members of the deputation that if they closed the hotels and provided no substitute they were going to create an evil a thousand times worse than the existing one. That was his opinion and the opinion of the military authorities. The early closing of the hotels would not prevent the soldiers being supplied with liquor. The wet canteens would not cure the real evil. They would not touch it. Tie hoped that the members of the deputation understood what he was alluding to. There was an illicit trade in liquor, and there was something worse than that, in the city of Wellington, and if tlce deputation could attack that evil they would be doing more good than by proposing the early closing of the hotels, where liquor was sold under license. Figures that had been placed before him led him to believe that there was less drunkenness among the soldiers than among civilians. The efforts of tlio military authorities had keen to make the men strong enough to resist temptation when it was placed before them, and a very large degree of success had been secured. The amount of drunkenness in the camps had decreased steadily. Mr. Allen added that the existence of wet canteens in the camps would be a temptation to the young soldiers to take their first drink. He did not denythat some soldiers got drunk occasionally, just as some civilians got drunk, but there, was no remedy for-that short or absolute prohibition. What would happen to the men if they were trained under a prohibition law and then sent to face the temptations of a place like Egypt? The aim of the Defence authorities must be to make the men strong and self-reliant. ■