WAKE UP, NEW ZEALAND!

Taranaki Daily News, 15 June 1916, Page 7

WAKE UP, NEW ZEALAND!

To the Editor. Sii, —It is lime for Xew Zealand to wake up if she means to retain any place at all in the march of moral and social reform. Ily your paper of today we see that another of the States in the Australian Commonwealth', has declared very dolinitely in favor of 6 o'clock closing of hotel bars. This is not, as the Liquor Defence Union -ays, a matter that has been rushed through in a time of hysteria; at least, in this country it has been discussed not only in prohibition circles, but among the true moderates, for some past. It is very gratifying to note that in New South Wales they claim that these moderates were in favor of early closing; and we may hope that when the issue is before tlie electors of Xew Zealand they will show by their votes that they are not hound to tlie liquor party, as tlie prohibitionists now believe them to be. Tliat there is a very strong sentiment in this country also in favor of early closing is seen by the large petitions sent to the House asking |for it. Your paper of Saturday gave 40,000 as the number of signatures, but that was to tho M to .'/, Petitions Committee only. We have other information from Wellington that 1)4,000 names were attached to petitions presented up to last Tuesday, and there have been more since. In the face of all this it is time that Xew Zealanders woke up to a realisation that they are being left behind by South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales, for in each of these States the majority was very large foi the early closing, and Victoria is likely to follow suit in a short time. What we want is that all reformers should unite for this further restraint on our national drinking habits, either because of a dislike for the habit at all times, or that we should as a patriotic measure follow tlie King, and, to some extent, follow tlie lead also given by the Central Licensing Board in England. There, in large areas, the sale of liquor is restricted to live and a-half hours a day: The votes above referred to say plainly that in their opinion liquor is not needed to promote evening amusements, and we have for long known that it is of no use when wc need a full measure of efficiency in hours of business. What I want to know, then, is: When is alcoholic liquor of any use? Thanking you in anticipation,—l am etc., G.H.M.