A CANADIAN LABOR LEADER.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 August 1918, Page 8

A CANADIAN LABOR LEADER.

ADDRESS OX PROHIBITION. There was a largo attendance at the Good Templar Hall last night, when a meeting wits held for the purpose of launching the campaign in connection with the petition to Parliament for a oil on the liquor question, oil the Dasis if the report of the National Efficiency Board. The choir was taken by the Rev. VT. A. Sinclair, and the principal speakers were Mrs. 1). Don, of Dunedin, and Mr. W. ]). Ba.vioy, leader 01 the \\ itinipeg section of the Canadian Labor Party.

The chairman, in introducing the speakers, said that night tiie first shots in connection with the present campaign for the prohibition of the liquor traffic were to be fired. He referred ij) me educational effect of the propaganda on the question of the liquor trade. The Efficiency Board had examined a great many witnesses 011 the, question of the liquor business, and their report was to the effect that for the purposes of national efficiency it was desirable that the traffic should he abolished. Their view of the matter was being largely supported by the prominent business men of the Dominion. The present campaign was being largely organised on the basis of that report, and amongst business men. He suggested that now a big attempt should be made to clear the traffic out of the Dominion, so that the boys at the front would come home to a clean country. Mrs. Don, who was the first speaker, dealt with the wide-e.vtending influence of the. W.C.T.U., of which she was a member, to show the attitude of the women on (lie liquor question. She said that in the beginning the W.C.T.U. were against any compensation being paid to the liquor trade in the event 01 prohibition. They rather felt that, in view of the ruin wrought by the trade, compensation should be paid to those who had been sufferers by it. Discussion had revealed that there was no nope of getting an ordinary poll on the prohibition issue during the war period. If it were, ami the poll were carried on «he three-fifths majority basis, the effect would not come into force for four years after the poll. She stated that during the war New Zealand had spent between £20.000,000 and £40,000.000 on drink. (Sliame!) And, apart from the financial aspect, there was also the moral wreckago left in the wake of money spent on alcohol. If New Zealand went on at the same rate as Hie present, and depended 011 1111 ordinary poll, to dcai with the liquor problem, she would probably spend another £30,000,000 before prohibition came into effect. She hoped that when peace came the boys would not come home to the same temptations that they had had to face before they went away, as they would not be as well able to resist those temptations then. It was in view of these considerations that the women had come to the conclusion thiif. it was better to pay 4J million pounds in compensation to be immediately rid of the traffic. (Applause.) llr. Bayley, who was received with heartiest applause, gave n very eatertaminir address, which witiial was forceful and logical. After one or two ruev anecdotes, which immediately placed his audience under his sway, lie proceeded to state that from the experience of Canada, he could say that prohibition was a success, that it harmonised wnn the principles of democracy and lifted (lie tone of the community io a much higher level. He stated that Canada regretted that, after turning the liquor out there, her surplus supplies were beins dumped on the public of Xex ZeaTiie effect could be counteracted if Xew Zealand carried prohibition and extracted the alcohol from the liquor and turned it to account for industrial purposes. Prohibition had made Canada a united nation—politically, industrially, and, so far as church life was concerned. Til 10 years 80 per cent, of "the municipalities had been won over to prohibition. and m May of next year the last square inch of Canadian soil would be freed from the traffic in liquor. Opinion in practically every direction was entirely against having the liquor bars back again. Speaking as a representative of labor to labor men in New Zealand, Mr. Bayley said the absence of the bar bad lessened the conflict between capital and labor. The employer, instead of fighting the worker, saw in him a man with clear brain and steady nand, with whom lie could negotiate by'confer, enee, and in whom there was an increase of efficiency which reacted on the whole industrial system. Mr. Bayley seated thill so great had been the diminution in crime that charitable societies aim police court oliicials bad ceased to make comparative returns.

In reply to an interruption, the speaker stated that for the amount of capital invested the liquor trade paid less in wages by 75 per cent, than any other business.

Mr. Baylcy then proceeded to diseusss Hip whole '{Uest ion from ait- £ s. d. point of view, or, as lie said, from the point ot view of the logic of. the reform, its success, and its democratic principle. He gave numbers of instances of where licensing various callings iiad failed to 1 effect the desired reform, and where prohibition had been' resorted to. and stated that now (here was no nation that had not restricted the trade in some way. and yet it still caffied on its ruin, it was the Hun The whole trouble was the alcohol in the liquor, and unlil that was iakeii put the liquor would still be destructive of all that was best in those who took it. Ketferrtntj to.' t lie question e.s to the success of prohibition, Mr. Baylev referred to n sheaf of lei tors from men of independence and authority which he had with him, in which, not one advocated bringing hack the liquor bars; anil that was the evidence of statesmen, judges, magistrates, and mayors, as well as of men in every brunch of commercial life. Tt was one long story of satisfaction. Keferring to llie difference in the homes of the working people, he said that with prohibition there also came the agents of culture and education. He dealt with the old question of taxation and revenue, m-a said a »ober nation would more easily pay its taxation than a nation that was spending millions of pounds in that which sapped its own ellk-ienoy. He assured the workers that llioy need have no wear that the passing of prohibition would increase the amount of taxation they would have to pay. He said there was no labor leader in Canada wno would rnise a little linger to reinstate the traffic. He then proceeded to deal with the problem of after-war recoilsrnietion, and urstpd {lie people to break with the liquor (raffle and help to make the world a eofid. glad place. He said the trade been, instituted as a means of koopSi., ilie workers subservient. The love of liberty, however, was very dear to Jllie BritisUci'j and anything that Inter-

fered with real progress towards liberty should bo banned entirely. The liquor trade was the worst foe of liberty.' (Applause.) A vote of thanks to the speakers was carried by acclamation, and the proceedings concluded with the singing of the National AuiAtsr '