THE EFFICIENCY CAMPAIGN.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 March 1919, Page 8

THE EFFICIENCY CAMPAIGN.

MESSRS. W. D. HUNT AND R. S. GRAY AT NEW PLYMOUTH. The meeting at the Good Templar Hall last night in the interests of the elimination of the liquor traffic for the sake of national efficiency did not draw a very largj attendance. It was explained that it had been desired by the local business men's committee, who arranged the meeting, that the meeting should not be held on show night, but no other date was available to the two speakers. The Mayor (Mr. C. H. Burgess) presided, and, in introducing the speakers, said they would deal with the question more from the point of view of business men than anything else. It was a question fraught with great importance to all, and each person would be called upon to vote according to the dictates of his own conscience.

Mr. W. D. Hunt, president of the Dominion Efficiency Lengue, spoke first and addressed himself to the efficiency side • f the question from a strictly economic point of view. He stated that when he was a member of the Efficiency Board, and the question of the liquor traffic was beinj; investigated, principally in its relation to war efficiency, the members of the board were compelled, by the weight of (vidence presented, to conclude that the immediate prohibition of the liquor traffic was necessary for the permanent efficiency of the country. The Efficiency League was composed of business men who had taken little part in the prohibition movement previously, many of them having been opponents of tlie reform. Most of them were men who had beeft actively engaged in patriotic work, and as a result of their experiences in that connection they had concluded that the liquor must go, in the interests of efficiency. The huge waste and inefficiency through liquor was patent to them, and if tin country was to carry its heavy war burdens, surplus cargo would have to be thrown over. He then proceeded to deal with the arguments advanced by Messrs, Findlay and Armstrong, who, he were the"' only mouthpieces the liquor party could get in relation to the revenue. He stated that he had yet to learn that the five million pounds spent on drink annually could he diverted into any ether channels which would not also produce revenue, and he went on to show that no matter how the money was utilised some proportion of it would of necessity he returned in revenue to the State. The liquor advocates would not admit that the carrying of prohibition would mean any saving whatever to the people, and if their argument was sound then the more liquor that was consumed the better it would be for the people. They seemed to s-se that the only way to prosperity was through dri.ik. With them it was a case of "drink or bust"—there was no alternative. He then dealt with the conipens'ition issue, and stated that the Efficiency Board ha 1 recommended compensation for the purpose o'" avoiding further wastage through drink that would result during the 4VSs years i.hat the trading rights were extended to the trade if prohibition were carried at an ordinary licensing poll. He claimed that the five million pounds released from expenditure on drink would be largely directed towards stimulating local production, which always contributed its share of revenue to tli ■ State. Even if an amount of tlie moiv'y was spent on pleasure, it still contributed by taxation to the revenue of and the additional profits of the proprietors of amusement places also bore income tax. He stated tl at the source of all wealth was production, and the production of the Dominion of New Zealand was i bout 100 million pounds per annum. About 15i per cent, of the ■ production went in taxation to the State. It was quit l * fair to assume that the money saved from the liquor trade would produce an equal amount of revenue when diverted to other channels of expenditure.

H 3 further claimed there would be saving aiso through lessened expenditure in .those departments of the State whose ;work consisted i>: dealing with matters which arose largely as a result of the liquor traffic. It was estimated that 55 per cent. of the expenditure of the police, gaol-, asylums, c'.aritable aid boards, and menial and industrial schools was due to the 1 raHie in liquor. Increased efficiency would be an added asset, to the State. The calculation in America was that tlie efficiency of the worker in the dry States was til per cent, greater than that in the wet areas, but even if it was vory much less than that tliey' could easily make up the supposed loss of revenue through the elimination of the llquo" traffic, and havo a margin to the good. The bogey about inert ased taxation and increased cost of .living was only moonshine, and the result of prohibition would be the opposite of Mr. Hunt then touched on what had been said with regard to the splendid provision made in Xew South Wales for | fighting the influenza, and that it had been kept out of there longer than anywhere else, and that when it did gain an .entrance the death rate had been kept 'very low. "Why'" said the speaker. "Bccaua- directly the epidemic came they •close! the bars and wine shops, which j won' to show that the drink habit was ,t insidered the worst preparation for ,meeting an attack of influenza." The speaker then quoted opinions of ! prominent people of the American States | in regard to the success and advantages ,of prohibition, and said it was a remarkliable testimony tlmt n:> State that hsul | ever gone dry had revoked that -order, • and the whole of the Sl'ites would go dry | in net! .July, ; | Til conclusion, he urged the electors to i carry the issue at the forthcoming poll, as if they waited till the next general elections they would then be faced with three issues, and would require to get an inbsohite majority of the votes cast to parry any proposal. It \vonld mean then, [he said, that if :<0 per cent, voted prohibition, -19 Slate ownership, and one .continuance, continuance would be carTied, as no other proposal secured a majority of votes, lie referred to the curse 'the liquor issue I'ad be to political life, and urged its settlement before the next general elections, and finally urged the ( electors to keep pace with the advance in Sentiment on the prohibition issue and | Vote out the liquor by an overwhelming , majority on Ap.-.i 10. (Applause.) j 'The Rev. R. 8. Oray. who gave an eloquent presentment of the moral side of the case, received a splendid hearing. He dealt trenchantly with the figures' and statements of the Moderate League representatives, and showed how they had. manipulated figures to meet their own ( purples, and he refuted their assertions i as to the amount of ciime in no-license j areas. He referred to America's sacrifice of 100 million pounds in turning out the I liqu:>r, and yet there was no cry there abou.. loss of revenue. He said America Was stripping for the great economic war that would come now that the war of blood had been won, and she recognised she could not reach commercial supremiftsy and carry the liquor trade as well, nnd so she was getting rid of the liquor! Tim speaker appealed v ith passionate intensity that for the sake of future generations the trade should be swept away. jlHe said if prohibition was not carried at

this [ioll the trade would claim as drunkards in twenty years' time some who were at that tim > asleep in their cradles. He also appealed on behalf of the "boys" who had fought f< maintain liberty, that a and clean country should await their return. The address was concluded with an urgent demand that the highways of life should be made safe, day and night, for the weaker men of the community who were enable to resist temptation. (Applause.) Votes of thanks to the speakers and to the chairman no:.eluded the meeting