STATE CONTROL.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1919, Page 6

STATE CONTROL.

AND THE MODERATE LEAGUE, REV. DAWSON'S CRITICISM. The Rev. J. Dawson, secretary of the New Zealand Alliance, in the course of his address at the Good Templar Hall on Wednesday evening, referred to Mr. R. A. Armstrong's address of a few days ago at the Empire Theatre, New Plymouth, on State control. Mr. Dawson, at the outset, remarked that Mr. Armstrong claimed that the Moderate League was not a branch of the liquor party. , Hfi (the speaker) wanted to aay quite definitely that it was not a branch of the Prohibition party. If the Moderate. League was not in any way associated with the liquor business, then it was a matter of surprise, for Mr. Armstrong's arguments were all in defence of the liquor traffic, his efforts were directed to keeping the liquor traffic, either in its present form or to leave the community to pay the purchase price to keep possession of it. Mr. Armstrong went on to say that, there were very few people who really understood' what State control meant This, he thought, was true, but, at the sam<s time, he did not think anyone understood it better after Mr. Armstrong's address. He had read the address very carefully, and he confessed he did not know what it meant, except that it meant a continuance of the sale of alcohol and its consequent evils. Mr. Armstrong did not believe that the moderate use of alcohol was harmful either morally or physically, but he would like Mr. Armstrong to answer this question: Did he believe that it was really any good to anybody, to the man who drank it, to the woman who suffered from the effects of it, to the children who suffered in consequence of ttyeir father's wastage of money? Let the community, he said, be assured either that this thing was a good, thing or else get it out of the way. llr. Armstrong complained because the Government declined to make certain in. quiries concerning the drink trade as suggested by the Moderate league. What the Government did do was to decline, to make further inquiries or do certain things in the interests 01 the Moderate League, but it did in the interests of the people as a whole submit the question of license or no-license to the vote of the people on the linos of the Efficiency .Board's report. And, continued tht speaker, the attitude of the great majority in this country, be believed, was to get rid of the drink traffic, but not to pay compensation. Mr. Armstrong said there was very little chance of prohibition ever being carrl'sl 111 New Zealand. How little Air. Armstrong knew; what a shortsighted man lie must t" 5 . Prohibition would be carried, he declared, before they had their Christmas dinner. He firmly believed that at the forthcoming contest prohibition would be carried and that after June next New Zealand would go dry. If the prohibitionists were wise, Mr. Armstrong said, they would join the Moderate League and help it to get State control. Well, from Mr Armstrong's point of view, prohibitionists were otherwise. The liquor traffic was a national foe, and they were not lining up to run that foe. On the other hand, he said, if :he Moderate League was wise and really patriotic it would join forces with the prohibitionists and help wipe out the liquor traffic this y?-r. He wondered who had convinced Mr. Armstrong t"; State control would be a temporary reform, or whose interests he was stud'; ,ng when he made tint statement.

Reference was made to the restrictions on the sale of alcohol in Carlisle, and Mr. Dawson '.aid lie attributed the reduction in the number of convictions for drunkenness to the fact that there was considerably less drinking; in other words, the hours of sale were greatly reduced. In fact, it was partial prohibition, and an additional amount, he had not the least doubt, would be even mora successful. Air. Armstrong said Slate control would exclude private profit. It wns, therefore, likely to show a loss, but supposing it could be made a financial success, what about the boys who would be ruined in the process? The - representative of the Moderate League said State control would be followed by a reduction in the number of licenses. Why, aaked the speaker, not reduce them now? No, Mr. Armstrong wantefl the country to buy the lot and then set about "reducing the number. , Then Mr. Armstrong had something to say about a great rebuilding scheme. Again, he would ask, why should the Slate purchase a lot of buildings if they were in such a state that they required rebuilding? It was not the interests of the State Mr. Armstrong was considering, bujfc rather the interests ,of those engaged in the trade. They were mighty anxious to sell out. They realised that their ship was sinking, but wanted to be bought out instead of being voted out. Mr. Armstrong told the few people who assembled to hear his address that if thev got State control New Plymouth would be made; that it would be the Mecca for tourists. Personally, his opinion was just the reverse to that of Mr. Armstrongs Witji State control tourists would continue to come in dozens, but get prohibition and he believed they would come in hundreds.

Continuing, the speaker touched upon t!ie financial aspect of the question, and mentioned incidentally that Mr. Armstrong would have them pay to • the trade £370,000 for stocks on hand, whoreas in one of his addresses some time ago the same Mr. Armstrong had had something to say about the bad stult that, was sold in the hotels. Therefore it was hardly a fair thing now to turn round and advocate the payment of £970,000 for that bad stuff. Mr. Dawson also touched upon other matters referred to by Mr. Armstrong, and, concluding, said that Mr. Clarke, the chairman of the Moderate League meeting, resented the suggestion that the league was the mouthpiece of the liquor traffic. If it was not then who were they talking for? They were not talking for the prohibitionist party or for the women and children. Was it themselves they were so anxious about? Mr. Clarke may know, but if the Moderate League was not the mouthpiece of the liquor traffic then he did not know whom they were talking for.