PROHIBITION.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 May 1922, Page 4

PROHIBITION.

OPENING OF THE CAMPAIGN. ADDRESS AT NEW PLYMOUTH, The first public “shot” in connection with the prohibition campaign, a, far as New Plymouth is concerned. was fired last night, when a wel -attended public meeting was held at the. Empire Theatre under the auspices of the Tara naki Prohibition League. The Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) presided. “Prohibition in other lands was tM subject upon which the Rev. John Daweon, who is secretary of the N.Z. Alliance, based his remarks. Throughout six weeks of his visit in the United States he looked for drunkenness by day and by night, and lie had found only one intoxicated man and no drunken women. He did not suggest there was no drunkenness, but it was hidden a wav; it was out of sight. America was not teaching young men and young women to drink. rf xr W ° can get things along these lines in NewZealand it is well worth while,” said the speaker. . But in England conditions were ditferent, the speaker continued. The drinking facilities and the drunkenness abounding in England made it necessary for New Zealand to see that she should not get into the conditions England was in to-day. It made one wonder, hep* said, if England had “gone to th® dogs”; whether there wae any hope for her. The distressing feature was the drunken, maudlin wojpen. Are these to be the mothers of the future race of this land, with such a record for greatness ?he asked. In 1920, with all her poverty and unemployment. England had spent £463,000,000 in strong drink. Yet there was hope in old England after all. At the end of the war the Bishop of London said he would visit every diocese in England with the object of advocating the abolition of drink. This great work had since been undertaken by his Lordship. f At the no-license polls held in Scotland recently 441 licenses had been cancelled-; in Glasgow 45 kftd been abolished by no-license and 44 by reduction, a total of 99 in one city. Mr. Dawson referred to State control at Carlisle (Scotland). Some bars had been closed and new ones opened. The idea was to make food the dominant features and liquor a secondary consideration. But the liquor was there, sold, consumed and did the same harm as it had always done. A social room, beautifully arranged, was provided for young men and young women. On the surface it seemed a fine scheme, but it was there that these young people learnt the drink habit. An attempt at reform on these lines was not worth while. Even children were being familiarised with the drink traffic.

Mr. Dawson referred to Canada with nine provinces, seven “dry” and two . (Quebec and British Columbia) The experiment of State control tried in these two provinces, was not worth _ while. “Honest John” Oliver, the Pre- ' mier of British Columbia, told the ! speaker the drink traffic was increasing the revenue, but added: “A nation cannot afford to increase its revenue means of drink.” Boot-legging, Le. sly-grogging, was as flourishing now M in the past. The position was much the same in Quebec. Speaking on accommodation in the seven “dry” provinces, Mr. Dawson said he revisited a hotel which two years before had 1000 rooms during the liquor regime. Now under prohibition it had another JOOO rooms added and the tine building was now one of 2000 rooms, and used solely as an accommodation house.

From the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border, the United States was legally dry. The transformation, continued Mr. Dawson, was marvellous beyond conception. There was not a tithe of the drunkenness seen before. The speaker had made enquiries concerning the drag traffic. There were a few drug addicts, those who had flourished under liquor, but no new ones were being made. Prohibition had come to stay in America, he declared. There was laxity at first, but the law was being administered now and the law was being enforced. The proceedings were interspersed with a number of musical items. Songs were rendered by Miss Harper and hfr. F. R. P. Fredric, Mrs. Fredric and Mr. G. H. White playing the aocampamments. During an interlude community singing was led by Mr. Fredric, whilst a chorus rendered several of the campaign songs. Miss Cantell gave a*4 recitation.

A collection was taken up in aid of the campaign funds.