NEW ZEALAND ALLIANCE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1789, 13 September 1888, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND ALLIANCE.

Mr Glover, agent for the New Zealand Alliance, lectured in the' Volunteer Hall, Temuka, last Tuesday evening. There was a very good attendance, and the chair was occupied by Mr John Talbot. After the singing of a hymn,

Mr Talbot said he felt it an honor to j preside, and should like the room hatter filled. Perhaps it was not in the fitness of things that he should preside, as he was not a total abstainer, but he was a sympathiser with total abstinenoe. They must all acknowledge the good it had dose. The amount of injury done by drinking to excess was apparent. It caused poverty in large citbs, where the mortality was 50 per 1000, and he had no doubt drink had a great deal to do with this. The , present movements were modem, but in all ages restrictive measures were used to prohibit intoxication. In Greece, and arno <gst the Saxon Kings, restrictive measures were used, in 1311, in Ireland distillation was prohibited ; the production reduced by one half, and the s?ood results were apparent. Subsequently the restrictions were removed, and druokenness increased—and it was from that time that modern total abstinence dated. We were in the jubilee year of Father Matthew's signing the pledge. He caused a great decrease in drink. It waa apDirent that some sustained effort 3hould beused to repress it, and, though we do not feel it so much here as in older countries, we feel it enough. Teetotallers ought to congratulate themselves on tba results they produced. In London a Total Abstinence building Society was formed which had erected 300 houses, and not one public house was allowed aEaongsttbem. So they could look with pardonable pride on their work. Ha believed the law here was not what it ought to be. Tho issue of licenses ought to be placed in tho hands of the people, but he was afraid it was not susceptible of uniform administration. Iu ?ome districts licenses would not bo allowad ; in others licenses would be issued. Ho thought the Government ought to say that no more licenses ought to be issued for the next 25 years. Tiiere wtsre enough houses in New Zealand for the next 50 years. He folt it an anomaly that temperance men should sit on the Bench to grant licenses, whea the granting of licenses was against their principles. Ho wouid now iotroduce Mr Glnver to them, whom they had heard before, and to whom no doubt tbey would be ready to give a cordial reception. (Applauso.) Mr Glover said he was very pleased to see so many present. Their Chairman appeared not to have been properly informed. It was not necessary to be a total abstainer to be a member of the New Zjaland Alliance. Why, publicans were eligible, and he would be glad to enrol them. All they wanted was to place ohe granting of liceuses in the hands of the people, and nothing more, nothing less. They did not want to destroy a single hotel, nor ruin any man. They wished to see every man having a great deal more property than at present. He was glad that the look-out was better, as they were told that we should get £2,000,000 in this colony next year more than in the past, owing to increased prices. That was £2 per head. Now they spent more than £2,000,000 oi intemperance, and it was said that it cost £2,000,000 to undo the mischief done by iotemperanoa. That would be £6 per head if they stopped the liquor traffic. As regards the Chairman's assertion about tsmperauce men granting licenses, temperance men ought not to grant them. As Boon as three temperauce men got on the Committee no licensee would be granted. But the men elected could not always'do what they liked. He instanced" tho case of an Auckland man. This Auckland man wa3 in a good position, and was a member of the Licensing Committee, and it became known that a very badly conducted house was to have its license cancelled, The manager of the local Bank sent for the man referred to, who waa deep iu the Bank's debt, told him that the Bank was interested in the house, and that to take away the license would be a great loss to the Bsnk. Tho Committeeman siid the license would be taken away, Three times the banker seat for the Committeeman, and three times the Committeeman refused to obey. At last, en the morning of the meeting, the banker threatened to crush him if he voted for taking away the license ; but he voted, and he was crushed, and he was now keeping a small store up the Waikato. To at man was a hero, but they had no right to put such responsibilities on the shouldetß of men. What thay wanted was to give the people the right to say whether licenses should be granted or not. There was a vote of the people takea every three years as to whether there should be any increase in the liceuses, and all they wanted was to tuke out the word "increase." That would satisfy them —just to take out that one word. As regards Parliament, nine-tenths of tho members were in favor o.f that, but there was a divergence of opinion ou the question of compensation. There were 24 in fayor of the proposal, They wanted to know wh-tthe compeasa„t on was for. Who was to get the compensation t Not the publican, nor the barmaids. The big brewers would gat itIt vvas, discovered in England that it would cost £200,000,000 to compensate, the publicans of England, and meetings were held all over the country to protest against such a proposal, A meeting was held in Hyde Park, London, recently, and three lorries full of drunkards' children were taken thsre, and over them were the words, " Who will compensate these ?'' What right had the publicans to compensation 1 They got only a license for one year, and there wus no one going to take 1 it from tbem, but if the people at tbe end of the yeardecided they did not want the license again for the next year what right bad the publicans to ask for compensation J They never bad tho liceuses, aod therefore had no claim fo': compoiis-ttion. Phe case was different in New Zealand to England or America, where licenses were issued for the cale of driak. lo New ZuaUnd it was different, where no licenses were issued except lo houses whore there was good accomodation. They did not require

the palatial buildings they put for sailing drink, £2O would pay for what was required for selling drink. They did not propose to lake away these buildings. Not one counterpane would be taken off a bed, oot n pin's head would be taken away, and consequently there waa no claim for compensation. As regards the precedent) found in England giving £20,000,000 to free the slaves, the ease was different. The slaves were the real property of the slave-owners, but that was not so with licenses. Tho publicans had no property in them. So, therefor*, there was not the slightest ground for compensation in whatever way the subject wm looke3 upon. Mr Glover then spoke on the waste there was going on in racing, drinking, and skating. Who was it got the money at the races I The loafers, the welchers, the spielers, the greatest blackguards in existeoce. They congregated at these races to fleece poor noodles. They knew the noodles worked like horses and banded them their money like asses. Young colonials were not bad in drinking, but they were tenible fer gambling. Out of 1280 brought up for drunkenness last year, only 37 were colonials. The colonials had a little sense as regards drink, but why should they net have sense as regards gambling! Now, if they paid 20s for drink there was only 9d of it spent on lubor, but if they paid 20s for a pair of truosers, of colonial tweed, 12s 6d would be put in the pockets of the working man. The way to promote industry was to spend the money in legitimate channels. They were living in the most glorious country on the faoe of tbe earth, and it was their own fault if they were not prosperous. Every man who lifted a glass of whisky to his lips, cat down the working man's wages, bo if. was the interest of the working men to join tbe Alliance, and to do their best to forward the aims of it. (Applause).

The Rev. Mr Hamilton said it was do use making laws unless the people wen educated to them. Aocerding to statistics, the people of Temuka spent £6OOO ia drink, while they only spent £2OOO on the Churches. If there wee anything deserving of support it was the Church of Christ, and it was a tact that three timet as much was spent on drink as on the Church. Some people thought these meetings were too sensational, but he believed it was necessary to route them up, and to follow them up by actions. Of oourie, the lecturer aimed very high, but if wa> could do a little towards it we would be doing a great deal towards the prosperity ef the country. He moved a hearty rot* oi thanks to the lecturer.

The Rev. Mr Dickson said Mr Glover was an admirable advocate of the Alliance, and seoonded the vote 6f thanks to him. Men complained of the hard times, while at the Sanaa time they were making them worse by their extravagance. He believed the Alliance was doing admirable work,, and he hoped they would aeoemplisk their object. He told the story of a man who ate tried leeches, and; they killed! him. The leeches would have been very good if used properly, but, having beta misapplied, they killed the man. It was so with alcohol. It was misapplied, and when people recognised this, and u*ed it properly, they would be better for it. He seconded the vote of thanks, which was carried by declamation, and duly acknowledged.

The ehoir, under the leadership of Mr Rutland, with Mißs Blyth presiding at the harmonium, rendered ss feral selections of mußic during the evening. At the close of the meeting 11 names were added to the. list ef members. The meeting then terminated.