PROHIBITION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2438, 15 December 1892, Page 1

PROHIBITION.

There was a good attendance at the Volunteer Hall on Monday evening, on the occasion of the Rev. Mr Isitt’s second address on Prohibition. The chair was taken by the Rev. Mr Dickson, and there was a strong choir, comprising members of various denominations. After a short service of prayer and praise, and a few introductory remarks from the chairman, the Rev. Mr Isitt, who was received with applause, spoke to the following effect: In the first place he disclaimed deriving any personal benefit from the collections made. They were devoted primarily to payment of the expenses of the hall, and any balance went to the defence fund. While there was an immense amount of prejudice against the movement he found that the opponents consisted of two classes—those dominated by strong drink, and those who knew nothing about it. When they found people free from the influence of drink or monetary reasons they found people easy converts. They were face to face with with an evil so gigantic that it took all their energies to combat it. It called for the considerations of their statesmen and all others. He advocated prohibition because he believed that the strength of all restricted legislation was determined by the magnitude of the evil attacked and the measure of ill dealt with. There was uo one evil so easily dealt with as the abuse of drink, and he believed that prohibition was the cure. Even so far back as Edward 111., when only three alehouses existed in England, the magistrates were urged to close them because they were causing immense evils. Only one hundred years ago a dignitary of the Church said that the use of “ that cursed drink ” was altering the whole character of the people. To-day, despite all that had been done, the liquor traffic was more diabolical in its influence than ever. The Bishop of Christchurch had said that drink had little to do with the poverty of the people. Booth, ths socialist, claimed that drink was oue of the greatest causes of poverty and the easiest removed. A rector of a certain parish said that there was a public house in his district to every 139 families, and that people there would starve and deny themselves necessaries for the sake of gin. When Mr Myers, the representative of Dr Barnardo, was in the colony he said that at least 85 per cent, of the children came there through their drunken parents. The children rendered destitute in England, if stood in a row four deep, would reach one hundred miles. The speaker then gave i number of statistics showing the spread of liquor and its effects in France, Germany, and the United States. He also gave instances that had come under his own notice in New Zealand, where the love of liquor was gradually pervading all classes, and not decreasing among the younger generation, as was sometimes claimed. The speaker than proceeded to criticise the various arguments urged against prohibition, and also theremediee that were suggested in its place. From a very careful observation, and from the experiments, in other countries, he had come to the conclusion that nothing short of total abolition of the open public house would cure the evil. In support of this he instanced the benefits lowa had derived from prohibition.. Here the taxes were already from 1.75 cents to 0.71 and the condition of the State has attracted 356,600 people to it. ttoxton, a prohibition suburb of Liverpool, was another Instance. In conclusion he ridiculed the idea of compensation, and regretted that unthinking persons had put a stumbling block in tho way by thoughtlessly raising the cry. Mr Isitt’s address was received with .applause, Tho Rev. Mr Bellow moved a vote o$ thanks to the speaker, and the meet jug terminated with tho benediction.