DROUGHT!

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9531, 1 July 1909, Page 5

DROUG H T!

- ERA'S THE NO-LICE»SB * ARRIVAL

EXIT THE OPEN 3&&

HOW MASTERTON SOLEKfMSEfI> THE OCCASION..

A COMPLACENT PUBLIC

Whatever expectations were entertained by the general public in the direction of "some fun when the pubs, shut down.," many must have felt that to some extent those hopes were notcom pletely realised—at least when the magical hour arrived. The only,physical notification of the fact that the retail sale, of intoxicating liquor in Maaterton must cease for at [east three years hence was given by the inevitable and staid chime of the town clock. Later some good-humoured demonstrations were made, but there was nothing significant about any of the evening's proceedings'from 10 o'clock onwards.

DURING THE DAY it was observable that there was a larger number of people in town than usual even for market day.. It may have been merely coincidence that an extraordinary traffic in country vehicles was registered by local livery stables. • The fact that the rural population has not been entirely sympathetic .to no-license —as the poll figures have betrayed—weakens considerably the coincidence theory. In fact it is generally asserted that both the man on the land and the man off it have for some days past made a heavy levy on the refreshment store of the town. It is only to be anticipated that there aie sundry reasons to advance in •favoir of care, at least, in allowing the drought to get the upper hand early. There is, fcr instance, 1 THE CAREFUL MOTHER who for generations has' found a "tablespoonful of water and half a teasposnful of brandy" a simply marvellous panacea for all those mysterious and unclassified maladies which make baby's life not worth the cost during the first six months of hia infantile career. It would be simply awful if this renowned and

never-failing medicine were ruth-

lessly swept away for the sake of a Jittl'e foresight, so hubby was, in many cases, deputed to make due provision for his majesty the baby's welfare.

THERE WERE OTHERS who, it may rigtly be guessed, felt that it was, somehow or other, quite a solemn and serious matter, this no-license business. They could not in justice to themselves allow it to come as too great a shock to tha system, and if only for precaution they' laid in a small parcel. Likewise, we may assume, did the man who believed in license on all sorls of ethical grounds, and found that his only means of revenge for the /'curtailing of citizen rights" was to show his contempt.for the drought by a defiant purchase in advance. There is, in humanity, a plethora of striking individ«alities connected with the drink question alone, but there was evidently a remarkable unanimity on one point of the controversy during the last few days, as in several hotels yesterday the BEST BRANDS OF LIQJJQR WERE "OFF." .

The drought for the lover of "Crawford's—and no other" set in practically on Tuesday in more than one hostelry. Mr Publican had to perform rather a nice feat of judgment! if he wished to gauge accurately the demands of his prospective customers atj such a time, and still keep within the pale of legality. It could not be done, and one wholesale house had an urgent call for several prominent brands of liquor on Tuesday, orders' which it was unable to fill. '*'•':"

THE EVENING'S PROCEEDINGS in the town were surprisingly orderly. A great number of people were about' early in the evening to enjoy what humour might be extracted out of the occasion. There were predictions of all sorts of demonstrations, riotous and otherwise, but up* till ten o'clock there was nothing whatever to show that the town was on the verge of entering upon such a momentous period. It might have been an ordinary weeknight, but for the many peope in the streets. Certainly a lone Scot was struggling desperately with a set of i bagpipes and a dirge on the balcony of one hotel. But this was only to be expected, especially as this hotel had had its colours flying at half-ihast all day, as did another doomed house. There also were heard vigorous and very frequent strains of "Komati, Komati," from sundry directions while itinerant musicians slew without mercy ballads old and new. But there was an almost

ENTIRE ABSENCE OF DRUNK-

ENNESS:

"Robert Peel," interviewed at 1.16 a.m., said that there were four persons only enjoying the accommodation afforded by the Government in the lane off Queeri street. Two of these, moreover, were locked up fon Tuesday. So that by midnight only two "drunks" were "lumbered." At 9.30 o'clock—half-an-hour before the sun of Bacchus the retailer set—a pressman took a hurried census,of the hotel patrons. In one house, containing four bars, there were three individuals only to be found, and they were on the point of i leaving. At the otherihotels there

was a good Saturday night attendance in the front bars, while in some cases the back bars were closed, and in others a mere handful of people were refreshing themselves. A MYSTICAL MAITER was the fact that sprinkled among the crowd were persons with'pieces of card attached to their coat lapels. I * <ey gave somewhat of an impresllk that a branch of the Mafia, or i grow 'janfl Society, had commenced Blacfek -i n the town, and the operations ? c ij e t betokened member- ! mysterious 4. was not the case. The ship.. ButiSfeisi v ? tion, proved to be tickets,, on fcnspes label was written labels, and 1 ora eaxrb . 0 f t ne wearer, the name and adlotress . A wise precaution E - BARS A GLANCE INTO THi, , aled a at five mihutea to- ten revv I( 3 e( j

striking. backgiromid, of den*. shelves —painfully baire when co» trasted with the mirrors, decanters, and other bright paraphernalia tc be found in the same places a week or so ago. There were hurried demands for a "shandy," a whisky, and multitudinous other decoctions as the moments flew by, and mournful toasts were honoured, such as were suggested by inexorable time's imminent decree. AT TEN O'CLOCK there was a general and punctual exodus from all quarters. A crowd of about 500 people congregated in Queen street in the vicinity of the Prince of Wales and Central Hotels. The haka was then an alternative and not unwelcome item on a diversified musical programme, consisting mostly of choruses of much hackneyed airs. One merry individual, with a determination born of something stronger than mere soda water, struck up "Old Lang Syne." He was, however, the somewhat unfortunate possessed of a very high-pitched tenor voice—a register clean above the vocal capabilities of an ordinary crowd. To make matters worse he commenced the song several tones too high even for his own voice. The crowd did not discover all these defects uutil they endeavoured to scale the mighty height at the end of the line "and never broueht to mind," and then the result was simply fearful. Still, there werd other songs sung, and a swaying crowd spent a blithe twenty minutes in one .spot in merely using up an already husky voice. Then, borne on the evening air, and like the pipes of Lucknow, came the relieving strains of two pipers. With one accord the crowd ranged up behind, and. the evening was then spent in parading the streets, until an alarm of fire, at 11.30 o'clock, temporarily obliterated further memories of the occasion, and permanently disposed of the crowd as an organisation for alleged amusement.

THE POSITION EPITOMISED.

THE BUSINSSES AFFECTED AND THEIR LOCALE.

THE BOUNDARIES OF THE

DISTRICT

There are fifteen hotels altogether in the Master ton electorate, of which six are in Masterton itself, four are in Eketahuna, and the other five are in small country places. The hotels, with their licensees, and (where it is possible to give them) owners also, ■are as under : In Masterton.

Empire Hotel, owners, Staples and Co., licensee, J. Club Hotel, owners, Staples and Co., licensee, T. J. Porter. Prince of Wales' Hotel, owner, T. G. Macarthy, licensee, R; Barclay. Central Hotel, owners, Staples and Co., licensee, F. Cooper. Queen's Hotel, owners, Staples and Co., licensee, Mrs O'Neiil. Occidental Hotel, owner, Mrs H. Sullivan, licensee, J. O'Meara. In Eketahuna. <

Ranfurly Hotel, ; licensee, D. H.

Jehnston. ." ' . . < Club Hotel, licensee, A. Manguson. Railway Hotel, licensee, J. AyCollins. Eketahuna Hotel, licensee, Mrs L. Manson. In Other Places.

Konini Hotel, at Konini, licensee, W. M. Raines. Alfredton Hotel, at Alfredton, licensee, W. Conder. Mauriceville Hotel, at Mauriceville, licensee, A. Rebay. Hamua Hotel, at Hamua, licensee, H. W. Clay. Mulgrave Hotel, at Kopuaranga, licensee, V. A. Jorgensen.

The two latter have both been burnt down recently—the Mulgrave Hotel about a month ago. and the Hamua Hotel nearly two months age back.

The electorate extends for about forty miles from north to south, and is some 24 miles from east to westi at its widest part. On the north it runs up to the Pahiatua boundary, the dividing line being at Konini and along the Mangahao river. The Waingawa river form the southern boundary. The eastern one follows the course of the Taueru river, while on the west the electorate is bounded, roughly speaking, by the railway line. Upper Plain is the chief exception to the railway as boundary line. On the south side of the road residents are in a license area, while i on the north side no-license prevails.