Waipawa Prohibition League.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXI, Issue 3900, 20 May 1899, Page 2

Waipawa Prohibition League.

A meeting of the above league was held in tbe Wesleyan Church last night. There was a fairly good attendance aud the meeting was of a most interesting and instructive nature. The Rev D. Weatberall oocnpied tbe ebair, and apolo gieed for tbe absence of tbe President. Solos were contributed by Misses Mogridge and Adame, a trie by Misses Came, Gallagher and Mogridge, a recitation by Miss E. Mogridge and a reading by Mr R. F. Phillips. The Rev W. B Marten, of Hastings, gave a clear and forcible address entitled *■ Why should we vote for Prohibition.” He stated that the aim of prohibitionists was to give tbe people the power to say whether they should have the trrffic or not. They advocated its entire aboliton from tbe ooDviotion that it is tbe only core for tbe evils of drunkenness. He dwelt on tbe evil effects of drink on the drnnkard himself, on his wife and children aDd home, and showed that these effects were not oon fined to any one class, but were common to all. Doctors, lawyers, clergymen, men of ripe eoholarsbip and social position were amongst its victims. It was tbe chief cause of poverty. In England one in every eight persons dies a paoper through drink. A parliamentary committee declared that one sixth of tbe wealth producing power of the country woe wasted by the traffic. Most of the crime and a large portion of tbe disease existing were traceable to drink according to the testimony of eminent Judges and physicians, whilst the general misery and wretchedness oaueed hv it were enormons. There were some 500 long sentenced prisoners in our gaols, more than 1000 inmates in oar benevolent and orphanage asylums, and nearly 2000 lunatics, making not lees than 3500 dependent on pnblio support. The Liberty League admitted that there 17,000 drunkards in New Zealand, and the number of drnnkards wbo die annually is abont 1300, which, placed side by side meant half a mile of corpses According to life insnranoe statistics this represents a loss of teu years of prospective life in eaob case, which meant an annual loss to the community of the labor of 13,000 persons and tbe wealth oreatod by it. Reckoning at 5s a day the lons of wag«s alone amounted to over a million htcrliog, Ia cne way or another the traffic tho conntry not less than four and a half millions a year while tho revunan derived from tbe traffic was only half a million. In other words, every 10* collected by way of revenue cost £4 10a to collect, leaving tbe conntry a loser to tbo extent of four millions With regard to a remedy, moral suasion was inadequate ; tbe traffic created twenty drunkards for every one rescued by persuasion. Regulation had proved a failure. There were more than 500 statutes on the English Statnte Book, aiming to regulate the traffio, snd it was almost hs bad as ever. Prohibition was the only core It bad been urged that this too had failed. Bat the testimony of persons like the R*v Joseph Oook, Hugh Price Hu«b« h. Lady Henry Somerset, and o'bere wilh whom the ►peaker bad personally oorrespouded, showed that it failed only where tho authorities lacked sympathy with the Ir.w and failed to onforce it. The question of compensation was touched oa briefly and an appeal made to tbe audience to do as he believed

Jam, would do if bore, tod 01. , effort tt the oouiing el.ctie .weep tbs traffic away. Nine net „ .ore were enrolled daring tbe Toe meeting cloned with tbe uenil, of tbnnki to *ll who had Mauled.