WET CANTEENS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 November 1939, Page 5

WET CANTEENS

LIKELY TO BE ESTABLISHED IN CAMPS. EARLY GOVERNMENT ACTION EXPECTED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The establishment of wet canteens in the military camps in New Zealand is understood to be favoured by the Government. It is expected that the necessary authority will be contained in regulations to be promulgated soon under the Emergency Regulations Act passed by Parliament in September. As with the dry canteens, control may be invested in the Internal Marketing Division. Where an additional building has to be erected in any of the camps for the wet canteens, the course will probably be adopted of : having the dry canteen at one end and the wet canteen at the other, with tables and chairs in the centre.

Equipment of the wet section, it is stated, will follow that of the ordinary licensed hotel. The building will probably be erected near the "shopblocks” and cafeterias, which are also being provided for some of the camps. Keen public interest has been taken in the question of wet canteens ever since the Government announced, soon after the outbreak of war, that it was intended to raise a special military force in New Zealand. Advantages of wet canteens were emphasised in the House of Representatives by Colonel Hargest, the Opposition member for Awarua, who had a distinguished military career in the last war. Another returned soldier on the Opposition benches, Mr MacDonald (Mataura), also spoke in favour of wet canteens. Several Anglican synods have supported the principle of wet canteens, and numerous meetings of returned soldiers’ associations have advocated their establishment. One suggestion made was that as the soldiers were the one most vitally concerned they themselves might be allowed to take a referendum to determine whether they wished to have the opportunity to obtain liquor in camp. Opposition to the proposal has also been voiced by several organisations. s i» STRONG OPPOSITION. EXPRESSED BY MASTERTON LEAGUE. At a recent meeting of the Master- ■ ton No-Licence League the following resolution was passed and it was agreed that copies should be forwarded to the Minister of Defence, and to the Member for the Masterton electorate: “'This meeting of the Masterton NoLicence League, representing the active sentiment in this community against alcohol, protests against the proposition of the wet canteen in our military camps on the following grounds:— “1. On grounds of efficiency. We are sending our men into the military camps to be trained to the highest point of efficiency, but if we allow the wet canteen we set in operation alcoholic forces which will immediately result in a lowering of bodily resistance and a lessening of efficiency. This is only stating obvious scientific fact. “2. On the grounds of morality. We desire for our men the happiest and » cleanest of moral conditions in their J strenuous training. Alcohol ever tends) to lower the moral standard and slam- I ina." [