RECHABITE CONVERSAZIONE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Issue 1173, 8 September 1882, Page 2

RECHABITE CONVERSAZIONE.

About one hundred and fifty! persons assembled in the Town Hall, last evening for the Rechabitej conversazione. The usual liberal tea .was'pro 1 - vided and served in the most hospitable manner, Shortly after eight Brii D'Arcy took the chair, and the prouramme- for the evening commenced, Opening ohorus " The Gushing "Rill," hy the Ealnti fWily. The Ohairmau said that he lad consented to preside at the reques oF T OM chief officer of their tent who was a young' man and evidently believed in 'j wearing nut the nld utieslirsi." He ,;;ive the meeting some iiiteres'ing maiistics jhouV Eechnbitea, - Their; order was beneßt one and their own tent wan like the order,

i financially a success. He benefit aooieties in whiob the »otp|ahfl|!|eiice principle was adopted ahM-Mity per cent better retains than ither The Maaterton tent had ; :|iee|^qpred^ : li!tle over a twelve-month, were honorary and '34 benefit members, They had throe candidates for admission ::L®n'rr.?l , d-:jduring- r there bud been no demand, on their, *ick r nr funeral tuni. (Aupliuse). <:.i\ 1.1 r Dußt^.LV^haU-7.ara., > >j%" Mrs Judd and.Mr Ralph.. The Eev Mr tail t then spoke as follow^: Several lenders and letlefs have appeared I ij) foiin'ded iipnn t a statemeeting that ai) extensive.Sunday liquoV' trade is done by soma of the publiuans of Masterton, in defiance of the prohibitory olau8(;8of tho:Lfo6(ieiiiLt,Act| - This state:,, one-writer its correctness was doubled, /ndlher h/.^ht; .-iuanlinees in thatrinadei vftuuVilisiniiiitiohSithbut' substantiating my charge, an'd a third, while he practically adrnit'ed the truth of what I 'Bali? threw'upoil i he a'patßy '.Uf i thej temperance, party the onus of.tlie !<xjtetjn?;evjl( jwem(at! thia atage an incident occurred that lent fresh interest 10 many that the pufili'eani were ' falsely a s. jnplj' the landlordj -9ff Jhe_'._Royal. ;Jsi»tolsum-; moned a man for creating a disturbance because he refused to sell him .drink on Sunday, and in the course uMus.esidenco Mr Worth said that he believed men pro. teurfed intoxicants from' other placesithan hotels ; that the police did thdir'bfest to) maintain' the law, and that lie did his best to help them. Tha' firat and last ■ of Mr. Worth's .statements I do nut oombat, tbej'ejnwy be,tily «jog Celling, in Master-; ton', and, in justice io Mr Wiirth, ing referred to him bj' name, I must Btate 'that so far •••I hftveheardofno'caSe of 1 'ounday.'drlnking. taking' plac'a in.his hotel;. But if the' general, ,publio have been, led §!<■)&< to. believpjhat, Masterton police have been doing' their duty, energetically so far. as ; the suppression of. Sunday .drmkijig is concerned or that because Sergeant Price, tells the Court that two other publicans refused to supply drink to the man who oreated the ( dt)thrbancej nvy sta|e\neht jvpw.false' 'ind that 110 SundtXy trade is Hone I shaft endeavor to lay/befpjthetinmnbers of this meeting faots'lliat will Convince arty unprejudiced mind that not not only are who.. are .carrying on a Sunday trade uf a most disgraceful description but thai this trade is .so large, so bol l, I had almost said bo open that were not the police peculiarly apathetic, or peculiarly incapahle they would secure conviotiona.or atieasLbring the matter prominently before 1 [M public: and act to more puniba'ritg'a clieitfrfiiijp pUuse.) In doinw this I /hall only bring before ice, .facts that have been stated to", me ainceltliis,controversy com-minced,|-and stateju by inen whose words are above 'suspicion One gentleman informed me that eighteen months aso he jhacJ ocoaaion one Sunday tn-viait a frjendwas stayiijj!at'one ottho'hotels.:Not Knowing"The 7 f locale" ofllie' fes The wandered in a wrong direction, and openjn.e.a doot; fojmd himself in, (he . presence rof wdoztti.of.uiore of niW busily ertfpl6yed in drinking. Well, but you say ' ■ that i« a long time ago. .Matters jre managed differently flow.?- }A« iliey ? 'Suppdse' I; prove lhat'in that same 'hotSl A Sufiday drinking is carried on n'hv/.j, You will then not only have that fact before you, ;buty(j,u njilljiave theinferenoe, andßhint cfcie'd tSn from Ihlit time to this. Wall, T have reliable informatiiM that on Sunday, August; 20tk| ailithoriy man who had returned 'home tobia family on Saturday night with nearly £lO in his pocket, spent the greater i■ortion of his •money.iruhat .sair,e ho teU - another hote| jrand ; was' turned out fat night Help- • lessly-drunlc 1 On Sunday; IjepTmßer 3rd; last Sunday, that Sunday, gentlemen, on which" Sergeant Price lells us three publicans' refused drink to one man-(I cannot help thinking, sir, that-it; is just possible :;p{ rt.hoße^ publicans knew that Sergeantf-Phice- wrfs' iiot far'off at the time) (a lau«h), the publican to firstnalludeik had; a man in his ' K"|?se, dri".king tbe greater part'of the day, " Thy man's" wiftTVenf 1 foiilid drffi; of the ohildren to know if the husband and father was tljere,, andthe publican .denied, that he was; but the liouse whs Watched, . .andjat about ten o'clook,iit (light ,tl|e man was,! turned; out so' druiik ilia' he:coiild hardly stand and had to be assisted home : or he would have fallen into the haiids,pf tlie; police, ■, Tn another, hotel as many as fiva.or six Masterton were .served with intoxicants at a time and, one ' W&n'iraß diinkinsf.lheVfA'tdr'poiiroh^oi the day. Going back to Augiisi 27th, I have received ; ';infifrmation of { thirteen Masterton residents ihatwere served with | intoxicants by Jw'p.pf before 12 o'clock nbtin, and as iny inform-, ation is necessarily incomplete, probably siyjy served. [ Were it nepessary I could mul|;ply t (su.qli - evidences,; bnt surely this T-iknow that these statements may'be: termed vague .; insinuations, and tha\ il)may called upon t.;i, substantiate my -charges, but I cannot substaniiate them, and any .knows, that, I canii'tfc.,. You, caunot get;drunkards publioiy -to testify to their own shame !and at, ihe sarau time ■ .Cut'.off, the future fStfhday, 'pro*; 'supply-, > aiid-unfprtuiiately,drunkard's yi've? ,d il ie npt teßtify agai[)Bt,flieir Jinsbands'; they .mustsufferuiiimattinabiecrgeltießinßilenoe i leai they arouse ? tli.eir. drunkenrfury and increase rather than mitigate' the'inisery and wretohe^ne^fof,tbeir ; ppsitipii:, What,', then, because we are notin a position, to ddr police are paid to do, are ,We to maintain a tnysteriuus a-'d expedient silence, although we. know from such, i,eß|i.mbnieß as>l /'have'! mjntiqitVd 'thVtl these things are; an occasion of crime' aiid misery," in our midst) 1 for.one will -mn'ntain no suchsiler.qei'itjj is:noV'-niyiilutylisa minister to spend the Sabbath as an amateur detective,- but'it 1 Siify 'tbi prStest' I 'flgainit : 'all } and every existing-Bvil ; it is iiiy stated to-night, comb wilhiti iny notice to give theiii al lth6 : 'pu bli city 1 : n' ray - povrer, "Pd,; I;-,*will ;J)i,sv, : wliatever, the iconsequences may be. 1 Wei : blamed'the _ u< ilice, but j11.fairjaeaa I, must qualify mj/ blame, It wQuii b,e;unnianly, wereil toattribute to them the -blame ■ that .largely attaohesi.ito -tatiother! I-holdl in my hand a. copy.iiof'"thd l >WAiF-'ABitA' Daily for March Gth.lßßl, and it contains I will venture^ to say, one "of "the"most extraordinary illegal!.deliverances ever ' delivypediby..a| N the Ijenclj. •Mosf of you know the'circnmsfance under whichjt w |?^P^kenj iil^Se|!!|! Mo^djei ■fb'fSelliiig dnnliwSur'days". ThVcd'ses fell through for lack oi evidenc B| and the SfteeantiWaß snubbed -for, lnstenergy by tiie R.M. in the worda:—" He .woqld. -remind- 3ll.\holder'a\of licenses of the t law with respect to. Sunday eveu the friend of a lodger, his guest in; fact could not b£ supplied. He'did not" lay ,thki this |f this view: were_ correct they mi»hi, i /con^ratulate T t'6 ,T mti"Hiß , opifiion;was that if,there were '.B'il,Y ! fiWaon of.(iublt'c decency, or 'jf"'di6irueiv ! Rp!W?fe'iiff'/t^§ c i)(diotj should be an" undue apouiit 1 of prylfig'bnithe part of the police into a,'tti'dd&ite : ttse of rQ-

frephment on a Sunday, ao long as public ordi-r and dcoeiioy were observed. Notwithstanding the expression of his opinion he declared that if «ny case of a breach of the Aoi were proved he would nothesiiate to liifliot such n penalty as'would vindicate ibe law." Now, Sir, if words mean any : thing we have here advice given by the 1 highest t esiden't judicial authority to the !oc«.l-pn|.ice~t«» : uf the Iftw eo lung as it is, violated decently, The It.M. praotically'siiys t/onviofca man before ' jufr of a breach o£ the Aot,.Bnd,l will puniih him ; loDg f .as the publican does ! i lie 1 thing jquietly ( ,4nMr Wnion it ia not your duty to pry>qriduly itito what is woing nn, or to take notice of a moderate illegal use of refreshments." Now, sir, I say that no judge of the Supreme Court would bave a- right to L'ive such inatructiona, or to qualify the kwin this; manaen.) c.lmjt^ib declaration ; k eeemß m key to the present position of' affairs ->tta explanation fcf the of the publicans/ the explanation' of the present apathy of the police, the explanatiojM the existence of the, present Suriday trade. For when an B.M. speaks in i this, cannot wonder that his I iabor'digaies talse; tliew fooea from him. What does the R.M. call a direct violation of the law? A pub'ioan may get men in a baok room and let them ;snak'[and;,soak; mniiji soaked themselves; t<!;'jthe level ol oeas's, and :t}rutiV;;inio t'heuitelves the Bpirii of a devil; they may then home ill the darkness and kick and strike their wives, and curse their children: and still publitforder is hot affected,or public .decency affected. ,No'w, sir, this is what actually occurs in M&aiertnn-as the result of the enforcement of the Licensing ' Act according to Mr Wardell, and I for one think, the time tins come when, as citizens, we should demand that the Mastert«)n' police force enforce the Licensing A«t of, New Zealand. I do fo|rfr- 'matter to rest', but' organise, and t»ke%nme slept -to seethe put an pn.l to^Applause). Song " Birdie" Bro Betty. ; Raoitatitm, Mr George Ridding, , Glee, See: our ,o»rs"ißalpht family. Son", " Smiling Tom," Mr Rapp. Mr D. McGregor then gave a short ■iddresson the temperance question. The }attendancs at; itjelij 1 : gat that evening indicated tnat the cause was making, prosrpss in Manterton. He advised moderation on the part of total abstainers in advocating'tlieirAfcausk ,'He thought -they_oj.uli.dajnortguodr.by talking with in friendly and quiet niftni|e r denouno"l' yietri. fflcjm|idergd jha| their best cliauoe of reform, layi in leyialative restriction. The principle of limiting the liquor traffic had been admitted, and it was fur the public tu determine to what the limit should be carried. Licensing Victuallers were making a point against their present act, out of the excessive cost of working it, He oon'en. ded however, tlvn tliu question was not merely one of shilliia's and pence, but il a great principle which they should 'ngainstpaaot :tferji matters of detail,, whioh ooula be remedied, and whioh in a measure were inseparable from the introduction of a net? aoLbut having gained tlie. great 'principle* lJcall dption, do not let them surrender it (applause). _ The other pieces on the included p'qui;, Mr W. Rapp, recitation/ Master Gardner, song, MrKingdou, aMp. Mr Peacock, and song, Mrs Judd. The proceedings closed at a somewhat late hour with'a votepf thapkrto all who had assiited on rMrsCroaa presided il the piano. 'Tho pieces rendered by the very harmonious Ralph family were n speciality of the entertainment, . and gave great pleasure to nil who were assembled.

Heads of faniiliiis. ffon't Jofgef your little .onesL-Bpys' and Youths,'GJothini; is to t>. had cheap at the Suiplus iStock Sale at T& .'lro House.—Av; As we_ arS positively assured that this extraordinary sale of Surplus Stock will only last 14 days, it behoves all who wish to replenish their stores of drapery at a fabulously cheap riii/i to make a vr-vy e irly visit to J\Mts bMrru's, Te Am tluuse.-An.