The White Ribbon. For God and Home and Humanity. WELLINGTON, JULY 18, 1917. NOTES BY THE WAY.

White Ribbon, Volume 23, Issue 265, 18 July 1917, Page 9

The White Ribbon. For God and Home and Humanity. WELLINGTON, JULY 18, 1917. NOTES BY THE WAY.

The Dominion Executive of the W'.C.T.U. met at Wellington on June 29th. Mrs Lee-Cowie gave a report of her work siiue Convention. Mrs Cowie lias held meetings throughout the Dominion, and has stirred up great interest and enthusiasm in our campaign foi National Prohibition. Several hundreds have given in their names at our meetings as wishing to join our Union, and a large increase of membership has resulted. The Alliance Convention, held in Wellington in June, was a very fine gathering, many said the best Alliance Convention the> had ever attended. It was certainly an improvement to have the gathering at each session presided over by its President. Important changes in the Constitution of the Alliance were adopted after careful consideration and weighty discussion, and should make for nun h greater efficiency.

The Public Meeting in the Town Hall was a fine one. The building was well filled, and a disturbing element, well primed with the brewer’s best, was much in evidence. One speaker commented upon the kindness of the publicans in sending specimens of their products as exhibits at a temperance meeting. Another remarked that when you got a temperance meeting as (juiet as a prayer meeting the re was nothing doing. Rev. Paterson, of Christchurch, in his address at the Town Hall, made .1 strong appeal for 6 o’clock closing (1) For safe streets at night. Soon the Second Division would be called, and many youths in their teens would be left without fathers, uncles, or elder brothers. The Government had conscripted all these, therefore upon it was placed the obligation to safeguard these boys from the Liquor Bars. (2) For Equality of Sacrifice. Mothers were sacrificing their sons, wives their husbands. It was time the Government said to the Trade, “Line up with the rest of us, and do your share of sacrificing for the nation’s good.’’

DEPUTATION TO CABINET. From the Alliance Convention a deputation went to Cabinet. Mr Massey, Sir Joseph Ward, and Sir James Allen were present, and Mr A. S. Adams, Rev. R. S. Gray, and Mrs A. R. Atkinson were the speakers. They strongly presented the cast* foi 0 o’clock closing on the ground of efficiency, economy, and stern necessity in this hour of national peril. Mr Massey, in replying, said it was wrong to say this trade was entrenched behind the Government. The (iovernment would not shirk dealing with this trade. It had done much to restrict the liquor trade. The National Government had given us antishouting. Rev. Gray: A screaming farce. Mr Massey: The Government had forbidden the sale of liquor to young people under twenty-one. Chorus of voices: Broken every day. Mr Massey: The (iovernment had enacted that any publican allowing drunken or disorderly persons on their premises •mid have their licenses cam elled. Mrs Atkinson: Can you tell us how many licenses nave been cancelled l«»i that cause? Mr Massey : 1 really cannot say.

Mr A. S. Adams: Not one. Rev. Gray: They threatened a man in Wellington, but never took a license away. Mr Massey promised that the mat. ter should he considered by Cabinet, and a Bill brought dow n early in the session. Rev. Gr« y said that the Tempi ranee Party would accept no compromise. Six o’clock was our irreducible minimum. Altogether the prospects for early closing do not appear to be vt\ rose .