NEWS FROM OVERSEAS

White Ribbon, Volume 19, Issue 6, 1 July 1947, Page 3

NEWS FROM OVERSEAS

LETTER FROM BRITAIN Received by Mrs. Reed, Wellington. Dear Mrs. Reed, — Your letter written on November 20th reached me here on January 2nd, and the parcel about which you wrote came safely this week. I was at our Headquarters today, ami brought it home with me. Will you please thank the members of the Central Union in Wellington for their most generous gift? The contents look delicious. If we were not in the throes of the Arctic sjiell, with a gas cut, so that cookery is uncertain of success, I should have been tempted to make an applie pic immediately. I assure you, 1 shall do so on the first jvossible occasion. It is most kind of our New Zealand colleagues to rememl»er us and our dull diet. 1 supjvose we have enough calories if we take the trouble to count them, hut, in fac 4 , I find calories most uninteresting. The gifts I rom friends overseas give the little fillip need because they make for variety, and we are finding the old saying true —“\ arietv is the spice of life.” I his week vve have been direly disapj>omted because the House of Commons has voted that the Civic Restaurants may apply for licenses to sell Drink. That clause had been taken out in Committee; but after a three hour debate on Mondav, was re-inserted. I was fortunate enough to be in the House for nearh all the debate; and if more members had listened to the Nolicence speeches, i»crhaps they might have voted differently; but, when a “three-line Whip” is sent out, one must have real convictions to defy it and vote against it. A number of the Labour members did vote against the Licences; others did not vote at all. I he disappointing thing is to see jieople, who are themselves abstainers voting tor drink because their party tells them to.

However, we shall now have to rouse public opinion, so that the authorities do NOT apply for licences; or, if they Jo, bring opposition into the licensing meetings and convince the Justices that the granting will be unnecessary. Sr you see we arc having our work cit out for us. Greetings to all White Ribboncrs; and many thanks, DOROTHY STAUNTON.