NO-LICENSE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2276, 22 August 1908, Page 3

NO-LICENSE.

THE REV. T. FEE’S LECTURE.

ANOTHER LIVELY MEETING

The Rev. Thomas Fee delivered his third lecture op No-license in His Majesty’s Theatre last evening. The building was crowded, and the Rev. F. AY. Chntterton occupied the chair. Tho Chairman announced that alter Mr. Fee had concluded his tour of the district, Gisborne would be visited by Miss Hughes, of Australia, Air Black, of Auckland, and Air. T. F. Taylor, of Christchurch, who would all speak iu the iio-liconse cause. Ho wanted the question to be fought out fairly and squarely, and hoped the advocates of licenso would in turn put. their side of tho question before the electors, and allow questions to be put to tho speakers. Air. Fee, who, on rising to speak, was well received, said ho did not want the public to think ho" had any animosity to the men nnd women engaged in the trade. He was fighting the trade, and not individuals. No-Oicense had been tried in Alaine, but after it had been in force for five years license was again established, but only two years elapsed when, n large majority rose and swept license out, and it had been kept out for over fifty years. Other States followed, and at tho beginning of this century nearly 33 million people out of the SO million people of the United States had swept tho traffio clean away At the present moment nearly 40 million of the inhabitants of the States lived under the prohibition flag. Tlie American people knew a good thing, and when they got that good thing knew how to keep it. It was not necessary to go to America for illustrations for the success of No-license. Clutha had decided upon No-license at the first opportunity by more than three votes to one. In 1906 the trade put up a big figlifc against Nodicenso in that district but the No-license vote was strong enough to continue prohibition. Since then the liquor vote has steadily decreased, and the people of Clutha never showed any desire to have the trade in their midst. Still tlio trade' asserted there w T as more drunkenness in Clutha under No-license than with, the open bar, but the police returns showed that tho statement was untrue. If so much drinking had, gone on in Clutha as the trade asserted, he could not see why tho trade wanted licenses, because instead of being at the expense of paying license fees tho brewers were selling more drink nnd had lees expense. But the trade knew what they asserted was not true, and time and time again tried to undo No-license. Invercargill had had Nolicense for two years/ and Oamam had swept the traffic out. If the valid votes of the people were given effect to there would not be an open

bar from the North Capo to Invercargill. Clutha had given such good results that Mataura, Invercargill, Tort Chalmers, and Oamaru had followed the example ,although the vote in Tort Chalmers had been upset on a technicality of the law. Gisborne wanted a change as much as any town. The trad© had circulated tracts containing arguments in favor of No-license, and stated the question was dealt with from the moral sidy only. Air. Fee then proceeded to criticise a pamphlet setting forth the value of license. -r Proceeding, Air. Fee said that in Gisborne in three years there had been 1004 convictions for drunkenness. How could the trade say license had a purifying influence. In Gisborne in three years there were 2512 conviotions for all sorts of crime. Invercargill, with a larger population, did not have nearjy such a record, even when under license. The trade had sufficient evidence in Gisborne that crime was increasing under license. If the trade would only look to the licensing districts they would find a greater increase than in the ro-license districts. Since No-license had been installed in Oamaru crime ■had decreased by nearly one-half, bul the trade never held up Oamaru as one example. The trade was the mother of crime, and it was of little use to deny it Tho end of the trade was coming, and when it came it would he a Godsend to both the trade and the people. There was not less than £5,000,000 spent on drink in New Zealand in a year, but no one knew what was lost through the curse, the annual loss on drink would be £lO,000,000 or £12,000,000 a year, and the people could not afford it. He would agree with the trade that tlio questions should be discussed on moral grounds. . At this stage Mr. Webb interjected. Air. Fee: I am not talking to you, friend; I am talking to an intelligent audience. Continuing, he said the greatest curse in the comm unity was the liquor traffic. It was a traffic that caused every species of crime, and unless the people voted to place an obstruction in' front of progress, there would not be a liquor license in the Dominion. He would appeal , 011 behalf of humanity that the people rise and cast the drink from among them. The Chairman then announced that Air. Fee would answer questions. In answer to a question the lecturer gaid he thought a large portion of the money spent in paying old age pensions would not be required if No-, license extended throughout the Dominion. A question asked was “Does not the Year Book show that the quantity of drink consumed per head of population is decreasing since the beginning of the century?” Mr. Fee replied that- it did not. The questioner produced the Year Book and quoted the figures. Air Fee quoted figures showing that neither drinking nor crime had decreased during the last ten years. The figures as quoted were compared, and Mr. Fee admitted the figures available since the beginning of. the century showed that there had Leon a decrease under both headings. Air. Fee said he was willing to admit everything that was truo, but in twelve years the convictions for drunkenness had doubled while the population liad not nearly doubled. That did not show there had ben a decrease in drunkenness. Air. Long asked if Air. Fee was iit favor of giving the people an opportunity to vote for State control at the ballot. Air. Fee: Yes. lam willing to loavo the issue to the people. Another gentleman asked if it was fair to compare State control under a democratic Government like New Zealand with State control in such an autocratic country as Russia, as was done 011 Wednesday evening last. Air Fee replied that he did not know under what conditions the State would control, the drink traffic in New Zealand. , , ~ Mr AVebb .stood up and asked the lecturer a personal question, which the chairman refused to put to Air. Fee. The meeting then began to get very •lively. A number of other questions were asked and answered, and a vote ot thanks to the lecturer and the chairman concluded the meeting.