Massive prohibition petition presented to Parliament

A petition with more than 240,000 signatures demanding an end to the manufacture and sale of alcohol in New Zealand was presented to Parliament.

Since the 1880s the prohibition campaign had developed into a powerful mass movement. Its supporters promoted sobriety as a ‘patriotic duty’ during the First World War. In 1915 and 1916 nearly 160,000 New Zealanders signed petitions calling for pubs to close at six o’clock. In 1917 the government agreed to restrict hotel opening hours to increase the efficiency of the workforce.

The 1918 petition showed that support for the prohibition lobby remained strong. The earlier closing hours introduced in 1917 were now made permanent. The liquor trade offered little resistance as reduced opening hours had ‘drawn some of the sting out of the wider Prohibition movement’ – and early closing was preferable to a total ban.

Prohibition was only narrowly defeated in a special referendum held in April 1919, and again at the general election in December 1919. The cause continued to enjoy strong support at the polls throughout the 1920s.

Image: Prohibition poster