MASTERTON AND PROHIBITION

IS NO-LICENSE DEPLORED? A REPLY TO "NEW ZEALANDER." Sir,— ln your issue of 14th November there is an article describing conditions said to exist in Masterton. At the foot of the article is a note, "published by arrangement," whatever that may mean, but I take it that you as Editor thus endorse the statements made, hence it calls for protest from every fair-minded citizen. As a resident of Masterton for thirtyfive years, and carrying on a busihess paying more than £10,000 a year in wages, and as President of the Masterton Chamber of Commerce, I should be familiar with the conditions obtaining here. There is no doubt that there are men in Masterton whose love of alcohol is strong; here, as elsewhere, these meh strive to ¦ satisfy the craving. There are others, younger men, who becauße of the legal restrictions on the sale, revel in the excitement of blockade running. Then there are men who see in these conditions opportunity for making profit by trading On the weakness or one, or the fancied smartness of the other. These men are fairly well known, and their characters are such that no ordinary trader would trust them in the smallest business transaction. In order to check their operations, the police occasionally bring these "droppers" before the Court, when I fear that the natural love of fairplay, generally so admirable a characteristic of our legal administration, is so extended by our benevolent Magistrate as to give equal credence to the statements of the offenders as is given to the people's representatives, the police officers. The natural effect is to discourage the police and encourage the "droppers," who, in turn, laugh at an amiable Magistrate and sneer at a baffled policeman. In spite of this, I submit that there is no reason to "justify the statements you make in the article published by arrangement. , I have, during the past few months, visited most of the towns of this island, and in none did I see conditions superior (few as good) as obtain in Masterton to-day. Taking your summary in order, allow me to say that Masterton is to-day more prosperous than at any time in its history. As evidence take the response to the appeals for war and war relief funds. Has any community done better? There is still an unsatisfied demand for houses ; while as to the quality of the homos being built, we challenge any district in the Dominion. Let any doubter come and see. You say we have not retained the native-born. It is true we <san point to successful youths and men throughout the Dominion and the Commonwealth, virile and manly fellows, who claim Masterton as their "home." You say many people desire to leave the district. Well, we in turn would be pleased to say "Good-bye" to such. We want the companionship of workers, I not the criminal described. You 6ay that we suffer social outrages. . I-agree that it is not a Paradise. We I have mean and selfish men, but they find it more difficult than it once was to practise their arts. It is now possible for women to pass along our footpaths without annoyance ; it was not always so. I set out to protest again6t the unworthy slur you, an outsider, cast on a community that has dared to say that it does x not and will not license cert-am men to trade on the acknowledged weakness of some of its citizens. ( % \ I ask you in fair play k» publish this. <— I am, etc., CHARLES E. DANIELL'. —Published by arrangement.