THE WORLD TO-DAY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXII, Issue 8246, 11 December 1911, Page 6

THE WORLD TO-DAY.

"Wtjabdia^" Office, December 11, 1911. What is a " wowser?" The question was propounded at one of his meetings to Mr George Hutchison, a candidate for Wanganui seat, and he evoked much laughter by replying that, so far as he was able to make out, a "wowser " was a- man who had got corns on his chest by leaning up against public-house bars! That. was a good example of the humorous answer that turneth away ill-feeling. In Canterbury the term "wowser" is taken very seriously, and a correspondent of the. " Lyttelton Times" lias been appealing to men to stop using it, lest they write themselves down blackguards. He says the word was •'-originally used as one of contempt towards a certain class.- of clergymen. Now it has been extended to include all who do not see eye to eye with Conservatives and Liquor men." This is the first intimation we have heard of. "wowser ism" being identical with Liberalism. Its use here is confined to describing members of the No-license or Prohibition party, and these are as often Conservatives as they are Liberals. In Auckland, where the Liquor Party is very strong, the >Prohibitionists seem to glory in being called " wowsers." Prior to the recent poll, they issued a series of cartoons and manifestoes in the newspapers, and these /-were signed as emanating from the Wowser Company, Ltd. That is a commendable way of taking the sting out a word that was meant to hold a class of the community up to contempt and ridicule. Why should there be any hesitation to own that on©' is a "wowser" in a country where, as shown by their votes on Thursday last, more than half the adult population are "wowsers." What's in a name?; By and by, we may see a proposal seriously entertained to change the name of the Dominion to " Wowserland." A good title for a book des-1 •cribing the coming state of things when j Prohibition is carried, would be " Alice in Wowseviand." We offer tho idea to aspiring authors. •