LIQUOR FOR NATIVES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 51, 29 February 1916, Page 9

LIQUOR FOR NATIVES.

In the course of a letter to the Minister in charge of the Police Department, Mr. W. H. Field, M.P. for Otaki, refers to what lie describes as the serious and growing evil, in breach of the law, of supplying strong drink to Natives for consumption at their meetings, tangis, and at their homes. ''More than one caee has during the past few weeks come under my personal notice in my own district," he says, "and 1 am in a position to judge of the disastrous effect of drink consumption at these gatherings. The little children are the ones who suffer most. Many a native child's death has been directly due to neglect resulting from its parents' participating in a drinking bout at a native tangi. The moment ti°dcnth occuis the relatives and friends at once cease .work of all kinds, no matter at what loss or inconvenience to themselves and their employers, and set themselves to gather together food and drink for the entertainment of their funeral guests. They improvidently sell their stock and goods, very often at great sacrifice, including even the family cow, if money is not otherwise procurable. A well-ordered and brief tangi without drink cannot be taken serious objection to, but the admission of drink in any quantity often converts such a gathering into a disgraceful orgy, and extends its duration by many days. That drink is being procured by the Natives somewhere, without difficulty, is beyond doubt, but the transactions are so covered as in most cases to escape detection by the police, though every effort is made to trace the culprits. 1 am informed that railwuy officials are not allowed to divulge to the police the names of consignors, consignees, and recipients of drink carried on the railway. If this is the ease, instructions should at once bo given that railway servants should give the police all assistance-pos-sible. The subject is one which'requires the immediate and effective attention of the Government, and I deem it my duty to thus draw your attention to it. If the prevent law is insufficient it should be made more string* *-"