The Bruce Herald. TOKOMAIRIRO, OCTOBER 23, 1903

Bruce Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 180, 23 October 1903, Page 4

The Bruce Herald. TOKO MAI RIRO, OCTOBER 23, 1903

The long-expected Licensing Bill, . ■Which was introduced into the House on Tuesday is both luminous and vbluminuous, especially the latter; but take it for all in all it is a far better licensing measure than any of its predecessors. It is to be regretted in introducing new legislation on the. subject that the whole licensing legislation was not grappled -with, and the new features of the present Bill were not brought down in a consolidating measure : as it is the proposed new law has to be read in conjunction with the notorious Alcoholic Liquor Sales Control Acts, which are as full of legal pitfalls as a Government poultry farm egg is riot full of -chicken. It is noticeable that there is no provision in the Bill, restoring the status quo to Bruce and Newtown at the next licensing poll, but this is probably due to the fact that at the latter the trade is taking the question to the Privy Council, and no legal enactment will be brought forward until I its decision is known. The Bill is not one that will be hailed with delight by the prohibition party, although there are a number of provisions contained therein which are likely to assist the cause of temperance in many ways. But, there is such a thing as getting more than you really want in this world, and that is the position the Bill places the leaders of the party in to-day. Some years ago its leaders went about the country giving lectures on the curse of drink, and told highly sensational tales of the ten-days-in-a-bar-room type, for the purpose of shocking people into prohibition. They also started a highlyspiced anti - liquor paper, entitled The Prohibitionist, as the organ of the prohibition party. For many years this paper and the party advocated a drastic policy against the evils of drink, not only in hotels, but everywhere else. It was found, however, that prohibition of drink did not catch on with the public, so the party, being . cunning in its generation, has of late advocated the more moderate policy of no-license, and recently the Rev. Mr Isitt, actually went so far as to point out that no man was so poor that he could not keep drink in the house, in the shape of a barrel of beer ! At the last election the party marched on to victory, aided by large numbers of moderates, who have little iiv common with the party, except a hazy idea that the trade needs reforming. The moderates, who are acting in this way, are apparently unable to see that they are being led by the nose by their wiser prohibition allies, and that in a few years, at the present rate of no-license progression, the colony will be prohibition from Stewarts Island to Uowline Bay, and no liquor will, legally, be allowed into the country. Then there is a considerable majority of bona fide prohibitionists who are trying to bring this about, because they conscientiously believe that drink is a curse and an evil to the human race, and ought to be stamped out, not only in the open bar, but also in the home. These people will honestly confess that their hope is that no liquor shall legally be allowed into the colony in the near future. But while it is clear that this is the final goal of the leaders of the party, they are more politic, and finding they asked too much to begin with, they now hide their future intentions by asking for reduction and no-license. We have made these apparently digressive remarks to lead up to the clause in the Bill which will impale the prohibition leaders on the horns of a dilemma, not only with their party but with^the moderates. The clause we refer to is that making it penal to have liquor in the home, one month after prohibition is carried in a district, subject to the exceptions duly provided, that wine may be used for religious purposes, and liquor for medicinal, scientific, or manufacturing purposes in such district. This clause places the leaders in the position of having to declare " Under which king, Benzonian ? speak or die?" Are they in favor of nolicense and liquor in the home, or real prohibition, with no liquor in the bar or in the home? That is the question they will have to squarely face and answer, for they can no longer emulate Mr Facing-Both-Ways on this matter. Nor can it be doubted that if no-license is ever to-be effective, and prohibition is really to prohibit the consumption of drink, the only way to bring these things about is to stop the legal introduction of liquor into prohibited districts, as is proposed in this Bill. So long as this is not done the carrying of prohibition is nothing more nor less than a farce, as has been proved both in Clutha and in the United States.

An American exchange says : Thai Lord Kitchener is entitled to all the honor he can derive from his connection with the Boer war, all will concede, for he also bore the brunt of harsh jcriticism administered by his own countrymen. A becoming indifference and a dignified attitude marked the generals conduct in the face of this censure. Many of the criticisms were cruel, and one paragraph appearing in a magazine cut to the quick. The item read : '' Kitchener is simply allowing a great modern army to wear itself out on the rocks and kopjes between Cape Town and Pretoria." How fortunate that the soldiers are wearing out those rocks." said Kitchener, cynically. "It prevents the patriotic stay-at-homes from coming down here to throw stones • atus."

■ i "■■■■ i •'"__:_. —■' -■ • y; A convicted sly grog-seller in the King Country informed the Magistrate that his inducement to sell whisky was the enormous profit made — about 250 per cent. •/" Water is plentiful," he added. The demand for draught horses still continues. Yesterday Messrs Wright, Stevenson, and Co. disposed "of Mr George Co.rmack's j contracting team at very satisfactory prices. We are informed from another source that two of the best animals brought ;£l 15. ~*- A young lad named Carr, who resides at Kapiti, was run over and knocked down by a cyclist on the main road near Milburn yesterday. Dr Menzies was immediately summoned and he found that the boy had his left leg broken. The cyclist is unknown, but if he had a spark of manliness in him, after knocking down the boy, he would not have left him to the tender mercies of anybody who might chance to pass. A few days ago a traveller reported to the authorities at Milton Station that he had either lost or had a parcel stolen. He said that he laid the parcel down by the weighing machine, at the entrance to the station, and went across to the Royal Hotel to have a lemopade. Now, however, after the authorities had gone to a. deal of trouble, it turns out that the police discovered the parcel, while raiding the above premises, where the traveller had left it. General " Phil " Sheridan was at one time asked at what little incident did he laugh the most. "Well," he said, "I do not know, but I always laugh when I think of the Irishman and the army mule. I was riding down the line one clay, when I saw an Irishman on a mule, which was kicking its legs rather freely. The mule finally got its hoof caught in the stirrup, when, in the excitement, the Irishman remarked, ' Well, begorrah, if you're goin' to get on, I'll get off !' " As an instance of what is being done in the Wellington district in the way of egg-producing, it may be stated (says the N.Z. Times) that there are now stored in the refrigerating rooms of the Meat Export Company no fewer than 100,000 dozen eggs. It has been found that to place eggs in a refrigerating room in this way is an excellent method of preserving them. Some eggs which, having been in the cold store for nine months, were taken out and served at the breakfast table, were in such excellent condition that it was impossible to distinguish them from others which had been laid that day. The annual country bands' contest takes place next week at Port Chalmers, and the Milton Band will leave by train on Wednesday morning 28th inst. The band have had a lot of practice during the past few weeks, and it is considered, locally, that it should have f an excellent chance of obtaining a place in the front ranks, when the contest lakes place. The test piece will be " Beatrice Di Tenda \ (Bclleni), and the quickstep " The Southern Cross " (Dolby) ; while the quartette will be "The Vital Spark" (Pope). The following players will take part in the solo competitions : — Messrs G. Littlejohn, R. King, T. Bryce, H. Brook, M'Callum and F. Grant. The outsid; opinion of those who have heard the band practising is, that it is playing very well indeed, and ought to come out on top in, the contest, or very near it. That there will be a fierce fight in Parliament over Mr Massey's promised amendment, to give Crown leasehold settlers the right to acquire the freehold of their holdings now seems certain. It is impossible (remarks the Wanganui Herald) to foretell which party will win, though the " freetraders " are said to be confident of commanding a majority in the House. We can only hope that such a reversal of the land tenure policy of the country, of the system which has made New Zealand what it is to-day, will not receive the sanction of Parliament. The leasehold is the coping stone of the whole wonderful fabric which was initiated by the late Sir John M'Kenzie, and has since been carried into such happy effect by Mr ' Seddon's Government. Take away that, once allow the present leaseholders to purchase their sections outright, and the colony will soon be faced with difficulties and complications innumerable. The Fiji Times, in noting the large amount of flax exported from this country, takes the opportunity of urging the Government of Fiji to offer a bonus of something under for the first hundred tons of flax fibre exported from Fiji. A variety of flax known as " furcraea gigantea " flourishes well in that country, and, according to the Times, is superior to the variety exported from New Zealand. It would appear that while the New Zealand farmers are combining, so are our American cousins. The Detroit Free Press states that plans for combining farmers, fruit growers, dairymen, and all other producers of natural food products into one national organization were considered at a conference at Chicago recently between representatives of several farmers' co-operative associations. This movement has for its purpose the maintaining of prices, the control of distribution of products and the saving of large sums of money paid in commissions. The plans under consideration contemplate the erection of grain elevators and cold storage warehouses in all parts of the country where products may be held if necessary until such times as they can be marketed at a fair price. As a result of the conference, it was decided to hold a farmers' convention in Chicago, September 8, to consider detailed plans of organization. The call is signed by Robert Lindblom, President of the. Farmers' National Co-operative Exchange, Chicago ; J. A. Everitt, President of American Society of Equity, Indianapolis, and D. L. Wilson, representing the dairy interests, Elgin, 111. Don't miss the famous Waxworks Company; these popular favorites will re-appear tonight and Saturday evening. Erass Band free recital on Wednesday. ; S. S. Bannister, the well-known chemist, Dunedin, advertises in this issue. See ad. Exclusion. fares Government Railways ; se^ advts. The Manchester House has change of advts. Tohn Parlane for complete outfits ; see ad, Accounts owing to R. Stevensojj to be paid by 4tb 'Noveml)e& : J

The sale of Mr, W. A. Allan's stock at \ .Hillend, under the New Zealand Loan- and Mercantile Coy's, hammer was well attended, and everything was sold; except a few implements. Horses were very high, ranging from £4° to £50 ; cattle from .£7 to £10. Recently we drew attention to a glaring ' instance of the high railway freight charged on a "tin .of crude oil to Lovells Flat. Another , case has come under our notice. Lately a resident of Kaitangata obtained some bags of sorrel seed from Dunedin for feeding fowls. The total cost of the seed was Js, and the railway freights to Kaitangata was T is. If this is a sample of the usual freights, no wonder the Borough Council of Kaitangata recently^inter viewed the Minister of Railways asking that the railway freights might be lowered. ' Travelling through the -country one canno •help but note (writes a correspondent of the Ashburton Guardian) the ravages caused to cereal crops by the pestilential grub. This regrettable fact is specially noticeable in the Wakanui district at present, and is giving cause for very grave alarm among the farming community. Paddocks of wheat, which a few ! Tveeks ago to all appearance looked healthy and thick, are now- covered vyith bare patches, arid in many instances so great is the havoc played by the grubs that re-sowing would be prudent. The only practicable way of dealing with this pest seems to be that suggested by Mr W. W. Smith, some time ago, in his paper on the subject, viz, lighting fires in the gloaming when , the grub beetles leave the ground. A writer in the journal of the Canterbury and Pastoral 'Association for October states that the New Zealand Forestry -Department should be proud of its output .of 2,000,000 treesa year> considering the short time it has been in existence, and seeing that 100,000 trees are considered a large annual output at the State nursery on Mount Mace- ! don, in Victoria. The writer adds that the only unpleasant fact is that while the Government is spending large sums of money in reforesting, the Crown and private individuals are still destroying valuable timber by fire. It is a deplorable state of affairs, he says. All burning on timbered lands should be stopped at once, he adds, and, if necessary, settlers on bush allotments should be removed to open lands or should be compensated for alterations in the laws affecting their selections. The truth is slowly but surely coming out about the late war." Here is a small slab : — 1 Mr Cresswell, manager of the Village Main Reef gold mine, Johannesburg, recently engaged white unskilled labor at 10s per day. ( The experiment proved successful. Mr Cresswell informed the Rand Labor Commission that the Chairman of his London Board had r - privately written to him that Messrs Wernher, Beit, and Co., and others had been consulted on the matter, but they feared that to engage a large number of white laborers on the Rand ■would cause the same troubles which prevailed in Australia, and would enable a combination of labor to dictate wages, and also cause trouble politically when responsible government was granted. The statement created a sensation. .Sir George Ferrar failed to make Mr Cresswell admit that that the letter was read for political purposes. Dentistry.— Thos. Fogg, Dental Surgeon Certificated) visits Milton Tuesday and Wednesday of every week. All work firstclass, with moderation in fees. Rooms above 3- Fogg's, tobacconist.