TEMPERANCE COLUMN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 202, 20 May 1908, Page 11

TEMPERANCE COLUMN.

[The matter in this column is supplied by a representative of the Now Zealand Alliance, and The Dominion is in no ■way responsible for tho opinions oxpressed therein.] - In .this column last week were given statistics". from aa English Blue Book, showing tho proportion of wages paid to valuo -produced in a 'number of different trade?" in England. ■ ■ From that it was seen that tho wages bill of the brewery is oasily tho lowest. ■ The. same ia true of New Zealand, though the .-'difference is lipt quite so : 'grcat. .. The following the proportion, in'round figures, as , compiled from the Government Year 800k,'1907^ . • / . : Paid-in'wages fjut.of oacli - Occupation. £100 valuo v . ' r produced. Woollen . mills ... ~ ... 26 per cent. Tailoring establishments' 37 ~ Clothing and Waterproof manuV,factiirers ' ... 34 ~ Engineering works .... .... 38 ~ Plaxmilia;, • ... ... / ... 40 ~ Furnituto and cabinet-making 41 ~ Brewories ... ; ../ ... 16 ~ It is very evident', therefore, that the brewing'monopoly is not dno the workers should encourage, if they consider thoir own interests'.!:' In proportion to the capital invested, it gives employment to fewer men than any; other trade. THE PRESIDENT O.F THE SOUTHLAND TRADES AND LABOUR COUNCIL . SPEAKS. v Mr. Jacob Ajsweiler, president of the Southland ;Trades and Labour Council, ha 3 sent the following,in answer to a letter asking his opinion" o£ tho results of No-License in.'.lnvercarn;ill:—• • Re your iiiquiry' as to tho, results of No-' License •in Inv.ereargill. Of course, I cannot-! speak officially on behalf of the Trades and Labour Council; that can only be done by: resolution of the Council itself. But personally .(and there are some of the prominent members. of the- Council of the' samo opinion)' I- have always been in favour of Prohibition, believing that it would help to romove a terrible curse, which" docs a great deal of harm to the community, tho working classes'being sor.ie of tho greatest sufferers. Sinco No-Licenso has been carried in Invercargill, I am more than ever convinced that this remedy will work wfliiders if only given a fair- fiold and. no favour. . As . a constant traveller 6n the Bluff line, 1 am simply, I may, say,"astonished at the reformation it has effected in the conduct, language; and good order of the crowd going home-on Saturday nights. Travelling in tho train is now an altogether different thing to what it. was . before, - No-License canio into effect; '~-!, • '' -•/ ' •

".Then,, nobody was safe from insult, disgusting language;: and disorderly conduct. Now tnesey,things rarely, if ever, happen. I: am only too.'sorry to think'that some of, tho! working'classes are opposed to this great reform, which,, to .my riiind, i 3 for their best .intoifestr.. • I trust, however, that, in .spite'of the opposition your cause will receivo, sufficient votes will be cast for NoLicense "at tho nest poll to make the whole of Southland "dry." You tire liberty to use this for the furtherance of the No-License cause, and I'ccrtainly wißh.you all success. —I am, sir, yours faithfully, (Signed) JACOB ALSWEILER. THE PRIME MINISTER OP THE UNITED • KINGDOM . ON LOCAL. OPTION. The Right Hon. 'H. H. Ascjuith is not a receiit tonvert to the principle- of Local Option, and his brave stand on the present Licensing -Bill ,is not, as some would make out, a. mere party move. : ' Speaking as long ago :as 1895, he! declared:""'Anyone who'has been in; the position I have! had tho honour to' occupy, !and who has been compelled to niake ~himself .'familiar, -not ■merely with., the but,, with ; tho actual eireurhstaiicea, of ci'ime and pauperism in this country; no one'who, has not been in that position can, perhaps,' thoroughly realise the enormous, the . wide-Bpread, and tho deep-rooted effcct of the abuse of liquor-upon the production of crime, and upon the degradation of the morality and. of the social habits of tho people. I am satisfied that, until we bring to bear upon this question-"-and I am not a. fanatic- m the-matter—but until wo bring to i bear; upon this . trade tho operation of public opinion and public, control in a direct and effective form; until, in other words, wo give to the people of cvorv locality tho power which is at present 'onjoyed by tho oivlier .of the. soil, you will never havo such a limitation of licenses, or, where public opinion and public sympathy are leveiled up to':that.'point,-such an entire prohibition of the consumption of drink, as, in my judgment, is the first condition of a better state, of,, social things in a large part of this country." '

BOWLS AND .WHISKY. 'A -banquet to' bowlers is not ah occasion on which strong temperance sentiment is usually'' expected, but something approaching it was heard during the recent visit of the New Zealandcrs to Sydney. The Sydney "Morning Herald" for .April 25 reports the picaic tendered by' Mr. W. M'Lcod, president of the New South Wales Bowlin" Association, to' the visiting Australian'and 'New Zealand bowlers. ', In proposing " Success to Bowling" at the hincheo'n, Mr. M'Lcod expressed disappointment that Now South Wales, had been defeated, but the perfect team .which Victoria had sent over, and tho splendid play of the Now Zealandcrs, had proved too much for them. Tho performance, of the Armidale men, from Victoria, a club into'which no 'liquor, was allowed to enter, spoke volumes' I'or the cbn-whislcy drinkers as bowlers. Tho Armidalo men, without drawing a. cork, had won all along the line. - Mr. Wood, responding for Victoria, admitted that, a great deal,of their success was due to the • absence of whisky drinkers. "FITNESS" AND ALCOHOL. There is a great dosiro on the part of all young men to bo: fit. A-young man cannot possibly. be fit if ho takes alcohol.- Bv 110 possibility can he want it. That anyone, young- or; healthy should want alcohol ia Bimpiy , preposterous.' They might just -as well want strychnine. • Thus tho argument for tho young man.is: Ycu want to ha a maiS, ana.iyou want to be fit. :You cannot get'.fit on alcohol'.—Sir Frederick Treves. THE SURGEON'S GREATEST DREAD. Lot me. add one little testimony. Having cpsnt the greater part of my life' in operating, I can assure you tkafc thero are some patients !that I don't mind operating upon, and somo that I do; but the person of all' others that I dread to sco enter the operating theatro is the drinker. He is the most dangerous feature in connection- with tho surgical lifo. The great surgeon, Sir Jame3 Paget, said: "Of all people I surgically dread _■ it' is the secret drinker."—Sir Frederick-Treves. , . " CLEANSE THE . FOUNDATION." • • "If we are going to found the prosperity of thecountry, its commercial prosperity, its industrial supremacy, upon an -impregnable basis, we must cleanso the foundation from tho rot of alcohol. If you are going to deal with tho problem of tho unemployed, and ' any Government must take that : into account, • you must first put an end to the mischievous.operations of tho groat recruiting sergeant of the unemployed army —drink, with its press-gang of public-houses. If you aire going to deal with'the problem of tho housing of tho people, what is the good of doing it when you know that as long as drink is allowed a free hand 011 tho hearth, tho rosult will bo that, although y n u may convert every slum into a garden city, other gnl'deii oities would soon be reduced to slums again? .That is why I. rejoice that this Government,- called to power, as I think, to redress long-standing wrongs, to remedy old evils 'that nave festered for generations, has : mado up its mind to devote the prime of its strength to dealing firmly, dealing thoroughly, and dealing, I hope, once for all, with the. greatest evil aiid tho greatest wrong of thein all." —Right Hon. LloydGeorge-