MR. FISHER AND MONOPOLIES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2018, 27 March 1914, Page 8

MR. FISHER AND MONOPOLIES.

Sir.-i-M-r. JKslier. is to lmvse ho iHtinp; _at the squatter monopoly; all moiiopo'lT \<ss must go. Thp breTOKs* ainoiioptftyi' like the squatte.rsj niiist jip j.oiiget he protected. U*he Tories craa"ted tlio sijliattor nionopoly apd the Prohibitionists the brewer aionopolj', N'owi as Mr. Fisher is. beholding to,tlie one ..for office and to the Other a sest iii Pariis■ment, is it likely, tliat l?. if. I}, I%lipr Anil (Jistitrb tho privileges of, either monopoly creators?

But Mr. Fisher says if tiro irran, an tli*" ■land js to be ta.sofl the monopolies/ pro- ■ duoing crißilnals and kuatic* must also ■Ins taxed. I'rflhj.bitioi.i is .a great aid ■ jii tho production of lunatics and the.ro.' ■cannot bo any relation between, beerdrinking and criminality, for the mpTfe* beer drunk head tins lesii grirnfev 'SboIkyalConuHissioii oft Imiiaey I'ound that; tca-drlnkiiig led to degeneracy aiid induced In' Sew Zealand t:his yprdict is home out by statistics* Il:ro'Hbitioiiists. iiro notoj-kius tea-drinkers, &nd in 18S4, when Inhibition had not fijtlc.ct tli# air, there •wasTonly 1 to every 393 of the population »f Sew Zealand insanej in With 53' per tiont. of tho inhabitants Fro'hlbitisnjs.ts' jmd one.'sixth ef tile- area Under No-tiicenKe, there was, 1 insane person under treat' meat in the .mental hospitals to v-ery .258 of tils Aiui of the ■total number fn these »jeiii:al hospitals only 12.03 pet eout. we.rcs there through at* eoholisiu; 87.9 J. per cent, were there from '■other causes.'* I regret that a Minister of ika Crown shoultl bo so triisfeadiug on a matter of such importance. ' Now, as to eliminalit./, I jiocd only point out what the Chief Justko (Si* Itohefi Stony lias said in this coij.ncetiou. Speaking at Napier, the -GliMJustice said s "Not only has .prison pap.ulatioii decreased relatively to the -poptd.atioiij but serious wline ha-s .jfteoiute.iy ■deetoased..'* JPurtber, speaking; oil the Judjcatare Bijl of lust year,, the Hon. Mr. Herd'jna.u. stated that the criminal cases before the Sup'roine . 'Courts of the DoUiiniou were 4 : S in 1897, -aiid 363 in 1012. Ju these fifteen yeans- tlio- beer eousuinptioii Jia€ in- ■ 'Creased froni ■_2| millions sterling-to Over lour uiillioiis.

It seeht.S- t,p ino that the Hoii. Mr,. Fisher will have to. revise Itis ssseiifcions concerning the waking of lunatics aiid tritniniikj as they are altogether without paint in the light of s.tirtuHies and tho statbincnts of too Chief justice anil his honourable am, etc.. SAMPER IDEM, '