"WAR LEGISLATION."

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2807, 27 June 1916, Page 6

"WAR LEGISLATION."

Sir,—This is ■ a time of national service, and everyone should give increasingly of Ilia best to the State, so* anything that will strengthen the Government's hand is of thoutmost x value. Tho •Government cannot be too firm just now, if its action is necessary, reasonable, and; just, but assumption of power in''wrong or doubtful directions is tyranny, and engenders disrespect, disobedience, evasion, and resistance. Never perhaps,in this, or any country, has State action been- fraught with such serious consequences as now, Governments are on. thojr trial, and their hurriedly assuming functions that jar on people's' lives makes their position the more uncertain. This being so, it is necessary to national unity and safety that personal,and party bickering and strife should be avoided, and the Government should specially avoid concessions to party organisations such as is asked for by extremists on the liquor problem. Successive weak Ifinishies have in the past merely held tho balance between the liquor trade and the No-License' Party, and there is now a golden' opportunity for executive action, in respect to both sellers and buyers of liquor. In this the Government will get the support of stable self-contained people, but they will resent suck impositions as earlier closing of hotels or antishouting. '' It may seem to the superficial, or biased person that to lessen the 'hours of the sale of liquor would bo to lessen, drinking aud drunkenness by so much, but it is really so much less control, and that during the hours when most control is needed. Liquor sold and consumed outsido of licensed premises—in shebeens, brothels, and such-like placesdoes immensureably more hnrm than, that consumed under legitimate conditions, for the reason that it usually has tho accompaniment and consciousness of illegality aud immorality, which inevitably lead to recklessness. There is still muoh that can be done in the framing' and administering of laws for the regulation of the liquor traffic, .but they must bo applied in an individual, and not in a general way, and to strike at the use of anything in tho hope of curing the abuse of it is illegal, and therefore abortive, besides, the real causes of human irregularities are not superficial, but deep-rooted, and lie beyond the reach' of restrictions of time, place, manner, or thing. It is proposed in the War Regulations Bill to abolish, by a stroke of the pen, that timo-honoured and revered—though much abused—custom, "the social glass." Our expression of goodwill to one another is'to be ruthlessly uprooted, and instead wo must practise a cold, bloodless asceticism, for what? Surely politicians will see that fc/teir safety lies in keeping clear of such, folly at a time like this; the country is ripe for better statesmanship than we have had duringtho last twenty years, and the temper of the people such that it would be au easy matter to get them to sweep tho political mountebank into oblivion. Such a law as anti-shouting could not be enforced— it would tend to beget evasion, deceit, and lying, and an open disregard of law, and what merit could there be in tho bulk'of evidence that would bo brought forward to get convictions? Were the idea of any. practical or substantial value as a war measure, tho people might be required to observe it; but it would only be subordinating good sense to a, spurious abortive patriotism. As>a preventative to excess, anti-shouting has no value, and instead of being a moral stimulant it would be the reverse, as the sot is invariably a lonely, unsociable person. Should the serious business of putting tho Military Service Act into force be necessary, the Government will need tho support of the intelligent strongminded portion of tho people, and they should pause before doing anything that will alienate their sympathy. The proposals for the better regulating of female drinking, and insisting ori publicans playing the game, are. on right, lines, the people are really concerned about tho question of prostitution, and its accompaniments, female drinking and sexual diseases, but these evils must bo faced with calm deliberation, wisdom and tact. That they havß baffled the best brains of the world so far, speaks for the enormity of the undertaking and to try, and fail, is but to promote further depravity, and to hope for any improvement without the co-operation of the liquor seller is foolishness. As one' who sees practically all the prisoners that pass through the Terrace Gaol, I have some idea of the way in which fallen women regard tho law, and also know the obstacles in the way of genuine reform, yet I am convinced much can be done if it is undertaken in the right spirit. Regarding the better conduct of hotels, the recent raking of licensees is in- the right direction, and the Licensed Victuallers' Association is assisting in this connection. Sensible licensing laws judiciously and firmly administered, with capable and conscientious licensees, is no inconsiderable part of tho solution of the drink evil, and to throw the onus on the trade of purifying its business, and at the same time assist? ing them to do so by every possibU means, can,- I am convinced, remedy, right hero in New Zealand, an evil thai has beaten the nations of the world—l am, etc., , WM. BARE.