TEMPERANCE COLUMN.

Evening Star, Issue 14627, 25 July 1911, Page 3

TEMPERANCE COLUMN.

[Bt Arbangement.] A BEEWER'S "TESTIMONY TO NO-LICENSE. HUNDREDS BENEFITED IN GORE. BANKEUPTCIis UNKNOWN. A Mr Jim Harris, of the Thames, was offered the position of organiser for that electorate. In order to thoroughly qualify himeolf for the position, and also io satisfy himself absolutely that Nolicense was a success, Mr Harris spent several months visiting the No-license areas. He did this entirely at his own expense, and made a most thorough investigation. Such self-sacrifice is, fortunately, not uncommon in the No-license campaign. After his return, Mr Harris published his experiences in a pamphlet. Amongst them was an account of a conversation with a brewer at Gore. This ■was copied and published in a Timaru paper and produced a denial from the Gore brewers. They hinted that Mr Harris was relying on hi* imagination fur his facte. What happened next is well shown by the following correspondence from the Timaru ' Tost ' of July 19 l;u t. It will be seen that the No-licenso advocate has completely justified himself, and the Gore brewers' denial is shown to have been utterly uncalled for. Of cour.se. what made the Timaru article seem different was the comment of the writer and the way he showed that Mr Whittinjjham's statement proved the whole <:i*e for No-license : MB, JIM HARRIS AND THE GORE BREWER.

(To the Editor of the ' Timaru Post.'] Sir.—Tho reply of H. Whittingbani ;i*k! Co., brewers, (lore aud Riversdale, which appeared in the 'Post' of July 1, 19X1, to mv letter of June 10, 1911, Vails for another reply from me. H. Whittiugham and Co. appeal to me in the following language:—

'"Mr Harris, we ask you, in fairness la our tirm and employees, to name the, person who gave you the statement. If you cannot name him we must come to the conclusion you were guessing when you made that statement."

In order to reply I found it necessary io go to Gore to identify the man who raado the statements to me as represented in ray pamphlet under the heading of ' A Brewer's Testimony,' and in doing so to show that I did not get my information from a boy. as was presumed in H. Whittinghanis reply. When the statements referred to were made to me no came was given, except: '" This is my brewaxy ; 1 am in full charge here." When I found that the Gore Brewery contained several in the firm, it was then .absolutely necessary for me to go to Gere to identify the man who represented himself .is the Goro brewer. This (Thnsday) evening I called at the houee of one who named himself as George Whittingham, of the Gore Brewery. A?. he met me at the door I asked him if I could see him for a few moments. He replied : " Certainly; come inside.' - On taking a seat I recognised the face and identified him as the man who made* the statements to me as represented in my pamphlet. On asking him if ho remembered ever having seen me before, ho replied : '' I have no recollection/' I cave him time to examine me well, but he said : i: I can't place you." I asked him if he was responsible for the Utters which appeared in tho Timaru papers referring to ''A Denial," and the reply to my letter, as mentioned above. He said :" Yes. I am.'' All John L. Whittingham appeared in the room while our conversation went on. He sail: *' I never met yea before." I replied : " Neither can I say that I ever met you." '"Well," he said, "I'm tho brewer here." And George Whittingham assured me that he (George) is a partner in the firm. To use Mr George Whittingham's ouu words, he also said : " My brother does the brewing, and I look after all the outside work."

Let me eay at this juncture that I found Mi- George Whittingham to be just as gentlemanly on this occasion as I found him on the day he mado the statements to me outside his brewery. Every courtesy was shown to me, and when I aefc-nrod him that I had not concocted the statements referred to in my pamphlet, and that I bad come ail the way from the Thames to identify him, he said: "I don't doubt your bona fides one little Bit; the conversation which yon say took place may have happened, but I can't remember it. I might talk to hundreds of strangers, because I'm all the time talking to somebody about the procress of Gore, but I can't remember talking to you." I a<sked him if he had seen my pamphJet. He said "No." I then handed him a copy, and asked him if he had any objections to the Brewer's Testimony in the pamphlet. He read it. and then said : "I have no or.jec'iot's to anything which appears in this pan.phle.—this is only wnat any reasonable man would say about Gore —tut I took objections to what appeared in the Timaru paper. That was altogether different to what appear*; in your pamphlet." He farther taid : "If"the statements mentioned ir. your pamphlet appeared in the pamphlet only, I wouldn't navo troubled my head about it, as probably I would never see your pamphlet. But, or course, as a different account appeared in print in one of the papers at Timaru, I certainjy denied ever having met vou."'

On leaving Mr George Whittingham at the last moment this evening, he said : "Now. when I think of it—in talking so much on this matter—it is quite possible that you and I talked together ; hut fifteen months is a long time, and I can't remember it.*' On showing this letter to Mr ( ieorge Whittingham, he raised no objections to its publication, and he was quite -willing to jet the matter drop with this letter.—l am, etc.. Jim Harris. July 13, 1911. (To the Editor of the 'Timaru Po.s!..') Sir, —In reference to the statement of Mr George Whittingham that what appeared in the 'Timaru Post' was "altogether different" from what appears in Mr Harris's pamphlet, I wish to state that not. a single statement r.or a single word was attributed to she Gore Brewer which w,-s not taken from Mr Harris's pamphlet.. Anyone who comparts the pa.agraph which appeared in the 'Post' en May 20, and again on June 5, w:th th>- pamphlet can verify this- The paragraph in question attributed the following statements" to Mr Whittingham : " Gore will become a coat and prosperous town in epite of the fact that No-license hafi been carried." •'The fact that No-licenso exists has not stopped the progress of the town and surrounding district " ■' The tradespeople are doing a really good business. There is no such thing as people going bankrupt in Gore." '• Property has gone up in value, on an average about 25 per cent." " People did not go away from Gore, as was anticipated, when No-license was carried. On the other hand, people are flocking into the district." '" I must admit that No-license has done good to hundreds who used to frequent the hotels under license." " I must admit candidly that I do not believe for one moment that there is as much liquor coming into the district now ae. did come prior to No-license being carried." These are the only statements attributed to the Gore Brewer in the paragraph, and every one of them is copied from Mr Harris's pamphJet.—l am, etc., NO-lICEXSE CoitItLSI'O.VDENT.