THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

Feilding Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 108, 2 December 1905, Page 4

THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

TO THE EDITOE. Sib,— Will you allow me to point out in brief reply to your long quota tions from Joe Chamberlain's speecti at Manchester ; aDd to 'J Ventas "in your issue of Monday evening. That tbe former never questions for a moment tbe tremendous evils arising from tbe use of intoxicating dunks. This is most significant, and proves that there is ab-oluteiy nothing to be said in their favour, or Joey's up to date knowledge and el< queuce would gush over it. Ju&t imagine him, asking tbe support of tbe workiDg classed for a trade which was established in the first place, for tbe special purpoe to keep poor and to degrade, that very section of the public, and the history of which, ! has fully justified tbe fiendish wis- { dom oi its origin. Nothing could I be easier to day, ie this Colony, tban to find at least, 50,000 men, not to iiieution tbo.-e depending on them, who, but lor tbe money, time and energy waited on intoxicants, might be ia at least, comfortable and i honourable Circumstanced. Hundreds ;of thousands sterling of bad debts g might be accounted for in tbe same , way. When Chamberlain dilates on the aad unlikely scene of *' the t publican, bis wife and family, turned t into the streets, and on their way to the workhouse," it only reveals the j * brilliance of an imagination, which j E might be used in a better cause. : In reference to the contribution of " Veritae," I can't wonder that he has wisely written; over a non de plume. Perhaps if tbe " Travels far and wide " he mentions were known, it might turn out he bad been a few times round Manchester Square, ana had seen a few places in the back- | blocks ! Anyhow, as he does not seem to have included Clutha, Ashburton, ( eto., in his wanderings, it is to be , hoped he won't have to go so far for j an objeot lesson, as to the effects of ' No-license, in the near future. The t, kernel of this Solon's argument j eeems to be that, as the evil effects ot tbe liquor traffic is not so great as elsewhere, the wise thing to do is to 4 wait until they are! According to " Veritas " tbe universally accepted wiedom that " precaution is much better tban cure " must ' be a mistake, also that household and sensible saying, " A stitch in time 4 saves nine." All this sort of futile noo argument goes to prove that there is not a single argument more sound than the " putrid, eggs," etc., 4 alluded to by " Veritas," who should , either have his nature or name ; altered for the sake of consistency. If " Veritas " expects the sensible voters of the Oioua electorate to swallow bis unsavoury pills, instead j of for tbe t-ake of the poor drunkard, his neglected wife and children, striking out the top line, he will be ] gloriously disappointed. j lam, etc., J. C- Thompson, j