Hawke's Bay Times. THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1868.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 577, 14 May 1868, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times.

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1868.

AV.7/.♦ rJ.!i>-!itsJxmre in verba mayisfri.

■TUI’ I'HOHir.ITIOM OF THE LIQUOR I TRAFFIC THE OYLY PLAY FOR THE j UEG EXERATiON OF THE MAORI. ..Still on the Statute Book of New i Zealand remains a law prohibiting the 'supplying of persons of the native race ’with intoxicating drinks; but as our readers are well aware this law is openly defied by a legion of drink-sel-j !ers am! others, who, regardless of its threatening penalties, act as if no such law existed. True it is that this law is at times enforced against a solitary individual, when for certain reasons it is desirable to do so ; but this only adds do the evil of such a state of things, by giving such persons a ground of :complaint against the Government for Treating them worse than their neigh-1 hours. | We are told, and it must be admitted to be to a great extent true, that “ the jday has gone by for special legislation for the protection of the native race." Right or wrong, the whole tendency of late legislation has been to remove , from them all such protection. By the repeal of the old Native Land Barchase Ordinance they have been thrown , over to the tender mercies of land--1 sharks, who complacently pocket enor- • mous revenues that of right belong to ■ the public treasury; and by the non- • execution of the law against liquor j supply they have fallen into the hands . of a host of drink-sellers, who as com- - piacently see them drawn into the , vortex of intemperance, which vice! ’ threatens to effect their speedy ester, j

ruination unless some early an * effective measure be taken to bring about a cure. The only measure v. u believe capable of this effect we have indicated above, is total prohibition of the traffic, in intoxicating beverages for all, whites and Maoris. AVe were glad to observe i the remarks of our contemporary, the! Herald, on this subject, in its issue of; the I2th inst. We quote us iffibwM from its leading article :—We kiiotvj of no legislative cure for the evil short i of what is not likely ever to be passed, —a prohibitory law applicable to both; races alike, i'or our own part, we should rejoice to see such an Act in full operation—knowing, as we do, that ■ it would save many a family from ruin, and direct hundreds of thousands of pounds, at present worse than thrown into the sea, into channels of honest industry ; but unfortunatcdy, we dowt live in the Millennium, and if we did, it is questionable whether public opinion would be unanimous upon a point of so much difficulty and delicacy.” We are more sanguine on this matter than is our contemporary. Xo principle of late years has made such triumphant progress as that of prohibition, and it also has the merit of permanency ; people who have once enjoyed freedom from the drink curse are chary of ever again submitting to its infliction. We know that there has been a solitary instance or so of its temporary suspension, when from the introduction of a strange population, and extraordinary exertions cm the part of interested parties, the popular will lias been overborne ; but in all such cases prohibition has ultimately triumphed, and its progress is onward, onward. Very few years will, in all probability, suffice to see the enaction of a permissive prohibitory law by the Imperial Parliament, and communities will not be slow to avail themselves ofi its privileges when its benefits become known.

But though we do not live in tV millennial, and though for the pressm there is small hope of a unanimity of opinion amongst the people of the Colony on this subject, wo -regard the “ Berraissive Bill" as looming in the distance. Like our contemporary, there are thousands move who would rejoice to see such a measure in full operation, and amongst them not the least in number or importance arc those who are now slaves to the vice of drunkenness, who cannot escape from their bondage as long as thero is a place where they can procure the fascinating poison that works their destruction ' —nay, rather, which holds out the tempting bait, and lures them on. As much for the salvation of these—our own flesh and blood—as for that of the hlaori people, we are fain to hope, and bold to believe in the annihilation of the liquor traffic iu New Zealand. For this, however, we must, wait; and

ia the meantime the quest Bn occurs —Can nothing be done, apart from this, to stem the progress of the evil amongst the Maoris ? We answer — Something can be done ; and, more than tins, that it lias become the duty

of those wlio have most influence over! them to be up and doing it. There is ; ; that self-same plan which Las, under! Divine Providence, proved of such va-i lue all over the world— Total Ar.sxi-; sf.xck. We know that while the; traffic exists, and while the use of alcoholic liquors is made respectable by; the example cf the leaders of society,' this principle can have but very partial! progress, and its success be but limited and uncertain. But here again ourcontemporary has made a valuable suggestion. It is to the following effect :—Let those men—and there | are many of them—-who have weight in jibe community and influence over the

native min',!—such men as our Superintendents of Provinces, our Bishops | of both branches of the Church, our •Judges, magistrates, ami clergy—head a crusade against alcohol by practical abstinence from its use, and bringing their influence to bear upon the native ior the accomplishment of theirend, and we are sure that much good might he iae leaders amongst the natives would join in the movement because it had become fashionable, and they would gladly follow the example i'f such men. Tims the progress of ‘he evil would be stayed ; and if a ■’mine law should still be needed for ti;e sake of our own people, a vast step will have been taken towards its attainment.