THE PROHIBITION OF THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC THE ONLY PLAN FOR THE REGENERATION OF THE MAORI.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 72, 18 May 1868, Page 121

THE PROHIBITION OF THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC THE ONLY PLAN FOR THE REGENERATION OF THE MAORI.

Still on the Statute Book of New Zealand remains a prohibiting the supplying of of the- native race with in tbxicatiDg { dripkCi but; as oui' ! readers are well aware this law is openly defied by a legi,on bf drink-sef-lei*3 and oluers, who, regardless of it.s tlireateui itg penalties, act as if no such law existed. True it--is..that.this law is at limes enforced agai .st a suliiuvy itidividucil, when for certain.reasons it is desirable to do so; but this cnly add; . to the evil of such a: staie of things. i by giving . such persons a ground, oi complaint against the Government foi treating them vrurse;than their neighhours.

j, ..We are told; and it must be admitted to be. to a great extent tr ( ue, that-** the! day has gone by for special legislation forth© protection' of the native race.”) 'Bight or wroiigv * ■:8 -whole teedeney of, late. legishition has ;beea to lemove, from tLem sll siicb protection; By tlie.; repeal : of Ihe oid Native Land Pur-j ehdse Ordinance they haveheen thrown! over to the lender mercies of land-! sharks, who complacently pocket enor- J mdus revenues that of right belong toj the public treasury; a-id by the non-' execution of the law egainst liqao;'j supply they have fallen into tlie hands.' of a host of drink-sellers, who as com plaCently see them drawn into the;

vortex of intemperance, which vice; threatens to effect their speedy extermination unless some early and effective measure be taken to bring about' a cure. The only measure we believe capable of this effect we have indicated above, is total prohibition of tbe traffic in intoxicating beverages for all, whiles and Maoris. We were glad to observe j the remarks of our contemporary, the! Herald, on this subject, in its issue of! the 12th inst. We quote as followsfrdm its leading article :—•* We know! of no leg r :ia: : v3 cure for the evil-short j of what i-3 cot likely ever to be passed!

—a prohibitory law applicable to both ! races alike. For our owa part, we should rejoice to see such aa Act in Ml ope: aihm —k 'owing; 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 unfortunately, we don’t live in the Millennium, and if we did, lit is questionable whether public opinion would be unanimous upon a point of so much difficulty ap4, delicacy.”

AVe are more san-iiine on thismatter than is our contemporary. No 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 popula

tion, and extraordinary exertions on: the part Of intereslCed parties, the popular will has 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 .of jits privileges when its benefits becolme ! ; * ■ - v ' '

But though we do not live in the milieaiuoa, and though for the present there is small hope of a unanimity ibf opinion amongst the people of the Colony on this subject, we regard the ‘‘ Permissive Bill” as looming in the' distance. Like our contemporary, there j are thousands more tvho would rejoice ito see such a -measure 'in 'full operation, an!. amongst them not the least iin number .or impor tanee are -thosej ••who.-are now slaves to’ the vice of; .drunkenness, who cannot escape from. ; their bondage as long as there is a place where they can.procure.tbe fuscinaung poison that works their destruction —nay, rather, 'which holds out the temp ting bait, and lures them on. As

mueli for' the salvation of these—our own flesh and blood—as for that of j the Maori people, we are fain to hope, | and bold to believe in the anniliikuionj of the liquor traffic in New Zealaihd.j For this, however, we must wait; and in the meautifiae the question occurs —Can -.nothing -be . done,; apart from this, to stem the progress of the.evil amongst the Maoris ? We answer^ —

Something ca^; ‘be done ; and, more than tbis,>ihf&t it has become the duty of those who have most influence over them to be up and doing it. There is that self-same plan which has, under Divine Providence, proved of such value all over the nenge. - \Ve know ' that while the traffic exist?, and whife the use of alcoholic liqcors is m&de respectable by . the example of the leaders of society, this principle! can have hut very partial progress, and its success be hut limited and uncertain. But here again.our contemporary has made a valuable suggestion. It is to the following

effect:—Let those men—and there are many of them—who have weight in the community and influence over the native m men as our Superintendents of Provinces, our Bishops of both branches of the Church, our -Judges, nu-igisv rates, and clergy—head a crusade against alcohol by practical abslitienee Loin its use, and bringing their influence to bear upon the native for the accomplishment of theirend, and we are sure that much good might be done. The leaders- amongst the natives would join in the movement because it had become fashionable, and they would gladly follow tbe example of such men. Thus the progress of the evil would. be stayed'; and if a Maine law should still be needed for the sake of pur own people, avast step will have been taken towards its attainment.