LIQUOR AND REVENUE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3377, 20 October 1896, Page 2

LIQUOR AND REVENUE.

(to the editob.)

One can easily see that R.S.T., whose personality is but thinly veiled by his initials, is bitterly opposed to Prohibition, and his objection on the score of revenue is only a bit of special pleading or worse. On the question Revenue and Sobriety, R.S.T. can scarcely expect us to take his view in preference to that of Gladstone and Chamberlain as quoted by one of your correspondents; and, whatever politicians may say, true patriots will never allow a, question of revenue to be considered when the highest welfare of the people is in question. Moreover the change will not be instantaneous but more or less gradual, and there are enough aspirants to the Colonial Treasurership to find a way out of the difficulty, if there be one, without our interference! and should there be any shortage of revenue to make up by other taxation we are prepared to bear our share, even though now we contribute nothing to the liquor revenue. We have not entered on this crusade without counting the cost, and if we do not fear other additional taxation surely theliquqrinen need not, for they pay heavily now, and by prohibition would be relieved. R.S.T. assumes that £500,000 of revenue will have to be made up, but the money now spent in liquors will be spent under Prohibition, only on goods not paying so high a duty as alcoj holic beverages pay, yet nearly all pay some duty; and he also forgets that the greater port of the taxation derived from this immoral trade is needed to keep it in order and to repair in part the damage it does : e.g., our hospitals and charitable aid cost last year J6199,462 and the very best authorities tell us that 80 or 90 per cent, of that expenditure is directly caused by strong drink ; then add in the police, gaols, etc., which the trade needs, and there is. not much net revenue left out of the boasted half-million. However, to help R.L.T. to a solution of his trouble I would suggest that we double the Land Tax ; perhaps that will pinch (or please) him as it will. — Yours, etc.,

Gh H. Maundbb. Matapu, 17th October, 1896.