TOWN EDITION. The Ensign. GORE : THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1896. THE £.S.D. OF PROHIBITION.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 211, 5 November 1896, Page 2

TOWN EDITION. The Ensign. GORE : THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1896. THE £.S.D. OF PROHIBITION.

Our sub-leader on the above subject seems to have attracted sufficient attention on the part of Prohibitionists to call forth two replies. The space at our disposal will not allow us to answer in detail the various questions raised in the letters of our corresponents " Optic " and " A. H. Wallace," even if the rambling statements made could be considered worthy of such a reply. The position we took lip has been in no way shaken. The figures wo quoted were obtained from oflicial sources, and can easily be verified, and we take our stand upon them. Mr Wallace asks us to reply to certain questions concerning certain statements made by us. In reply we would say that our reason for believing that Prohibitionists are beginning to see the unreason of local Prohibition, is based upon actual conversations with numerous known Prohibitionists in this district and elsewhere, coupled with the fact that we have special facilities for judging as to public feeling throughout the colony. Presumably Mr Wallace objects to any Prohibitionist holding views other than have received the sanction of the great guns of the party. Independence of thought exists, however, even among the ranks of the Prohibitionists. We are not disposed to set up personal targets for Mr Wallace and his extreme Prohibitionist friends to direct their thunderbolts against, so therefore decline to give the names of private individuals with whom we have conversed upon the subject. We believe that even Mr Wallace will agree that " reduction " is at most a means of enriching one publican at the expense .of his less fortunate fellow over the road. Now, what is local Prohibition but " reduction " applied to the whole colony ? I Its effect is simply to inflict a cruel in- ; justice upon one individual on account of his calling in life being carried on in a particular place. Surely if it is a crime to keep a hotel in Mataura it is equally so to keep one in Wellington or Auckland ? But, say the Prohibitionists, we would fain root out crime wherever we find it, and must make a beginning somewhere. By all means, but at least let your law against crime be a general one, and do not make a law to punish as a crime in one part of the colony an act which is a perfectly legitimate act in another part. If differentiation in law in similar circumstances, among people living under the same rule, doej not contain a vicious principle, we do not know what vicious means. " Optic " merely uses the stock argument that if drink was done away with the ratepayers would, by reason of what they would save from the public house, be able to pay increased rates. Mr Wallace uses the same argument, and goes on to say that Prohibitionists who do not use the hotels would be glad to pay their share of the extra amount required- These arguments soaud well, but are utterly fallacious. Our correspondents' contentions as to saving are based on supposition, and are utterly incapable of proof. Then our correspondents assume that the hotels are kept up with " ratepayers' " money. Now, we venture to say that at least 00 per cent, of the hotel revenue in Gore is derived from persons resident outside the Borough, not a little of it

being from persons beyond the Mataura Electorate. Furthermore, of the balance we believe by far the greater part comes from persons who, although resident in the Borough, are not " ratepayers." This being so, we cannot see that the " ratepayers" are going to save such a great deal by closing the hotels. It is very cheap generosity for the Prohibitionists to express their willingness to pay their share of increased taxation, seeing that not one in fifty of them is a ratepayer. Then, again, apart altogether from tha question of who maintains the hotels, what does the "salvage" argument amount to ? Simply this. If we spent less on luxuries, and saved more, we would be better able to pay increased taxation. ' What would our tradespeople think if it was proposed to prohibit butchers, bakers, and milliners' fancy goods, tea and gingerpop, etc., on the grounds that these were not necessities and that there would be a saving if they were abolished. We are afraid the argument would even bear heavily on the "blue-ribbon soiree" so dear to the hearts of the Prohibitionists. I Mr Wallace would have us believe that Tapanui has been able to reduce its over- I draft by reason of Prohibition taking something like J2120 per year from its revenue. If loss of revenue assists the payment of debts, we would advise our Prohibitionist friends not to go in for the usual collection in future. Mr Wallace must know that he is writing nonsense on this subject. The reason of the reduction of the Tapanui overdraft must be sought elsewhere than in the loss of revenue, A short time ago the Mayor of Tapanui published correspondence clearly proving that but for Prohibition the Borough overdraft would have been paid off much sooner than it was. Again, although we cannot at present giye the exact figures, we have reason to believe that so far from ■the charitable aid charges being reduced, under Prohibition in Clutha, they - (thtf charges) have actually increased. In the face of these facts, we cannot see our way to agree with our correspondents, whose conclusions rest upon the " baseless fabric of a vision." In conclusion, we adhere absolutely to our position. Not one fact has been disproved, and our contention that Prohibition would seriously affect local revenue is still good.

A budget of Waikaia reports crowded out, and will appear on Saturday. The appointment of Lieutenant William Eeid, of the Riversdale Rifles, is gazetted. The Otama school was examined by Inspector Hendry yesterday. A concert in aid of the Otama Brass Band funds is to take place on the 20th inst. Mr James Cumiuing, on Monday last, was returned unopposed to represent the Waipahi riding in the Clutha County Council. In consequence of the recent rise in the price of flour, Christchurch bakers have raised the price of a 41b loaf a penny (booked) and a halfpenny (cash). William Spence King, a very old colonist, died the other day at Waimate North, Bay of Islands. He was the son of the Rev. John King, who arrived in New Zealand with Samuel Marsden on Christmas Eve, 1814. For the Otago Anglers Society's competition on the Waipahi river on Saturday next, the unusually large number of 24 have entered. Winners of the Society's gold medals in the past are penalised to the extent of 20 per cent on their catch. The prizes as usual are a gold and a silver medal. The coat found on the body of the young woman Robertson, drowned in Wellington harbor, was identified by letters inthe pocket as belonging to one of the offic2rs of the s.s. Penguin. There is no suspicion of foul play at present. The woman was known to have attempted to drown herself twelve months and it is believed she either wilfully thew herself into the harbor or fell in accidentally. She was noticed on Sunday to be in a depressed condition. i The Melbourne Cup, run on -Tu&sday, was won by Saiurtlriy : s'l)erby winner, Newhaven by six lengths from the New Zealand horse Bloodshot, The Skipper, third. Newhaven's time was 3min. 2SJsecs., which was only' a quarter of a second behind Carbine's time in 1890. The Thistle milking machine, a Scottish invention, which has several times been referred to in our agricultural columns, was made the subject of a public trial in Taranaki the oth&r day. Two hundred farmers were present at the trial, and 40 cows were milked with the gieatest ease. The cows require no stripping and give down the milk without trouble. The machine is regarded as overcoming all difficulties attached to all machine milking. The trial was highly successful, and the advent of the machine into the colony marks a new era in the dairying industry. Mr Angus M'Gregor, formerly parliamentary librarian, was found dead in his bed in a lodging-house at Wellington on Monday. He was a native of Perthshire, and in his younger days distinguished himself at Edinburgh University, of which he was an M.A. His brothers were celebrated clergymen, and one of them succeeded to the famed Church of Ferintosh, and was there successor to the great Highland preacher Dr M 'Donald ; another was successor to the Rev. Mr Lyne in Dundee ; while another is a leading clergyman in Glasgow. All tho family were famed scholars. It is supposed that Mr M'Gregor's death was due to heart disease. He was at one time a minister in Melbourne, later on he was rector of the Invercargill Grammar School, and he had also for some years a private academy in Dunedin. Latterly he was chiefly occupied in coaching students for the university. According to a contemporary, another social pest has broken out in the Cabinet, before the Hon. W. P. Reeves left for London he acquired an interest in a large slice of land in the North Island ; and now a writer in a West Coast paper says that Mr and Mrs Soddon own 5000 acres of land, also in the North Island, which was bought at a low price. This is nothing ; it is only another way of nationalising the land. Three summonses in the matter of the liquidation of Walter Guthrie and Co., Ltd., were on the Chamber list of the Dunedin Supreme Court on Tuesday. One was for the appointment of a provisional official liquidator, another to proceed with the winding up of the company, and the third for leave to the Bank of New Zealand to commence an action, notwithstanding the order to wind up. By agreement the matter was allowed to stand over till Tuesday. It was stated there would probably be a contest over the appointment of a liquidator. At the Presbyterian Synod on Monday, the Church Erection and Finance Committee's report was read, which stated that, among others, grants for churches had been made as follows: — Bdendale, £50; Oteramika, £C 0; Gore, £75 ; Otama, £25 ; Tapanui, £35 and Pine Bush, £20. Grants for manses : Mataura, £50 ; Waikaka Valley, £235 os. Grant for site: Waikaka Valley, £04 145. The committee recommended a grant for repairs to Wyudham Church. The report was adopted, as also was an application for a grant for manse repairs at Kelso. The annual meeting of the Balfour and Longridge Caledonian Society was held at Balfour on Monday evening. The Society's annual gathering was fixed for the usual date— viz., Boxing Day. Tho following office-bearers were elected : —President, Mr J. S. Thomson ; vice-presidents, Messrs J. D. McKellar and David Walker ; secretary and treasurer, Mr Henry Barnett. A general committee, comprising 20 gentlemeu, was formed, some routine business transacted, and the meeting adjourned.

The Gore Tradesmen's Picnic is to be held on Wednesday, the 18th inst., the same day as the Australian v. Southland cricket match at Invercargill. \ Messrs W. F. Ward (Gore), and Andrew Small (Lumßden), have been nominated for the Oreti riding of the Southland County Council. 1 We are asked to mention that at the Hon. G. F. Richardson's meeting at Gore tomorrow night some seats in the front portion of the hall will be reserved for ladies and gentlemen accompanied by Hdies. It is said that a new firm of auctioneers, 1 etc., is shortly to commence business in Invercargill, and we have heard the names of the Hon. J. G. Ward and Messrs Batger and Henderson (New Zealand Loan Co.) mentioned in connection with the matter. The system of disposing of cattle by weight is becoming general all over the United Kingdom. Weighbridges are now being erected at all the principal auction marts in the country ; for a time they were confined . i to the metropolitan centres. ' The Otama Parliamentary Union held its first meeting on Monday evening. There was a good attendance of members, and the Rev. P. Ramsay was elected Premier, and Mr J. McNab leader of the Opposition. Bills ' relating to cheap carriage of lime and the ' restriction of Chinese were considered. Meetings are to be held every three weeks. A good deal of interest was taken in the \ pigeon shooting matsh at Mandeville yester- , day afternoon. Notwithstanding the rough , state of the weather, some very fair shooting was done, the winner eventually turning up in Mr E. R. Stephens. Following is the result-j^r-First nomination : E. R. Stephens. 5 birds'; M. Hanley, 5 birds ; W. Adams, 5 birds. Second nomination : J. Brey, 5 birds ; E. R. Stephens, 5 birds ; D. Richardson, 5 birds ; M. Hanley, 5 birds ; W. Adams, 5 birds ;W. R. Overton, 5 birds. Final round : E. R. Stephens (26yds) v 9 birds, 1; W. Adams (26yds), 8 birds, 2; D. Richardson (20yds), 7 birds, 3; J. Brey (26Jyds), 6 birds, 4. By mutual consent the cup cricket matcn, Gore v. Wyndham, to have been played at Wyndham yesterday, was postponed sine die. — By the removal of Mr W. Murdoch from Gore to Invercargill, the local cricket club will lose the services of a successful bowler. Although not particularly brilliant with the bat, Mr Murdoch's presence in the bowling department of the club during last season proved of great service. Dr Innes, of Gisborne, committed suicide on Tuesday, under peculiar and painful circumstances. The deceased was mentally troubled over the broken state of his wife's health and his condition — he having suffered from Blight's disease and epilepsy for several y ears _and took 30 grains of strychnine, and apprised Dr Cole who came to his house shortly after, of his act. Dr Cole took prompt reactionary measures, but without avail, and the deadly poison took effect shortly afterwards. A verdict of. suicide whilst temporary insane was returned by the jury at the inquest. It is with considerable regret that we record the death of Mr G-. W. Williams, late Commissioner of Crown Lands and Chief Surveyor for Southland, which occurred somewhat unexpectedly at Dunedin on Tuesday. Mr Williams caught a chill last week, and became seriously ill on Friday, his heart and lungs being affected. On Monday, he suffered a relapse and passed away e^rly on Tuesday morning. Mr Williams had lately been transferred to the Lands Department of Canterbury, and it is thought that while on the journey northwards ho contracted the malady which had so sad a termination. The deceased gentleman had been 29 years in the Land Department, five and a half of which he spent in Invercargill, He was universally respected among all with whom he came in contact, and. by his death, the colony loses one of its ablest civil servants. — rvSad-etosed OR-Edendale, estate.Wright, Stephenson and Co. publish a notice re manures and seed 3. Mrs H. Stewart, Gore Coffee Palaoe, inserts a disclaimer. Joubert's Santal Wine at the Club Hotel, Gore. T. E. Carroll appointed agent for the United Fire and Marine Insurance Co. Godward and ' cKenzie, Invercargill, for up-to-date cycles. Cambridge roller to be sold by Brewer, Trembath and Co. on Saturday. Second shipment of fishing tackle at Steans'. Boots and shoes for all pastimes at Weston's. Also Yankee bicycles. Tenders wanted for purchase of Wendonside farm. A. Small snd W. F. Ward nominated for councillor for Oreti Riding ; poll on 11th inst. John C. Porter, broker and indent agent, Invercargill. The ' Triad ' for November contains a beautiful Nocturne specially written for the paper by the celebrated composer Chevalier de Kontski. It is a specially fine number, well illustrated and full of interesting reading matter. The ' Triad ' may be obtained from Boyne Bros., price 3d.