DRINKING AND IMMORALITY AT ROTORUA.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXVIII, Issue 142, 17 June 1892, Page 3

DRINKING AND IMMORALITY AT ROTORUA.

Thb following appeared as a letter m the New "Zealand Herald (Auckland), and is from.tho pen of a clergyman well known m Marlborough : — " Sir, — I would feel ob- " Uged iif ycu would favour me by inserting this letter, m order that my action m regard to the hotels iv this place may be ' : rightly understood. It is with great re- * -luctance that lam doing what I am; but, ---T Seel that I shouldbe guilty of cowardice - and neglect of duty both towards God and 'man were I to refrain from acting. My -reason for desiring to have the law enforced "is that I deeply feel the great harm tbat is -being done to my fellow-man by the rmlawfal sale of intoxicants. I Eay unlawful ■ advisedly, because, a perusal of the licensing laws of the country leads me to con- '' cludo" that the idea of the law is thst, intozicanta. beiDg au article requiring judioious and restricted use, only persons fit r and.proper shall be entrusted with the sale, so lhat no injury may arise to the con"samer or the general public; and clauses rin the Act emphasize this, viz., clause 23 : ;-__» lt shall not be lawful for any person - whomsoever to. sell or supply or to give any intoxicating liquor to aay person of the - -native race within any native licensing dis- . trictJ'- Again, clauses 166 and 167 prohibit * tho sala to din_kard3 aad children; Now, both natives and children and drunkards are net only supplied, but supplied to excess, l and sines hsy coming to ihis district several fatal aa4 severs accidents have occurred directly: through drink supplied to the natives; and if any one •wishes to seedisgnstiag sights, they have only to coma to ' i JBoiorna when any Maoris have money, and they will ba disgusted if they have any -feelings of pity towards their fellow men, * even though of the dark races. There- * fore I argue thai the licensing laws 'devised for ths protection of individ- , pais and . the geueral publio should -be efficiently enforced. Again, pur legal i protection seems quite unable to cops with T'the'.Tinatter. Not only is there constant • "drunkenness m our streets, and-unseemly - noises and brawls, the most obsosne hahai '. and persons of both sezes bathing openly m public m broad daylight, perfectly nude, but theia is also a considerable amount of sly grog-selling at the railway works, and at Galatea, and m this place on Sunday— hence "the greater need of stopping the sale cf in--1 toxicants to natives altogether. In my action ' I do not put myself among those who look : ontheuse of wines aud good liquors as sinful, though a practical abstainer, I do not interfere .with another' 3 lawful liberty m the matter ; therefore if it is right to use it is also • right to make, sell, and buy these commodities, hence the eale of these things is m itself as lawful and unobjectionable as that of groceries, and no persons who sell these thingE with discretion, and with due regard to the use and abuse of intoxicants will find ms opposed to them. Nor can I see why hotels, •as on the Continent of Europe, cannot be carried on with success, and yet be m no way the cauEe of drunkenness or harm, lastly, the present mode of carrying on the gale of intoxicants has brought our place infejivery ill repute. Several times ha?e ladies and gentlemen spoken of their surprise at the condition Rotorua presents, and have time and again said they would like to send up a son or a daughter for the and the change, but but they could nofrdo so owing to themoral atmosphere of jthe place ; so that lam anxious to remove from Botorua— a resort for health second to none m the world— all' objectionableness, so that no one can find any reasonable objection to taking up their abode m the place, and so increasing our population and our wealth.— I am, etc, Ebed. H. Spenceb, Resident Chaplain

To thb Ladies or Blenheim.— Everett Brothers,- of Bridge Street, Nelson, having now m charge Of their Dressmaking Department a thoroughly experienced Dressmaker, recently from Regent and Bond Streets, London, are prepared to receive orders for Winter Costumes,- which foi style, finish, and fit will be found equal tc anytbing procurable m the colonies, Patterns of new dress material with char! for self-measurement forwarded by post on application, together with cost of complete costume. Post paid,— Adyt. «? (i a Peine pob the Gods," so said a great prophet— Mahomet, when taking his cup oi eof cc under the fig tree. If you would enjoy such, drink Crease's Al Coffee. Sold only is 1 and 21b tine.