BURY THE HATCHET.

North Otago Times, Volume C, Issue 13180, 8 October 1914, Page 1

BURY THE HATCHET.

To t)io Editor of "Tho Tillies;"...' Sir,—".o. B, Wise'' prtiHCJits »fc iVitii, a number of question,s, Those. i ; «li<iil ■ l)o pleased to nnawev. I—Js tliat thy license party gave £4!l()a»il.tiic no-license ■ party gave nothing.;t6 tho' Otago Daily Times' l'ati'iotifr;^uiitii'; 1 1 do not know. As ,Mi' Wise lini'.tlns only from hearsay it is taking notice of. Behind the Ijcpso,' party of Dunedln arc the wealthy,l)re\\v ers who Could give £SOOO. and novorflniW: it. The Parliamentary rcliiriii)l v shoH' the capital invested is inoie than 'doubled every two. years.'' ( And-.yet;'the.." Diinedin brewenj gave .only £-190 to. the Daily Times' Patriotic Fundi I 'Tlie ,

Prohibitionists spend their: tiniO rand money in trying to rid .tho country oi' the ilrink curse but tliey get nothing out of it. The brewers arc iiglitiug for 'personal piu.. 2—"When drink causes so much suffering iind.misery why don't* liis party advocate no-license, 'lioV liquor?" That is exactly what our party is doing. Mr Wise must liitvo been asleep not to.know it. jle makes this offer:—"lf Mr Mathieson or his piirtv wish to take steps to proycnt drink except for medicinal or sacramental purposes, being brought in. or kept in, a no-license district, 1 will ht'lp him in all my power." 1 will tako'Mr Wise at his word. If lie is a hum of his word lie will now join the No-liccnsc Association, for we arc lighting for the very thing he wants,, Our platform is no-license, no liquor, .except .for tho purposes mentioned above. Docs Mr/Wise not know that the preseut Act provides that should Dominion prohibition be carried it will be unlawful for anyone to import or manufacture liquor cyon for his own use? It will be allowed into tho country only for medicinal and sacramental purposes. —The Prohibitionists opposed clause !) iu Mr Seddon's Bill because people wore'not ready for it. You don't try to put a man's suit on a boy. You'wait until the boy grows, 4—"Was it an act of charity to oppose compensation" to nic by the losing of no-license'? , I lost about, say, DoOOU.'' Mr .Wisp had no right for compensation for this;, reason: He knew well enough that jicciisca were granted only for one yeiir\at a time, lie took out the license Knoivniy that this condition was in mejit, .If tho profits that ho was willing to take the riidt that was his own look-out.-' Ho certainly had not a vestige of right to compensation, s—"Was it honourable, after a well known no-license lawyer in Duncdin received £."180 to draw up au agreement which was approved of and agreed to by both parties, for the Nolicense party to back down?" Mr Wise ought not to rush into print when lie knows so. little about tho facts. Mr Adams, the no-license lawyer referred to, had-nothing to do with the agreement he mentions. He-was not even in Wellington when it .mist drawn up, Further, no one was paid any money to draw it up. Mr Adams was retained iu Wellington by the Go verninent to draw up a Licensing,Bill. He was kept waiting nine weeks in Wellington. Mr Adams is ono .of Dunedin's leading lawyers.and, consuleriltg the neglect of his business, and the fees which other lawyers get, £.'l(iO was a very small amount.. As I have answered all Mr Wise's questions let me now ask him a few. Mr Wise has introduced himself anil his own business into this discussion, therefore the questions will be somewhat personal. First —As Mr Wise says lie lost£!IOOO the carrying of no-license, will he be good enough to tell the public of Oamaru how he lost it ? Second —Will MrvWise tell us how much money he made iu his licensed hotel, so that w« may get some idea of the profits of the business.' Third—Will Mr Wise tell us if his hotel property lias decreased in value since no-license was carried? 1 want to say again that the no-license party, is as patriotic as any other body iu Now Zealand, and it is the tmost patriotism that leads them toWilico their time and money to save their fellow countrymen froni the iiend alcohol—J nni, etc., T. H. iMATIiiESON.