A.P. ON STATE CONTROL AND OTHER THINGS.

NZ Truth, Issue 177, 7 November 1908, Page 8

A.P. ON STATE CONTROL AND OTHER THINGS.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— Alter your knockout of last week I attempt a rally (if you have hot counted me out), and so I kick myself cleai of my bandages and crutches, and again reach for the inky nib. Whew ! You do shake a poor, saintly covey up, but I|m not frothing for am argument, still a man likes to hold his opinion up, so here goes. You say State Control of the Bacchus traffic has been tried over m- thirsty Westralia. Yes, I know that but they might try a lot of things and and fail and Maoriland might succeed m them. Some people try marriage and declare it a failure, yet others try the same experiment and say it is just the real thing, and. because State Control of the shicker traffic lias failed m that instance ; I fail to see that its failure is proven, and it is worth a trial m God's Own, to say the least. You entitle me some sort of a prize ass for advocating State Control, and fiercely attack poor inoffensive Jimmy n'oodser and myself. Well, I don't know what .sort of an entity you will think mei n that case, if I tell you that I not only believe m State Control . of the bung and barrel traffic, but believe .?,in Estate control ol everything, and let all be worked under a proper organised " system. At present the world is a y seething, black blazing ' hell for millions. -Why? Well, because .of this dirty- low-down struggle of the fitagainst the poor unfit, viz., a starving child m the gutter against a bloated Rothschild. If we can run State Post Offices, railways, and other systems to perfection, we oan run State putrceries, arid State everything else- within reason. One man was killed under the State control system m Australia, and, of course, the* usual howl .^oes up, and thousands upon thousands get a passage to limited apartments m the bone-yard under the present system throughout the world, but that doesn't count, of course. You cannot run, a business, or anything else, well, unless you have a, proper organised system,, and a head to that system. It is' my contention that the Stata, or the community as a whole, should run everything, including the Bacchus fountains, and conduct things m. such a manner as to prevent drunkenness. Drink is a curse ,! Bosh ! . Everything is a curse if you abuse it, which m moderation is a blessing to humanity. You can have an excess of food, and ditto of cold tea. In fact, if a person lined up to a bar and poured pint after pint of tea down to their provision department day after day as is done with beer, they would become wrecks, and would bring on no end of trouble to their digestive and nervous systems, whereas- if they did likewise with V good, wholesome beer— not chain-lightning brands — not half the harm would result, m fact, m many cases, there would be no further injury than a big lower chest -hanging out on the universe and crimsen-hued sneesing-box, with a three or four-decker chin" thrown mto .balance things. . The abuse of a good thing is the curse of it, tout the cold ice brigade put all the blame on to' the' cup that, m moderation, cheers, whereas if they would aim -at preventing the abuse of it, tihey might come somewhere near it. "Truth" is apparently "dead nuts" on the lone hand taster of Bacchus. Well, it's only a matter of opinion. In the Old Dart they line m on their own, and it is thought nothing of,' but out m the .colonies it is considered deadly, but, m any case, I please myself as regards the business, end if -I have a thirst about my pnatomy.Vl don't see that it is out of place to rush m with Jimmy Woods and get rid of it, as if you go m with a crowd you have to keep pouring it down your provision department so as to keep pace with somebody m. said crowd who sinks it away m a startling fashion, and has an eternal thirst, otherwise you 'are out of the social business I suppose. The social side of things makes life worth livin?c, but anybody must admit that, it leads to much drunkenness when the shouting business is m it, which is the custom. A drink is all ri.tht m itjs way, but too much of it is a curse, and I have proved that the main cause of a great deal of drunkenness is brought about by the treating system at present m vogue.

Putting the argument aside, I really believe that the best thing m life to keep a man on the square is the company of one of the opposite sex. I do really. The holder of this pen has made the pace fairly strong at times, but has eased down considerably, thanlrs to a Lair daughter of Mabrilaaid. I believe candidly, that a woman's goo,d influence goes further than a thousand temperance lectures. Well, m some natures at least, m my case, my end at the Jimmy Woods argument finishes right here, so "au revoir,"— l am, etc.,

y.. ARTHUR PICARD Wanganui, Sunday, Nov. I, 1908.