IS PROHIBITION A SUCCESS IN A MARKED DEGREE?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10571, 18 January 1896, Page 3

IS PROHIBITION A SUCCESS IN A MARKED DEGREE?

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In looking over the Daily Times of the 9th hist. I noticed a paragraph taken from a leader io the Tapanui Courier on the subject— "Is Prohibition. Successful in a Marked Degree ?" ' Had the statements made therein been coufined to the columns of the T. G. ic mights have gone unheeded; but now that such a misleading statement ha^ gone forth to the country at large it cannot pass unchallenged. In looking over tbe article referred to it is evident that the writer has but oue ambition—namely, J;o try and make prohibition ks great a farce and failure as possible ; but his efforts appear to be somewhat akin to the man shearing the pigall cry, but no wool. The article commences by s saying that the decisions of Mr Hawkins, S.M., hare been invariably useful aud to the point, and more deserving of praise than censure. I do not for a minute dispute this statement, but I cannot but feel surprised at tho audacity of tne writer giving vent to such expressions, when only a short time sgo no greater censure was ever poured forth than that by the writer in commenting upon Mr Hawkins's decision on tbe second conviction of Mr Moir, of Balclutha, for sly grogselling. Thus is the versatility of the writer shown, and how little credence cun be given to his remarks. The article goes on to speak of the scenes to ba witnessed on Christmas and' New Sear's Eve, when it states some score of young men were to be seen the worse of liquor. Taking it for granted that such was the truth, which I am very doubtful ot, has Tapanui in the past been so virtuous that such a thing as £0 men more or less intoxicated had never been seen ? Any one looking back upon the days of license can easily assert that it was no unusual thing to sea 20 men under the influence of liquor on any Saturday night, not taking into account a special season like Christmas or the New Year. Now, what is the cause of such scenes taking place ? la it not on account of one of Mr Hawkins's praiseworthy decisions in granting wholesale licenses in a district where the people were almost unanimous for no license. Most assuredly that is the true cause. It is true that for a considerable time after the carrying of no license several sly grog-selling establish-

menti were in this distriofc, bat the recent penalties imposed upon sly grog-sellers has almost wiped out that illicit trading, consequently the Bly grog-drinker has no other resort but to get hia supplies from wholesale establishments; and as the law provides that no liquor shall be drunk on these premises, hence the occurrence of such scenes as that referred to. Had the will of tha people been sarried out such scenes uever would have been witnessed, and if there is demoralisation in the rounger members of the cominuuity it is not on iccounfc of prohibition, but on account of a icsnso existing which was nevsr wanted by the >eople. Summing up, the writer of the artiole rora which you quoted comes to the contusion that the total suppression of 3tail licenses is either too drastic and menace to public morality or that a vast .sge of our young and healthy males are b a low rung of the social ladder. It is with egret that I state that there is a great deal of ruth contained in the last clause. Young men round beca too readily become the tools of there whose total ambition seams to be to lofeat the law, and try if possible to restore a .rade which has been the means of causing more nisery and degradation than all other trades sombined. But the days of retail licenses are jone, never more to return, likewise illicit grading his nearly disappeared. New, I wou'.d aak, Sir, if this is not success in a marked degree ? Furtheimoie, on June 30 the days of wholesale licenses will have expired in this district. Tben will the temptation be removed from those 20 young men who appear to rule the electorate, and then will prohibition ba found to be successful in a greater degree than hitherto.—l am, &c, Isaaauiu January 14. Resident.

THE DOG, THH KAN, JOT) THBMBMT. A frlend-of mine and I wore w»lUartof«ther dcshad vmttm tibertama-

the other day; a dog. * ... ■ v thing he «aw on the pavement. It m tM| niece of meat. He pounced on it an&amuomd it in two seconds. My companion looked at the do*with emrions adminrtkm. -•• My homMe friend," he said, " I'll gwe yoa.£SodMor yoot appetite and your tigoataon. £tK are not afraid to eat-; / am." But the <iqg knew what happiness is made of. He deefined-tha offer and trotted away. • • . .••■ It is astonishing how maoy different people use this expression:" I am" or " I waa"afraid to eat. An the writer pens these linei five letters lie on the table before him, ewy one of them containing it. Yet the persona who wrote the letters are not known to one another. There was, therefore, no agreement among them. Why should there be, even if they were acquainted ? No, there is nothing in feto wonder at. They went through the same experience, and-expreu it in the most natural way, that's aIL Bat what dees it mean ? Are people empicioua of poisoned food ? No, no ; that is not so. The food is not poisoned before, it U eaten, but afterwards. An example will show what really occurs, and why 10 many are afraid to eat. We quote from one of the letter*. " One night, early in 1892," Bays the writer, "I was seized with dreadful pains in the pit of the stomach, and a choking sensation in the throat. I tested I was going tj' die. My wife called h« a neighbour. They applied hot flannels and turpentine, but I got no relief. Then a doctor came and gave me medicine. He said h&oever saw anyone's tongne in such* condition. It waa of a yellow colour and covered with a slimy phlegm, so thick I could have scraped it with » knife. I had a foul, bitter taste in the month, and my eyes were to dull I could scarcely ace. I had a heavy pain in the side, and felt so-de-jected and miserable I didn't know what to do with myself. What little food I took gave me so much pain / was afraid to eat. The doctor pub me on starvation diet, and injected root* phine to ease the pain. " Getting no real benefit from the first doctor I saw another, wtio said I had enlargement oi

the liver. He gave me medicines, but I goto* better. In August I went to Exmooih to set I what my native air would do for me, bat came ; back worse than ever. I had lost over throe ' stove io weight, and being too.weak to more i about I used to lie on the conch mojfc of the time. I never expected to get well, and didn't care much what became of me. " One day in my wife flaid, • H appears the doctors can do nothing for yotL, m>Z am going io doctor you myself.' She went to the Southern Drug Stores, in Camberwell road, and got a bottle of Mother Seigel's Curative Sycnp. ■ ; After taking this medicine for a few d»jv tka ' piin in my stomach left me, my appetite improved, and I gained some strength. Soon afterwards I was back at my work. The-people ' io the office, seeing bow well I looked, Mind i what had cured me, and I answered Bother : Seigel's Syrup. I shall be gad to reply to any '. inquiries about my cuss. (Signed) Charles ; Harris, 74 Beresford street, CamberweUf ! London, December 1,1892."

] Mr Harris's statement goes straight to the ■ point:. Why was he afraid to eat ? Because | his food gave him paia without giving him J strength. This was dead wrong. It we* exactly tbe reverse of what it should have been. When a man is in proper form he get* vigour and power from his meals, and eats them with enjoyment and relish. If he doesn't there is something the matter with him. What is it ? ' ' " ' . Nowilet yoar.thonghts expand a bit, go as to take in a broad principle. One man's meat v 1 another- man's poison, they say. That's «o; but it's only half the truth. Any man's meat-it . any man's poison, under certain conditions. If ; grain never got any further than the null < hopper we should ■ never have bread, sad if j bread (or other food) never got farther than the stomach we should never have strength. : See? Well, when the stomach is torpid, inflamed, and "on stbike," what happens t ■ Why, your food lies in it and rots. The fermentations produce poisons which get into the blood and kick up the worst sort of mischief all over the body. This is indigestion and dyspepsia, though the doctors call each and every trick of it by a separate name. Yet they ' don't cure it, which is the main thing after i all. . . • { But Mother Seigel'B CaratSwe Syrup does, ■ / | as Mr Harris says, and as thousands of other* ! say.