"TWO-UP" AND WHISKYDRINKING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13890, 30 April 1907, Page 3

"TWO-UP" AND WHISKYDRINKING.

IFiton Our Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON. April 27. St. Peter's lay evangelist (Mr W. H. Walton) confirms the stories about " twoup" and whiskv-drinking by men engaged on the North Island Trunk railway works. While lie was on a mission up tho line at Christmas time at one plaoe men began playing " two-up" on a. Sunday morning, and tossed the pennies all day. In the evening they were invited to a church service, but refused to quit thoir ruinous pastime till darkness fell on the land, and then thev took a. turn at church. There .was plenty of drinking going on as well. In one day a constable secured three lots—two dozen bottles and two barrels of beer. Nowadays the Anglican Church has a. missionary stationed along the line, and ho r«oorts that his work is progressing favourably. Ho has a reading room at. Uaurimu, and this enables tho men to spend their leisure hours agreeably. There is a difficulty in setting sufficient literature for the men. So far tho men have, paid for a couple of reading rooms out of their own hard-earned money. Mr Walton considers that the Government should give some aid in this direction, and thus assist the men to resist, the allurements of " two-un." Ho also recommends that tho men at Makntoto and Raurinm should have better facilities for safeguarding their money.