DRUNKENNESS IN TEMUKA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14357, 29 October 1908, Page 8

DRUNKENNESS IN TEMUKA.

Sn;,—l noticed in Tuesday's issue of your valuable paper a letter from " Temukaitc" dealing with a -remark made by the llov. It. .1. Liddell concerning tho "amount of drunkenness that he saw when cat a recent visit to Tcmuka. Our friend believes that Mr Liddell tried to .-Jiow t.'iat Tcmuka was a "drunken little hole." No one desires to try to prove any such thing. To my mind the remark that Air Liddell made was not made with the intention of proving thai Tcmuka was worst* than other p!a«cs. but that if was very bad whom compared with a ne-lioc.nso district. Tho remark that lie made would apply to a.ny licensed district. "Temukaitc," I am afraid, "doth protest, too much." and when he states that the Tcmuka hotels are belter conducted iban in any other part of the Dominion. he i-. making a claim that would be dillicull to prove. He would be nearer the truth if he said that they were conducted neither betler nor worse tha.il in most, parts of the Dominion. Our polico court records may lis good, hut will anyone say iho-t every [mtmiii is wrested for drunkenness who should Im> arrested? It. is well known •i'lal. I ho polico only arrest a. man when ihey are fneed to do to. "Temuka.ite" refers anyone to the ministers of the Uspel resident iu the town. No one know.; better tho ravages of drink than does a minister of the Gospel, and this is the reason why so many ministers arc doing-

1-licir I>(\4 lo brine; in no-license. From my own limited experience I know of nothing tJl.lt interferes with the real work of Iho church moro llmi dre.s the traffic. in intoxicants. "Temukaite" will need to refer tile public to someone e!:->« rather than to ministers of tho Uospcl. Auycno living in the town wlio gees About with Jiis eyes open must know -that one of the sad sights of the town is the number of young men who give signs that they have been imbibing too freely. Temiika, probably, in this respocfc is .110 worse than other piacss. as it fiecms to lw true that in, most places drinking amongst, young me, 11 is increasing. We have tried liccnsc long enough, ami it- has proved a failure. Wo cannot bo any worso if we have 110 licensed bars at all", and ,110 doubt when wo carry no-license we will bo much hotter off than. we. were, before. It, would bo interesting to know who "Tennikaitc" is. Perhaps ho is :i. person interested in the trade. Tie speaks of wJiat ho has eoon in Oaniarn ami Ashburton during tho .last, two years. Ho tJiinks that Mr Li-Id ell looked for "drunks" in. Tenuika: perhaps he Icoked for the "sights" that he «uv in theso places. Tho objective of no-licenso worker-; is no licenso for the whole Dominion ; but as we, ha.vn not yet got the quest'ion of prohibition for the Dominion submitted .to us we 'have to bo uatislicd with Joeal option for the tiino being. Trusting thai. " Tomukai4e" will give evidence of his goctl fonso'and his desire to help his fellow man by voting no-license in November, and wishing tho No-license party succesi at tho coming poll, -I am, etc., T. COATSWOHTH. Primitive. .Methodist Ministar. Temnka., October 20.