EABLY CLOSING OF BARS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16666, 11 April 1916, Page 6

EABLY CLOSING OF BARS.

TO IHE EDITOB. Sir,—Many of your readers will no doubt remember that during last session of Parliament the House considered that the Government's proposal for an increase of tho beer duty was totally inadequate, and that the duty should be further increased. Recognising the temper of the House, the Government proposed another method of raising tho duty, which, it stated, would be equivalent to an increase of l£d per gallon. I note by the returns publiehed by you that the duty collected here , , for the past quarter increased, nearly £7480 as compared with the corresponding quarter of last year. Evidently the trade, in spite of the war, and of the efforts of.press, platform, and pulpit to promote economy, has done a bigger business than ever before. I find upon analysis, on the basig of 4|d per gal'lon duty, that the brewers' output for the past quarter was 913,057 gallons, which is 396,450 moro than for the corresponding quarter,of last year. This, seems to me a stupendous quantity to produce and consume when ao naanv thousand consumers are now absent at the war. Parliament will be sitting shortly. Surely tho Government should attempt to do something to curtail this wasteful and hurtful expenditure. The most easy and equitable way to do it—practically every one outside of the trade, and even its most thirsty customers, say so—is to shut the bars at 6 p.m. This would undoubtedly tend to diminish the excessive drinking tlhat is so prevalent. In equity it is due to all other trades,, which the law compels to close at that hour, that the proprietors of the 40 bars in this city should also be compelled by law to follow suit. Most of our useful and necessary trades have to close at this hour; why not ,th'e, the most unnecessary and hurtful of all?—I am, etc., Ojjlookeh.

At the meeting of the Wellington City Council on Thursday night a 'letter was read from the Prime Minister stating that the question of exemption of fire brigade employees from enlistment would be considered in regard to individual cases (says the Post). The letter was referred to the Fire Brigades Committee. The sting of a submarine lies in her

head or tail, because there are her torpedo tubes She cannot sink an enemy ship while broadside on to it. :

During the last month (says the New Zealand Herald) the Auckland City Council has been considering the 60 applications which it received for the position of town clerk on the basis of the recommendat : ons made by Mr R. M'O. Anderson, formerly town clerk and treasurer of' Sydney. In that report Mr Anderson suggested that the town clerk should really be the general manager of the city's concerns, exercising full power and control; under the guidance, of mayor and council, who should be cerned solely with matters of policy as distinct from administration. Mr Anderson's report was adopted by the council, which affixed a salary of £1250 to the new position and decided that the present town clerk should bo transferred to another position on the council staff, that of deputy town clerk, -where'his long experience of municipal affairs could be utilised to advantage. The council resolved itself into a committee on Thursday night to discuss the report of a sub-committee which had been reviewing the 50 applications. The recommendation of the sub-committee was that no appointment be made out of tho applicat'ons submitted to it. This recommendation the committee of tho whole council approved and passed on to the open council, which ako adopted it. The question how tho position of town clerk is to be filled was referred to the sub-committee for consideration and report. At the Auckland Police Court on Friday Frederick Clarenco de Berry, aged 30 years, •was charged that, at IXmedin, he failed to provide his wife with adequate maintenance. Mr Haddow (for defendant) stated that ho could not oppose the chief detective's, application 'for a remand to Dunedin, but he protested that the whole matter was more or leas of a farce. The man had loft Dunedin with his wife's knowledge, and ho had left her with .comfortable furniture, his month's wages of £13, an order on his superannuation of £40 (due a fortnight ago), and,- in addition to that, he had agreed to liend her £1 a week, and had sent tho first instalment, which would bo now in Dunedin. Couneel suggested that defendant bo allowed to proceed to Dunedin without bail. His Worship: I understand there is a suggestion that he went away with another woman. Mr Haddow: That is tho wife's suggestion. His Worship etated that, as chore was tho suggestion made, he could not' do other than order the usual bail of £100. Defendant would be remanded to appear at Dunedin on Wednesday.