"OUT OF STEP"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24912, 11 May 1942, Page 6

"OUT OF STEP"

THE SOLDIER ON PARADE Every so • often the sergeant-major's staccato cry of " Left right, left right" finds an odd soldier or two " out of step."- This is bound to happen occasionally, and not merely with " raw recruits" either. But no one would dream of decrying the entire company because of the delinquencies of the few that get out of step. A parallel case is the licensed trade. A small minority of hotelkeepers are tempted to disobey the law and neglect certain regulations governing the conduct of their business. They, however, are not representative of the licensed trade. The majority of hotelkeepers realise that their business depends upon obedience to the law and the maintenance of public goodwill. The majority of the public who enjoy the hospitality and fellowship of a licensed house are likewise sober, reasonable individuals. If human nature were perfect, moderation would be a universal virtue. In time of war, with many thousands of men and women employed outside their ordinary routine, and other thousands living in a state of mental stress, it is more than ever necessary to keep a brake on excess and to encourage the spirit of moderation. An announcement inserted in the nation's interests by the National Council of the Licensed Trade of New Zealand.—2B.