Correspondence.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XII, Issue 621, 10 April 1917, Page 3

Correspondence.

To the Editor

ANTI-SHOUTING.

Sir,-— I crave leave to have this short epistle published m the columns of your valuable paper. During this last week the Invercargill dailies have had their' correspondence columns filled with letters whose writers claimed patriotism or duty to the boys at the front as their reasons for writing. Now, sir, I leave it to you to decide what my . reason for writing is. Some time ago the War Regulations Act made it a criminal offence for any person to " treat " or " shout " for another m an hotel, and a heavy fine was the penalty for ho doing. Now what was the reason for the Government passing such an Act? Because m order to help to win the war it was felt that drinking must be curtailed. Too much money was being spent m drinking, and soldiers on leave from Trentham were given such a good time that it was a common thing to see men (aye, and lads) the worse of ljqaor while m uniform. Who Were to blame f The men who gave them such a good time ! Now, on the other hand, it was felt that such a regulation

would prevent diuukenin'. s among fit; other citizens of New Zealand, and if wu may believo the police records, it has done so m Christchurch, Welling) on and Auckl.uid, but m our own lilt!'- centre it has uot prevented "treating" <>ue little bil, and yet these prominent riti/uir.s d<> nul feel that they aie breaking Hie laws, but should they be caught, the - magistrate would change their ideas vuiy quickly. They are bieuking the law just as surely as the man who stands m the street and incites men not to enlist. Again, since tl.i-5 law has come into force, or rather since it is not being enforced m Otautau, some of our youug citizens have begun to think that a moonlight concert round a keg is a good idea if carried out on the Recreation Ground. Of course, if other people wish to sleep, that is no lookout of theirs. Now. sir, T ask you, have we no means m this little town of ours of stopping such a state of affairs when citizens, who certainly should know better, show such an example to tho younger generation. There is no line drawn between two wrongs — tlioy are both wrongs — and when it comes to breaking the law, the law should make tho lawbreakers puy the penalty, but still the " long arm of the law " does not move m this case. Hoping some abler pen than mine will take this matter up, — I am, etc.,

Citizen