Rangitikei Advocate. SATURDAY, MARCH 26, l910. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9714, 26 March 1910, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 1910. EDITORIAL NOTES.

THERE are some ourlons inconsistences in our legislation. For instance we have stringent laws against some forms of gambling and we encourage and legalise it in other forms. Ws apply drastic punishments for the use of opium, which is almost exclusively used by the few Celestials who have paid £IOO each for the privilege of breathing the air in this land of freedom, while tho sale of alcohol, which slays its thousands, is licensed, and it is regarded as a legitimate source of revenue. A man may not take a ticket in a sweep—indeed even the public post offices are closed to him for this purpose. But he may be encouraged to risk his money on the totalisator, and legal status has been given to the ranoons-voioed bookmaker. If a man plays a game of cards In a pnbl c

house he may be sent to gaol and the hotelkeeper may lose his license. In some respects we are excessively virtuous; In others we are hopelessly vicious and foolish. The same man who is not allowed to boy a sweep ticket, or play a game of cards may gamble for a slice of the earth from which men make a living. The land gamble, promoted by the State, is one that is open to all, and in it the gambler ia not required to put up a'stake or take any risk. It, therefore, cannot fail to be popular, and popularity ia the aim of the Ministry. Men who desire to obtain laud for the purpose of working it cannot get it, but anyone who wishes to gamble may have a chance of reaping 'great profit. A few days ago there was a run of 6000 acres in Marlborough balloted for. The rental was £3OO a year and there were 160 applications. The lucky applicant was a Miss Boyd, who, it Is said, could easily obtain £2OOO cr £3OOO for her goodwill. While thss sort of thing ia going on, the Socialistic Government and Its supporters rave about the “unearned increment’’ of the vales of land worked by genuine farmers.

WE desire to break the news gently 6o oar Prohibitionist friends, bat a Bishop has been uttering what to them will appear to bo rack heresy. Speaking at the|annual dinner of the Jewellers and Silversmith’s Association, the Eiabop Tcf Birmingham said:-He had recently visited Barcelona, and the thing whion struck him aa specially delightful was tho ‘pnbliohouses. (Laughter.) He cafe for a long time on several occasions in an immense room in which he supposed there were abeut a thousand people drawn from all classes. A good many of them vrero artisans, who very often wore their blouses. They wore there with their wives and families, and were drinking all sorts of things. He asked himself every time he wenc to the house, Is not this sort of place of public resort and public refreshment and public amusement entirely desirable? He had been there on Sundays and on week days, and he had not seen, or heard, or looked on anything chat was not entirely desirable. What was there in the nature of things why we could not have exactly this kind of publiohoose, with regard to which no one would feel the slightest desire for euy legislation to’restriot the liberty of women and children or anybody else rto go into it? At present ho |was persuaded that the proportion of people who really brought themselves into contact with .actual knowledge of the things which threatened social welfare at the foundation were too few. He wanted that all citizens should consider it to be their duty to give some real amount of time to studying the great and fundamental dangers of our social life and to remedying them. (Hear, hear.)

THE average duty levied on imports to this country is about 25 per cent, or 5s in the £, and the duty is levied not value of the article in the market where it was bought, but on this value with an addition of 10 per cent., the Oustoma Department arguing Jthat freight charges have increased its value, not decreased it. So that an article bought in London for £IOO is valued at £llO at Wellington wharf, and the importer has to pay on it duty amounting to £27 10a. Yet even with this heavy impost it is in most oases cheaper to Import than to*buy the. locally-m»de article. An instance of this fact was given at last meeting of Wellington Hospital Board, when it waa shown that a consignment of crockery was imported atone-fomth less cost than if it had been obtained locally. One’member of the Board also mentioned that some glass which he imported at 3%d per foot would have cost Is 3d per foot if obtained locally. Such facta as these give some indication of the heavy price the people pay for their requirements, when what is called a “protective* policy is adopted. It is clear tb&t it does not “protect” the people, bat simply enables small sections of the manufacturers to fleece all other sections of the community.