THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14481, 30 June 1911, Page 6

THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

To the Editor of the "Tinuu'u Herald/' Sir.—l have before me a, letter pub lisiicd ia your columns recently over tho t.tlie "Temperance." As I wa& uway in tho Noi'ta IsLaiul t thy tiui/o 1 was unaware of its uppo-uancf and consequently unable to r-ply the. t to. Tho writer ceruunJv hus > j/: icvaneo. but docs not i-eal.se that ! e li s taken hold of the end. with tho '.vim".' jii. That ho mr.v have se-en drinkm;; in the of a "rocs'' train, i have no doubt, but it war. iron' a ''license" area (Dun-cdin). J have niyseif seen smiihu scones in n "nonsmoker" in the presence uf vonvn and children on excursion trains leuvinp. another "license" area (Timaru). Our Stipendiary Magistrate recently parsed very strong comment on z]m behaviour on certain south tra'ns leaving Timaru, and quoted tho Matonient of n Roman Catholic priest "tlmt on ,-oaio of these south trains it was th«& r-earot approach to hell upon earth he taid over soon." Tiii« vra* followed by a protect from ""Wain-sate," wlm objected that he did not soo why the south train should be made a target I n- ?m-h remarks, as the north .trains leaving Ti« nxiru were worst? than the smth ti ;iins. Tho point of it all is that all of the trains complained of a.rr» from licopso areti.*, and it is tin litviised liquor bars that are the troui-lc. I would like now to si vo' another r-ielp of t-ho ftirv which <till more trafcc-8 this fact.. As rccwitW as Easter 7 trnrelkxl from Tnverearrz M by difforpnt train:; on different day* tVnii&li *mr no-IVroe nrc»s ?f Tnvercnr•zill, Mataura (Gore), Clntha. Brnee. :>nd alflK""ch a nrMi-s«Tok?r 1 tr ,jn the stuffy "smoker' fur the- rnirpose of netting first hand not "humbugs" as to whether t:v°!o was drin'nnc on train* in no-»i<vn*e areas. Tn nil these trains I only <.'„\\ one nettle, and certainly nftt one <>\^rv l nk k of dJimlceiineGS or rf.wdv?"m.--! am. #»te J} A "TOP-LINEH."

'VGP.ICL'LTURAT. INSTRUCTION. To the Fclitor A Sit —I do not propdsb to Mr •oh- Talbot the ifti Lc i for tho wry careless mid misleading statements he is reported to .hare made about tho Timani 4 R-':-:h School on Saturday. It should b-e sufficient to correct tho errors of his ad-dross iwid let his good ssnso do t'no rest. Mr Talbot assert--d thnt v»he-51 the-Govern-itiGiit granted capitation to the High. School for pupils the income derived by the Tirnaru Board from their reserves' cvac l ' l t- b? ncvcl'd for the purpose for which it vas intended j -and that the revenue from the reserves has Wn applied. in vain, to the "boarding school. 0 How grolcioue! The capitation fcr free place pupils was Inst year C1..J87,' and the eust of running tint s;*lu>ol (apart from expenditure on property) £2.504. Where dees the difference-come from if tho- income from / reserves is not ro?ded ? The cost of the boarding school to the Board in loss o' interest and ■expanse was last, year about £'^ n 'o. ai"' from re--serves about . £*£ 100. What can one . think of a man who, speaking w.th the huthority of an ox-member of tho Board, accuses the .management of applying in vain the revenue from the reserves to the board ; ug school? Mr Talbot's suggestion that this revenue should be appl. cd to bringing in children from outside through competitive , examinations is on a par with his high finance. The moneys of the Timaru • Hijih School are intended for tho .education of South ■ Canterbury young pj'-op.le, and surely it better to spend the revenue in providing tho best and j most suitable instruction for those for whom it was intended than to waste it in competitive examinations and other quackeries for the purpose of inducing parents to send children front centres where thev are already provided for. When Mr Talbot d scussed the need for agricultural instruction he voiced merely his own opinion. Lincoln College cannot v>rovitfe for all tho embryo farmers of tho island or of Canterbury even if these- could afford to take the courses. Our pupils are, as Mr Talbot himself remarked, nearly ail free place pupils, and it is in keeping with the democratic attitude) that we should enable there who are not rich to obtain instruction that will be of immense value to them when the practical work is to bs done. Mr Talbot sneers at the "school man,'- but that is cheap.. One of the best farmers that 1 know \va c a town ir.-» trained, and he is admitted by hard •headed practical farmers to hy Al. It sounds almost unbelievable that a shrewd man should say that "it was a great mistake to suppose that farmers required to be scientifically tru'iii'd/' Is it equally a mistake to teach the science of accountancy to coming business men, and domestic science to coming housekeepers: and wherefore technical education ? ' Fie, fre, Mr Talbot, new times demand new measures, we

do' not want future farmers to learn iii tJio dear school uf esT>erifciico that wiiicJi th<;y should have been taught in the public schools ami high schools.I iiii), etc., GEO. DASH.