LICENSING QUESTION.

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15398, 15 July 1914, Page 4

LICENSING QUESTION.

(To ihe Editor -o. c the "Timaru Herald."' ! = 11 "> —" No-License" infers that I am the Christehurch gentleman who, for some time past, has been writing to various newspapers, masquerading as ''Moderate." Probably "Xo-Llxcnso"' wishes your readers to believe that I am not a moderate, but am connected with the Trade. That, a t least, is how it struck me. Ido not think this is quite above-board. Let him make sure of his facts before inferring that I am one of the Liquor Party! "No-License" says I have- no suggestions to make. •! confess that when I wrote I had none, but since reading his letter one has occurred to me, and if a Moderate Party is formed I suggest that- it should take as its motto "Verite sans peur." There is a big field open lor the Moderates in placing before the electors true facts. "Truth without fear." Their existence as a party would be justified wero they only to take ,is their work the correction of such statements as are contained in "No-License's" letter. As that Party does not exist I will endeavour to point out several bad blunders in that letter.

The first is ia regard to the number of persons engaged in the sale or manufacture of liquor. In my first letter, perhaps I did not quote quite enough from tho 1913 Year Book. "The total number of persons engaged in or connected with the sale or manufacture of wine, spirits, beer, cordials, etc., was returned at the census of 1911" as 10.616. Let me quote " No-Liccnsa"s" own words so that your readers may see how he has blundered. He says, "He omits to state that this total includes all general servants, cooks and waiters who are employed in hotels. These will not lose their employment, as their services will be needed as at the present time. Tho only people connected with hotels to be thrown out of employment will be the- thousand or two that serve at the bars." What a wofully misleading statement! ' Has' "No-License" been to any town where local option has beien carried? If so, did ho notice the number of hotels that wero closed? Does he not- know that it is by the bar trade that most hotelkeepers make their profits? that they only tako in boarders and visitors because the law compels - them to? Further, does ho -not know that on an average very few of the smaller hotels in this town (and in other towns as well) have nearly all rooms occupied ? Perhaps they have their few permanent boarders, and very few casuals, but, except in the very busy season, - there is no gi'eat demand on their accommodation. What would happen to these if National Prohibition wero carried? There is only one answer, and that is "close.'' It is safe to say that half the hotel accommodation on the a%-€r-nge is not taken. That would mean that about half of the hotels would close, .and as it would be a- ease of tho survival of the fittest the smaller ones would close, and the larger ones, with very little addition to their staff of general servants, cooks and ' waiters, would carry on, and cope with the. trade.

But this is not tho only reply to this Wander of '.'No-License." He says the thousand or two who serve at the bar will be the only ones to lose their employment out of the..10,016. In the last census there were 1043 barmen and barmaids. And "No-License" would have us believe that this number is all that would be thrown out of work.Aga'n, I say what ;i wo hilly misleading statement! "Why did not "NoLicense'" tell us that ■ the 65 wine, spirit and ale merchants, with their 160 assistants (clerks, travellers, storemen, carters) would be (11' not all, then a large number) thrown out of work? Also that the same fate would befall the 120 brewers, with the whole of their 724 assistants, also the 121 ninlster.s and their assistants, and the fight wine makers' bottlers, to say nothing of the 1373 hotelkeepera. Tiith their 1198 relatives who assist, and the 174 managers and clerks: of. these 2742> it is safe to reckon that about a thousand would he thrown out of work. And "No-License" has the audacity to tell your readers that "the only people, to be thrown out of employment will be the 'thousand or two that serve at the bars "'! Is there any wonder that at the last poll 259,943 -■lectors did not shave my fears for National Prohibition, when they were told such nice sounding fairy tales as I this, and these were allowed'to go uncorrected ?

Might I also deal with another portion of "No-License's" Jotter? In his letter of July 7, lie said: -'While we appear to get a. considerable revenue from liquor, it is- of littlo actual value to us for it is re-absorbed in tryin-- to undo drink's effects." Over this statement I took him to task, and asked him to tell me liow much revenue 2s derived " from liquor, and how much money is spent, yearly (to use his own words) -'on prisons and policemen, on judges and magistrates, on industrial schools and charitable aid. on hospitals with thou- D.T. wards, and on inebriate homes.-' I asked for this as ho interred that the expenditure on these ran away with the whole of the liquor revenue. I may say, Mr Editor. I did not for one moment expect' a straightforward answer, and I did not get one. "No-License" replies with a lot of absolute twaddle—-I can think of no more, applicable word. Taking his figures from his last letter, and applying town to hi?: statements in his first letter, we find that had he answered my question fairly and squarely ho would have said '-'the yearly "sum spent on prisons and policemen, etc is £375.890.'' But no! that does"not sun. him, ho wants to show that "the liquor traific costs the State considerably more than the State received from it. liven allowing "No-License'-' to acid £144.900 (40 per cent, of cost of "id :i£o pensions). £2OOO. (cost of licensing committee elections), £9OOO (cost of collecting. Customs), on'to o-%, -n? Vt> ,n felm lle have .l-0.-U,, ,)J. Jlib manner in which he uses his fi gU re ; > may J )( , judged bv the lact that lie would include. £GO.OOO for 11 ? 1^-;-- 1 , 00 ' 000 iw debts, LJ01.,000 ior 6,,> Jives lost, -£6O 000 earning pou-cr l os t by 600 police, patients, etc., £37.000 for 750 prisoners and £BO,OOO for 20,000 drunkards, and tells us the State paid this' 1' ijrures can 1'? made, to tell untruths, and so I refrain from using auv of mv own to amvel at a mythical vot al which, ii not contradicted, would prohaoly influence some people. All I „„ say is that --No-License-' l, a , little too enthusiastic over hi-? li-nn-.-s there is only one other remark", want to make in reply to "No-License.-He says 'i,o amount of money derived Jrom the Junior traific could compensate for the Wasted lives, and rn nod homes, and hroken h „ nrts £ ™\™ wherever ,t exists." He appeals ' to the sentimentality of vour Venders Liit. sir you cannot legislate to mnko aiiL'.-Iv ol- men 1 rememhor a man in a town II was ,iym K m a few yours n ,„ O . He was prolubit,! and hi, fHcnds """ "I' 1 - K'7 liini drink, and neither would the publicans. What was the result.- lJonif; ,„ :l . I>o sifon in which he could procure druus without j;.roiis--1.11 K suspicion he took lo drinkine- such as tincture- of oi-.'i.npe. tincture-of ca'd'-c moms, methylated and rectified sni'l-itV lavender water. nan lie Oolopne, etc T admit that drink was the downfall ol' thai man., but when he was deprived o>' his beer was he reformed? F nv i rom it. Hi! wax shown a short cut to the do»s, and "the last state of that man -uas worse than the first." It will he 'he same with manv who cannot do •vilbout their bee,-. ]f ( ..,, nnot iroi their beer they will w t sometime-' .-S-o. perhaps it may „ot „ 1;l ]- p . drunk, but it will b 0 :l s gi-vat an evil.

and perhaps worse. I remember noticing, when first I visited Masterton after tlie hotels wore closed, what a largo number of billiard saloon* there were there, and wli.it a thriving business ihoy were doing. Tho young men who could not spend their time and money in the bars, spent them in the bih'iard saloons. In conclusion, I would .say you can make as many laws as you like—take away the beer, the totalisator. the billiard saloon, tho tobacco, or anything which is not an absolute necessity—but you cannot legislate to make angek of men.—l am. etc.. MODERATE. Timaru, July 13. THE MODE-RATE PARTY.

To the Editor of the "TimaruHerald." Sir, —Notwithstanding your generous treatment of those who differ from you one cannot ask for space in which* to traverse the whole ground covered by the meeting of "Moderates" in 'Timaru yesterday, and by your leading article thereon. "When the full platform of the "Moderates" is disclosed we shalf give full attention to it on tho public platform, and in the Press. Meantime there are two questions I should like to ask. You state that only those "who have no pecuniary interests in the liquor trade" were invited to attend the meeting. I should like to know i f those who arc interested in the wholesale sale of liquor, or who are connected with brewery companies are to be regarded as having "no pecuniary interests in the liquor trade?" An answer to this question will help us to understand where this new moderate party stands.

According to the outline of the platform of the new party their policy is. —Regulation versus Prohibition. Now', all nations have been trying for generations to regulate the" liquor traffic. Almost every possible method has been tried—high license, low license, disinterested management. State control, etc.- I want to ask, can the promotets of this new party ' point u.-; to anv country where "regulation" has succeeded in regulating tho traffic, in preventing excessive drinking, or in doing away with the admitted evils of the drink trade? When they point us to such results of "regulation" in anv land beneath the sun we shall be better prepared to consider the feasibility, of their proposals. Until they point us to such results manv of us will be disposed to subscribe" to the sentiment of the Bishop of Lincoln when he-said, "I have no belief whatever in the alteration of the conditions of use and sale of drink as an ultimateremedy. If a bishop owned a publichouse, and all his barmen were curates, and barmaids members of the W.C.T.U.. I would say that tho drink they sold would degrade and debase these who touched it.'"—-I am, etc., NO LICENSE. Timaru, July 14. [This letter is referred to in our leading columns. —Editor,- "Timaru Herald."!

TEMPERANCE IX NATIVE SCHOOLS. To the Editor of the 'Timaru Herald." Sir, —Your correspondent "Educationist," in the attack ho makes on the Rev. John Dawson, shows 'himself to be- possessed of very strange ideas ns to what constitutes "examination," "inquiry," and "proof." ' Mr Dawson makes a certain charge against the Austrian wine trade., carried on in •parts.-of the Auckland province. He informs the Minister of Education, on evidence which, he deems absolutely reliable, that some Maori children have been at school practically drunk through this Austrian wine. Your correspondent says that it has been found "upon inquiry" that there h not a, shadow of evidence to support this statement, and that • the charge "on examination" nroves to be "groundless and unwarrantable." Pray, what inquiry has been held, and what examination lias been made in regard to Mr Dawson's charge? .What proof has been, brought forward to refute his statement? According to your correspondent all the "examination," "inquiry," and "woot" amount to this, —that the chairman and officials of the Auckland Education Board "never heard" of a caso such as Mr Dawson describes. This according to '■Educationist " is absolute proof. 1 One is puzzled to know wliv vour j correspondent signs himself ••'Educationist." Whatever branches of I learning may have engaged his attention he has certainly overlooked Logic A very slight acquaintance with that ! susbiect would have saved him from the fallacy of which he is guiltv iu his letter, and taught him that the con- i elusion he arrives at is not warranted hy tho premises. Your renders would bo well advised not to take "Educationist" as their guide and teacher in this matter. I have heard the evidence on which Mr Dawson bases his statement, and to mv mind it is thoroughly trustworthy. Until an inquiry is held, and the "evidence which Mr Dawson will lay before the Minister of Education is declared to »«• untrustworthy, your readers should suspend their judgment. The matter is not at all settled. It is still sub judice.—l am, etc., NO LICENSE. Timaru, July 13.