The Star. TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1886.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5361, 14 July 1885, Page 2

The Star. TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1886.

THE DIBCT7BSION ON THB BARMAID QUESTION has been characterised by our Wellington representative, who, having been present, is qualified to speak authoritatively, as " a painful experience " for the supporters of the Premier's clause ;as " most one-sided ;" I as a " galloping rough-shod over theories, | fancies, facts, and figures." Yet this, so far as can be judged from the condensed report of the debate, is a most moderate commentary on the proceedings. Nor is it at all difficult to understand the reasons for J so emphatic a rejection of the proposal to j limit the hours during which women may be employed in hotel bars. The influences j at work in New Zealand aro precisely the | same as those which operate elsewhere. Tho Premier's proposed barmaid clause in the Employment of Females Act tended strongly in the direction of absolute prohibition, so strongly that in hi 3 reply at the close of the very one-sided debate he expressed his willingness to defer the operation of the clause for a year, in order that the women at present employed in bars might have ample time for finding other occupations. Tending so directly towards prohibition, it was opposed with no small degree of bitterness. The opponents of prohibition are of three classes — those directly interested in the liquor trade, those who do not feel interested enough in j the rest of humanity to lift a finger to help them, and the politicians who think it t« ; their interest to be friendly with tho " trade." This classification, by the >vay, we noticed the other day in a letter froni the American correspondent of the Lyttd- ' ton Times ; but it will serve excellently j well for Now Zealand. The "trado" in- ' torest and the indifference in the House i proved fatal to tho expressed desire of more than twenty thousand petitioners. These petitioners, the member for j Motueka (Mr Hursthouse) declared, were for , the most part "jealous vives and children ' under age." It is quite possible that Mr Hursthouse was very much nearer the truth than he intended to be. It is quite possible that of the women who signed the petitions, and of the children — if children did sign any of them — an immense number had good cause for jealousy •. for that jealousy which springs from bitter experience. Why, the newspaper, columns bristle wiui examples of the way in which jealousy ' such as this is created, — a jealousy which ; is the torture of many anxious hearts. It is not against the barmaids themselves that the objection is brought, but against the system which declares them necessary in the publicans' interest ; and it is the declaration of this necessity which justifies tho action of mothers, daughters, aisters, in petitioning Parliament. This is, indirectly, admitted in a variety of ways by the opponents of Mr Stout's amendment. These friends of tho " trade " declare that in tho bars some humanising influence is eminently desirable ; they talk of the folly displayed by " weak-kneed young men," by j " mashers," by "oldsinners." They talk al3o of " these young persons," and doubtless they had vivid mental pictures of pleasing presentments. Why cannot legislators be •oasistent ? If they believe that women are a necessary humanising influence in ;

'bars, and they believe, also, that young antS old men display much folly therein because of the attractiveness of these Hebee, ■why do they not adopt a Continental method, and enact that no woman under the age of forty years shall be employed ac a bar-tender. Tho simple fact is, that the whole Licensing question is a social matter which peculiarly concerns women, and is which they ought unquestionably to bt given voting power. So far aa the rejection of their petition 1b concerned, they need not despair. Nor are they likely t»do bo. Tho matter concerns them s» nearly that they will not be daunted by one failure, nor by many failures. Oar I thing, at least, they have effectually done \ — they have compelled public attention to { one phase of their peculiar grievance.