SOME.ELECTION ISSUES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5487, 12 February 1896, Page 2

SOME. ELECTION ISSUES.

There are some .. Progressive , liberals in this constituency who profess to be dissatisfied, with • the -„ past -performances V atid, .present v promises of the Government in the matter .of labour laws. .Surely these people have forgotten the history of the past three or four years, and are becoming unreasonable in their demands for. rapid advancement. Do they not recall the passage of a dozen or more valuable measures in the interest of the labouring masses, all of which were carried in the teeth of savage and bitter opposition by the friends, of privilege and monopoly ? The mere enumeration of such Acts as those dealing with Industrial ConciliationandArbitration,Factories,Shop Hours and "Workmen's "Wages, ought to be sufficient to silence all grumblers. Then, the setting up of a Labour Department, the opening of Labour Bureaux all over the country, and the institution of the cooperative contract system, are perfect prodigies of administrative reform to have been accomplished so successfully and in I such a short space of time by a Liberal administration. Then, as to 'the future, the statements of policy made by the Premier during his recent addresses in Christchurch are surely sufficient to satisfy the most progressive Liberal. Old age pensions are to be instituted, Asiatics are to be excluded from the colony, other necessary labour laws are promised, and there is more than a hint that eight hours' legislation may be placed in the region of practicalpolitics. Theformerproposalsmade by the Government on -the exclusion. of Asiatics were defeated , by 'the . Legislative Council, and in consequence of the other colonies having passed stringent. ; hyws, there is already an alarming influx to New . Zealand of Chinese, Assyrians and Hindoos. If that influx is to be stopped, it must be done by prompt legislation; and such legislation would not be likely to pass if this bye-election gave the Council a pretext for saying, that the electorates disapprove of the Government policy. As showing the danger of an industrial invasion of our country, the Premier cited how the Assyrian hawkers were being driven out of New South Wales. There is a similar movement going on in "Victoria, where there are four hundred Chinese cabinetmakers employed. A Select Committee is inquiring into the subject, in. connection with a Factories and Shops Act Amendment Billnow before the Legislature, and the probability is that these. Chinese cabinetmakers will be driven to seek shelter in New Zealand, unless a law is speedily passed to prevent them coming. Those Christchurch electors who have lately organised themselves with a view to minimising the evils of Chinese competition here ought to be very energetic supporters of the Government, as only by securing a continuance of its policy can they be assured of anti-Chinese legislation being placed upon the Statute Book. LIQUOB LEGISLATION. Eegulation or prohibition of the liquor traffic is an issue that will doubtless determine many votes to-morrow ; for, as between the two candidates who have any chance of success, there is a sharp line of division on this question. The Government candidate is for regulation ; Bir T. E. Taylor is for prohibition. It is instructive to note in this connection the attitude of a body of skilled experts on the subject. Last week, ninetyeight of the leading physioians of Australasia met in congress at Dunedin, and of these only one, in.the course of a debate on " the public health aspect of alcohol " took a view at all f avourable to the prohibitionists. The exception was Dr Chappie, of "Wellington, who took up the uncompromising position that " alcohol"' is a poison, and that its effects on the human system are evil and evil continually. He detailed the bad effects of alcohol under, twelve different heads; but it is probable that under as many heads might be enumerated the evil results and properties of "theme" or "caffeine," the essential toxic elements in tea and coffee respectively. It is utterly preposterous to condemn all alcoholio drinks because of the qualities of alcohol. However, there is no need to reply to Dr Chappie; his ninety-seven medical brethren did so effectually. Dr Delatour, of Oamaru, for example, denied the assertion that alcohol aggravated typhoid, and stated that in his experience " women and temperate persons " were the greatest sufferers from that disease. Dr Ogston was entirely opposed to Dr Chappie, maintaining that stimulants were "required to promote the digestion of food." He held that the immoderate use df tea was more hurtful than over-indulgence in alcoholic drinks an opinion that was endorsed by Dr Symes, of Christchurch. The latter gentleman pleaded for pure beer as being a wholesome drink, and as " not conducive to habits of intoxication or fondness for alcohol." Dr Mickle, of Christchurch, held that as " food beverages " alcoholic drinks had a distinct value, and "a very large minority of the population were undoubtedly benefited by their use." Dr Springthorpe, lecturer on hygiene to the University of Melbourne, laid emphasis on the difference between alcohol and alcoholic drinks. In " proper ale " tkere tniglvfc be under 5 per cent of alcohol, and in addition it would contain extractions of a perfect value. He pronounced clearly in favour of the drinking, of alcoholic stimulants by persons of mature years who felt the need of them and derived benefit from their use. Dr Stenhouse, of Dunedin," was most emphatic in his commendation of the moderate use of alcoholic drinks as being "of considerable benefit " after middle life, and as being conducive to longevity. Here

we find the representative medical men of Australasia deciding all but unanimously that the use of alcoholio drinks is beneficial or necessary to a large section of the people-— not as medicines or drugs ,in illness, but as regular articles of diet— and their opinion is surely entitled to Borne weight as against the denunciations of unskilled enthusiasts, who would absolutely prohibit the manufacture, importation or sale of alcoholic stimulants. ' THE TBCE-BEMEDY. Tliat regulation, and not prohi-on?.,-k,.,.;*%...-.; true, remedy.. .Jfor the abuse of" intoxicants" lT' the'' 'opinion of the Government ; it is the opiniop that this journal has maintained for years ; and it is the opinion that is' held by most of the doctors who spoke at the Medical Congress. Purity of liquor is the first desideratum, and that can only be attained by more stringent regulation. The .guarding against excess is a moro difficult matter, but that too can best be furthered under strict regulation. X>rs Springthorpe, Symes and Ogston all pronounoed unqualifiedly in favour of the Gothenburg syßtem, or a modification of it, under which the sale of intoxicants would be entirely in the hands of State or municipal , employes. Dr Mickle favoured the aomewhat impracticable reform of allowing licensees to supply alcoholic beverages only at mealtimes. Thb taatter was tersely .summed .up by.Dr Springthorpe in a sentence ij(n v which he declared that "the, Gothenburg system was; the proper one, the State reaping the benefit of the^ sale, providing; a pure article, , only supplying it to the proper, peraons,. and knocking out the confirmed drunkard and treating hM':^4-.di8 i 6as > ed/;'--^r)on > .aß> v he was." The lines-, upon .which tne Go-. vernment policy is fixed in tnia colony will inevitably lead up to this full control of the traffic, when all the vicious concomitants of the present system will be eliminated and the deplorable physical and moral results, of excessive indulgence in bad liquor will be prevented. The great majority of the" electors are belieyerV in temperance, as distinguished from the friends of "the trade," on the one hand, and the advocates of complete prohibition on the other. For tho latter unselfish advocates of a mistaken idea, many entertain a respect which they do not feel for their extreme views, and some of these have— as Dr Mickle confessed to the Medical Congress he had done— voted for the Prohibition Party, not because they believed in prohibition, but iri order to obtain reforms. • Regulation is, in fact, the * treatment that commends • itself to "the common sense of most," and those who hold this view ought not, at this juncture, . to waver in their support of tho Government. It is allowable at a local option poll for believers in regulation to vote for prohibition, being morally certain that the only effect will bo to strengthen, the cry for strict regulation; but in an election of a member of Parliament a vote cast for a prohibitionist would be a direct blow at the principle of regulation, and might result in the passing .of. undesirod prohibitory legislation. ■" " ' ' :.<V