West Coast Times WEDNESDAY," JUNE 19, 1907

West Coast Times, Issue 14142, 19 June 1907, Page 2

West Coast Times WEDNESDAY," JUNE 19, 1907

CRUSADE AGAINST BAB « AIDS. I We are cot giving away a "trade secret," the fact being recognised by uewspoprr leadtra generally that ihe pillc desise to have Blw-ys before them one cr ioore 'burnini qmslions' or 'absorbing topics,' which provide the current gossip of the bour. Tbißd;sireic is thit produces ibe Silly B'a'on amongst tbe newspaper press i t Home, when, failing more serious subjects, th«j most trifling topic is not too small to dibcuta with preternatural

gravity. The tension of duelling eofistanily on affdiis of state and irtjrrationa! quegt'ons at tunes lesorte t>c burdensome also in the colonies, end then being more «erious mi ided than orr lighter hearted B.i's'i cou.nna, we lonk round forsome abuse to reform, if it is only the abolition of cigirette sucking, or the ev'.!s o£ over athoUcism. These and o'her subjutt at such tiroes are brought iit> the forefront amongst the questions of the hour ani a lurid light is thrown 6u them by their being sulj'ctedto ck.se scrutiny and severe ciiticism. Ju t now the at'riclicns and fchoit'ormogs of tie Hcebo who uiin isters to the wants of the bibulous cv*« tomei s at the bar it occupying a cousic* erable amount of pabPc attention through out tbe colony. Whether Ihe barmaid must go is the subject of agitation and she is being tilted tit by temperance re formers and in an equal degree defended by "the trade." It is generally ndnvtted the question would be much simplified if it referred to tbe introduction of tbe fema'e ra- tender, but it is complicated by tbe fact tbat the majority of bars throughout too colony are already served by young women. Many peojlj who are con vi aced that such employment is undesirable for them, feel some misg'v'iDg as to their exclusion solely for the reason that such a et?p wot 11 throw a large number 'of females out of employment. SccH a ?eel»ng does more credit to the sensibilities of their sym; athiaera tl ai to

their reason and will not stand for sound argumei t. If a plebiscite i^aa taken at tbe preseut day as to the admission of the barmaid to this particular s/anue of employment the odds, we think, would be greatly in favour of an advarae vote being polled. Tbat being so, tbe arguments whioh would be sufficient to prevent her entrance to tbe bar wculd apply with equal force t^ her exclusion from Euch employment, In Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin the Press have recently beeu busy t iking opii.ioDS from tbe different parties intereattd on "the barmaid qusfctioD," and the views offered are worth quoting as showing the different standpoints. The New Zealand AiTauce, for instance, submit "that the piecing of women, especially .young womeD, in bars is not good for the morals of either tbe women or tbe men who

frcqpent these ilices, and they argue that the presence of an attractive-looking woman behind a bar tends to increase drinking, particalarly among youths from eighteen to twenty five who had not properly reached the age of reason." Mr Race, one of the Canadian Commissioners at the Exhibition, has also been delivering himself on the question, and as showing the practice in his country his views are worth quoting. Iv Canada, uaid Mr Race, speaking in Christcharch recently, a licensed house could ollj have one bar, wbildt tbe licensees and bartenders must have a character. Barmaids did not ob'ain over there , for a woman to be behind a bar in Canada would mean that tbe woman bad the worst of characters. He bad been surprised &t the beauty and attractivees of the women behind ibe bars iv New Zea'and. He wai deoided'y against the barmaid, and in allowing such a thing New Z^Und was behind Canada, therefore New Zealtnd was in greater need of prohibition thai Canada. A barmaid, whose opinions were givec to a representative of tbe Wellington "Post," said that she had never met a girl who liked this work, but they all liked the .wages, which were good, ranging from 253 a week for a beginner up to £3. Sometimes she thoug' t that barmaids should be abolished and sometimes she did not, which was a feminine way of 5 ay ing tbat sometimes the duties were not rJ->asan\ She did cut suppose tbat the girls would worry much ; she thought that the publians wool 1 do the worrying. As fat as tbe increase of drinking vtas con.' cerned, she considered t- at it varied according to circu nslianceb. 80013 places would do a good trade cvjn if a Chinaman served out the drink 3, aud others had to depend on girls to work up a business. Other barrrakh expressed various view?, and the generil opinion among them— tbe ibt-rested patties— was that the drinking would go on just the same whether it was served out by imn or woman. In some ones a girl m'gbt ba tue me aas of attracting men, but generally they held that the incitement to drink was something inh rent in tbe liquor itaelf, and not iv ths 'girl{ The consensus ef opinion on the whole is in tavuur of the abolition of barmaid*, and no one woali be surprised if the diacus ion did not porter d coming coming legislation to that end. The Hon G Fowl is has already 1 üblicly stated tbat be is pre« pared to bring in a bill to [put a»ay such an slturiog attraction iv hct^Jp, so that it appears more than likely in tha coming session the barmaid will be discussed and po&bibly her days may be numbered.