The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. THURSDAY, JAN. 25, 1894.

Waikato Times, Volume XLII, Issue 3366, 25 January 1894, Page 4

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

THURSDAY, JAN. 25, 1894.

Equal and men,» » #f; */ / Of wHatsoever'state or 'penuaiion. mligiout' or political.

Papers received by last mail report that a deputation representing the which* existsliforl the p Jpurss other bodies waited upon Mr Asquith, tfie Home SecretarJJ tion said to get strpngerjegis^ detentipri'lofliajypless-cl&sd of people.;! tin short that what the Idepata!--ition%waht^ j wa« iMf cotejplßlaibill ?? .-i' i l>r. i above,.association, whichyhe s stated, embraced a membership of 10,000, said that the ( existing t systera of deallngwith criminal, ad ( non-cnminal inebriates hat a miserable failore,.rthat t there quarter of a nyllipnpl.c.oramitrtienta every year iu the United Kingdom, of thisrs,o.jbQ pt#e;males were, committed for crimes connected; to ;85'per cent, of the females /for 'similar of" fences. Commitments i often up to h k more common .among women than men. Outside the police court jurisdiction -the 'statfe'of ;I malers 'was efyen worße x figures prpved {.thatosimprisonment had neither deterred nor- reformed from JrunkennessX He stated that in. all classes there w-as a mass of of tle«a N Ue summed up'tie amendments asked for, asifpllpjwg: (t)J'or non-criminal inebriates i(aj power-to seelude and detainW 'Mriltfvi treatment, .(b) pjpssipn i! iforathfi ! po.O,r ; !and s pQrsons tifeiimifto /mftans>'{c) -the reception and'euratiye*detention of voluntary writfen-'agreement (as in^Ameri'cajiittwtef'by^ i rchloral,! jand Tother! narcotic drugs, 4 feV 1 powWrt pmnra permanent deputy, (f) separ : ! ateiretreatsifor tberjßexes,i(g),pow|r ■ to licensee^io' l recohvey 4n escaped | "to' 3 tlie Retreat'3irecti ! (hi 1 power rtor, guardians! to detain ! pauper ineb.riatcs;or,ito.:payfor: their curative I'detention" elsewhere. ! (2) For crimifiaf' i'nWnate. power 0 to magistrates to commit to.SDecial hospitals or Reformatories. Mr A||ui§| that in the next session; ofPa rliament he hoped .to.!r.int.ro.dlicei ji> Bill! to'give effect to the'-'inost r of> the're'eom- ! m(!ndata# J of ] ! obmmitfeS ( wfnch^ i investigated | the questionedwjipse recommendaI 'tionsj were very%uc^'p^he;aßye lines! He did not'think it possible from a logical point of view or from

view'of>policy to treat habitual inebriety as standing upon! a different leyel from insanity itself, i There^weVe4wV4iiffiburties* in the, the necessary establishments) and'the i danger of the infringement of liberty, As to the ! la^er'he" ir said,no man either with < Kis^vill ; or } against his of this kind excepLuponan application!/heard < ibyi njudicial authority acting upon the principles and subject to 'the safe^uarcls'" w;hicH t , regulate; judicial, action, ; It n will ibe rememberediithatilll'iivShera ((attempted to get a Bill passed for the establishment of inebriate asylums j and the compulsory detention pf j dipsomaniacs i within their, walls, i with'iheiobiect .curative trWtmVntr w It*is ww hopH' that his not cause the matter to drop. It is true that such'# miasure ! 'woul(l be expensive, but in considering -this objection it is impossible to overlook the fact that a large proportion of general and percentage of locaifrevenue is derived from liquor anMatjttis reasonable that a portion of such revenue should beV applied tcA .'mitigating, i the; evils which result friinP'oW indulgence. }frdm (at Ipuj-e® monetary point of view, is it not better to apply curativetreatmentand restore victims to a state' of usefulness' than to spend a smaller sum in inflicting punishment for an offence .which the offender under existing conditions is incapable.], ,qf <j avoidingj(j /The temperance, (j enthusiast | remove the possibility;of drinking. This of cpurseiis|>logic^Vi/buts/he knows as well as-does every other maii of realißßtion'^an(i > J°jl^t'll J it' i Vere l otherwise, an injustice! wouldjjjie inflicted upon all who gratify, their \ taste: for stimulants in moderation, 1 believe that by their; mental and bodily state is im T j proved. with Mr Asquith that it would be dangerous :t'6 li; all6w committals to those My : ' luiiis except under judicial authority/, and furtheritliat the utnios.t; facili-/ ties should be afforded, for appeal,to a 1 judge of[- the Supreme' Court:* Whatever the facts of the'promised, Bill may be in the Imperial Parha-, mentjQur, opinion will.not, change,' that our present ■ mode of.'dealing; with habitual inebriates i« barbarous and illogical. Little more so in fact than, committing a man- to/ ail be-/ cause;ihe.happens to suffer) from; small-pox or anv .other disease to ' which;; flesh is heir to. It has Been that devotio'nl to'tiemptranoe seems to have a; strange, power of warping men's judgments;) There'have been signs thW'^'is 1 \ they who will be strenuous, oppo-, nentß of the proposed measure. We i do.uotithink; it uncharitable to write that, this is so,~;because there is i danger/-o^ffeirH'ffi* 3 deprived of horrible examples to use as a lever tp-accomplish~:their-impoßsibie-as-: