The Club Smoking Room

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIX, Issue 6, 10 August 1907, Page 25

The Club Smoking Room

By

HAVANA

IT is an extraordinary thing,” began the journalist,” how the most eminent men in the profession differ on the Yalue of alcohol. The “Lancet” has published a manifesto signed by 16 celebrated doctors claiming that alcohol is most valuable not only as a restorative, but also las a food. These men state that in (many cases it is absolutely life-preserv-ing, and that the universal belief of civilised mankind that as an article of diet it is beneficial is amply justified. Then the medical Press publishes a reply signed by twelve apostles of total abstinence, headed by Sir Frederick Treves, tto the effect that as an article of food it is valueless and that even in disease its use is very doubtful. Dr. Yorke Davies maintains that alcohol is absolutely useless as a stimulant in disease except in cases o sudden cardiac failure. [Another eminent physician points out .ithat bread, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes all contain alcohol In some form or Other, and that if we wish to be perfectly free from it, we should have to live upon pure sea water, which, he says, is nasty, but excellent for biliousness. When doctors differ the average man follows his own inclination.” <© © © “The question,” said the doctor, “has never been satisfactorily settled, because what is one man’s meat is another man’s (poison. I had a case of a child who was kept alive on port wine, sugar and hot water. This was its sole food for days, and but for this it would undoubtedly have died. But this is not to say that port wine would suit every case. Alcohol acts as a stimulant in cases of fatigue only, if taken at other times it induces fatigue. This has been conclusively demonstrated by experiment. And no man can work so well under its influence, though if taken near the end of the day’s work it may stimulate to fresh effort by enabling us to draw on our (reserve forces. Beef tea and hot milk are far safer as restoratives. An immense amount of harm is done by the adulteration of fermented liquors. A really good pure wine, taken with meals, ©r a glass of good, honest beer is probably better than the eternal teapot of the Australasian colonies. The truth is that most things are good in moderation, and when they are free from adulterants, but the immoderate use of anything spells disaster. I have known tofl’ee to work quite as much harm as spirits with certain people.” 1© © © “I don’t go much upon doctors, if you will excuse my sayiug so,” put in the traveller. “I believe a man should eat and drink what he finds suits him. You know the old proverb that at thirty a mail is either a fool or a physician. (“Or both,’ murmured the cynic, but not. loud enough to be overheard by the doctor). “I think we know best ourselves what is good for us. I must confess that I prefer the Continental custom of taking a light wine with meals to the British custom of drinking bad whisky in between meals. Talking of the Continent, 1 had a rather amusing experience once in Germany. I was travelling With another chap, and we went to a restaurant for breakfast. Neither of us knew a word of the language, and none of the waiters spoke English. A gigantic bill of fare placed in front of us failed to bring any enlightenment, and at last I was struck with a brilliant idea. 1 noticed that the man at the next table seemed to be having a remarkablv good time of it, so I pointed to him and held , K , PrS- meanin R that we wanted meals like his. The waiter quickly erovido,| t ,l e .! dCa ’ and we were P r »“»ptly thrle d em., breakfast of •yfullv i." 6 *' now * n ff that things were • fully cheap m Germany I offered th*

man two marks, about two shillings, and he brought back one and twopence change. Our breakfast had only cost us fivepence each. © © © “Food is ridiculously cheap on some parts of the continent,” said the lawyer, “but it doesn’t always do to ask what you are eating. The French peasantry live quite comfortably on a few pence n day. I knew a young artist chap in Paris who lived for some years on ten shillings a week, and seemed to do pretty well on it. By the way, I see that there are some big strikes imminent at Home just now. It is hard to stay what the result will be of the police trouble in Belfast. It is a very serious situation for the authorities to face, as any sign of weakness on their part might lead to dangerous agitation. Still more grave is the dissatisfaction existing amongst the men Jempfloycd ion the large English railways. A big railway strike would mean an almost irretrievable blow to British commerce, and Would probably bankrupt some large concerns.” © © © “Our Arbitration Act,” remarked the business man, “has come in for much adverse criticism, but it has undoubtedly done much to lessen the evils of strikes. The weak point seems to be that it is not easy to secure the loyal adherence of the workers if their demands are not conceded. You can easily make the employer abide by its awards, because, he is always worth powder and shot if he fails to pay the legal wage, or if he evades the spirit of the Act in any way. But the Court cannot compel the worker to give loyal service, and employees can do much to harm a business without in any way transgressing the law. Personally, I attribute the recent action of the tramway conductors quite as much to their annoyance at having failed to gain the extra penny as to their desire to obey the city by-laws.” © © © “My sympathies,” said the banker, “are almost entirely with the men in this matter. The cars are licensed to carry a certain number, and the men are paid for attending to the carrying of this number. A crowd of people standing means a lot of extra work in collecting the fares, and adds enormously to the risk of accident. I have often seen eases where the conductor could scarcely make his way through the car for the crush. It is unreasonable to expect men to do extra work unless they ara to receive extra pay. I suppose the present crisis will probably end in the city taking over the control of the trams.” © © © “I don’t believe in things conducted by Government or town councils,” urged the lawyer. “The English railways being in private hands are far more up to d'ate than our own. A private company must please the public, while a State-owned affair can go on its own sweet way, utterly regardless of public opinion. Witness our beautiful railway station, our holiday cattle trucks, the lamentable lack of coal wagons. Then note (he delay in pushing on our northern lines, and the hopeless inadequacy of the service. The new tunnel on the Midlarfrt line is a shocking waste of public money and wiH never earn its salt. A private company goes where it is needed and opens up productive lands, it helps forward trade and settlement in its own interests. A Government line is Imilt for the political votes rather than the business needs of a district. You can growl at a private concern with some chanoe of having a

grievance remedied, but to growl at a Ministry or a corporation is like trying to rouse an elephant with a feather.” © © © “All the same,” remarked the journalist, “the average man loves a State owned concern. He likes to imagine that he has a .share in the business, and he will put up with almost any amount of discomfort if he only feels that the discomfort is provided for him by government instead of by the greedy, grasping capitalist. And after all, providing a tunnel five miles in length is only carrying out the well-known political axiom that the general public should be kept in the dark as much as possible.”