COMMON SENSE AND REASON.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VII, Issue 352, 22 April 1897, Page 11

COMMON SENSE AND REASON.

Although the question of prohibition has been practically settled by the voice of the people for the next few years, still the more rabid members of the teetotal division, smarting under a sense of their well-merited defeat, are straining every nerve to injure the moderate party by endeavouring to give undue prominence to isolated cases of illegal trading. If a conviction is recorded or a license endorsed it is immediately trumpeted throughout the colony by Mr Isitt’s leather-lunged henchmen, and the incident used as a textual peg upon which to hang a vituperative attack against every man and collection of men who don’t accept without questioning the laws and tenets of the ultra cold-water party. Now, since the matter is virtually settled for the nonce, it is not our purpose in this article to either attack the exponents of prohibition or champion the cause of the liquor traffic. We simply _wish to handle the matter in a purely ‘dispassionate manner, and see what would be the result to the people if prohibition were tobecome the law of the land. We have in previous issues discussed the direct effect such a course would have on the revenue of the colony, and explained that prohibition would mean an increased tax on necessaries ; we have also dealt with the subject from the point of view of its utter impracticability were an attempt made to carry it out; but now we wish to speak of the effect that prohibition would have on those honest workers (many of them teetotallers, by the way) directly and indirectly earning their living through their connection with the liquor traffic. The last census of New Zealand shows that there is a total of 6,766 people directly engaged in the liquor traffic, distributed as follows : — Hotelkeepers, 1334 males and 204 females; relatives assisting, 157 males, 348 females ; man-ager-clerks, 67 males, 11 females; hotel, dub, etc., servants, 1136 males, 2075 females ; managers, secretaries, stewards of club-houses, 32 males, 3 females ; barmen, 196 ; barmaids, 210 ; wine and spirit merchants, 43 males; assistant ditto, 5 males, 1 female; cleiks, bookkeepers, accountants, travellers, storekeepers, 44 males; cordial merchants, salesmen, 5 males; brewers, bottlers, 234 males, 4 females ; managers, clerks, travellers, 54 males • relatives assisting, apprentices, 18 males ; cellarmen, assistant carters, etc., 151 males, 1 female; maltsters and assistants, 118 males; distillers, bottlers, 2 males; wine makers, bottlers, 9 males; cordial, etc., makers, 293 males, 6 females; clerks, bookkeepers, travellers, 6 males; total, 3903 males, 2863 females ; grand total, 6766. Now with all due respect to the official compiler of records, we are thoroughly convinced that these figures are considerably underrated, and mind you, they refer merely to those directly dependent for their living on the trade. When we go another step and include cork makers, ordinary bottling firms, aerated water makers, and many other industries that would be driven to bankruptcy were they deprived of their principal customers, the figures would be nearly double, and if we were to include those dependent upon the workers and small property holders who derive their sole income from the rentals paid by the different branches of the trade, we would find that nearly 33 1-3 per cent, of the population of this colony depends directly or indirectly on the continuance of the liquor traffic. If we introduce prohibition in its sternest form, what are we to do with these people? How are we to place them?

Although they may be willing to work, what employment are we to give them ? It would be too big a contract for even the most financially sound Government to grapple. What, then, would be the result if this huge army of unemployed were thrown on the hands of a Government already in difficulties, and whose treasury would be further depleted by the sudden loss of nearly £60,000 revenue per year? and to make matters still worse, every individual engaged in the Trade who was possessed of capital (and there are many) would withdraw it and invest it in some other colony where more reasonable laws were in force. The result would be a disastrous and widespread panic, inevitably followed by an epoch of anarchy

promoted by the hungry army of the unemployed. Our conclusions are based upon pure logic, and not in any way tinged by sentimentality or partisan feeling. The prohibitionists never seem to look at a question from a practical point of view, and even their theories are utterly illogical. Granted that drink does prove a curse to a few, is that any reason why the whole financial structure of a nation should be upset ? As well to say because fire uncontrolled is a destroying element no one should be allowed to have a grate or a stove in his house; or that because horses are used for gambling purposes on the race course and thereby offend the principles of the “unco guid,” therefore the equine race should be utterly destroyed. It is not by such extreme measures that the cause of temperance will be advanced. A temperate life must spring from the inside, and cannot be forced by arbitrary legislation.