LIQUOR IN AND OUT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2349, 16 November 1908, Page 7

LIQUOR IN AND OUT.

[To thu Editor.] Sir, —In the turmoil of the campaign, now in full operation, it is even possible that some of the aspects of the liquor question have been overlooked. It has not, so far as I am aware, been pointed out by writers or advocates of either side that the carrying of No-license in a district would really bo to the interest of the liquor party,, and should on that account -alone, be voted for by that body; that is on the supposition that the party’s main object is to make money by the sale and manufacture of alcoholic liquor. This view is made clear from the figures recently certified to and published, which show that a much greater quantity of that kind of liquor was imported into and manufactured in Invercargill during the two years of No-lic-ense than was so dealt with duung the last two years of license. bo from that showing, what have ft e liquor party to grumble at? Ihe:r true policy is to vote Nodicense, and thus increase their gains easily._ Unless, indeed, we have all been laborin" under a huge mistake hitherto, and that after all the mam desire oi “the trade” has -really and truly been always “the good of the people, and not, as we have supposed was the case, merely a desire to add , to their dollars unduly, tetill, it it is really so, and the mam aim of continued manufacture and sale is for the public -good, by voting No-license “the 1 trade” will-not only increase its gains of money very much, but will at the same time give the fanatical No-license people (from its point of view) a much needed lesson, fOi .a. the liquor party -claim, if this Nolicense were brought about;, which it could be by that party’s . assistance, drinking of the products m which it gj.ea.lg wguld, much imjprase, and

it would certainly follow that crime in general and misery in many hones lA Ould be aggravated (no one disputes chose results follow from excessive indulgence), also deceit, hypocrisy, slv-gi-og selling;"and evils of that nature would he pretty nearly universal, and there would be hardly such a tlnng svs honesty in the land, r "so that the iinal result of all these c;.jamities would surely be that w.hut are called moral reformers of all sorts, including the clergy of all denominations we ■viM hope, would be so sho’cked at the appalling iniquities rampant m such a case, that they would rise en masse and join (with “the trade” for the public good, in either restoring license to sell, An all its “glory,” or advocate the taking of a Dominion vote to do away with the traffic altogether. That is about the way I think jt 'ou-.d work out. Perhaps it would bo as well to think it over in this light before Tuesday next. There is one line in the certified figures abovementioned which might be drawn attention to, as.the New Zealand born show up an a comparatively favorable light, as follows: “(6) The percentage, of New Zealand born convicted of drunkenness in 19G0 was 17 per cent., and S 3 per cent, was not New Zealand born.”—l am, etc..

_ J. iSIGLEY Stout Street, Gisborne.