The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News and the Morning News. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1873.

Auckland Star, Issue 1192, 18 November 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News and the Morning News.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1873.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that wo can do

Our statement in yesterday's leader respecting tlio consumption of ardent spirits and tobacco in the province": has been called in question by several correspondents. They cannot realise the fact that on an average every household in the province has been paying to the Government an annual " household rate" of £4 12s Cxi for ardent spirits consumed, and an annual "household rate" of £2 for tobacco. Yet such we assure them is strictly and literally true as shown by incontestable returns. But this is not all. We made no reference to wines ; we made no reference to beer ; and if, as we'have shown, the average household consumes £9 8s Gel worth of ardent spirits, how much would it be if the amount swallowed down in beer were added '( There can be no official return of the beer annually consumed in the province, seeing that the greater part of it is locally manufactured, on which duty is not exacted. We are not saying one word against beer ; neither did .we say one word against brandy, nor do wo say anything against anything at all. We only remark that when so great a " burthen " as £G 12s Gd for duty on grog and tobacco is laid on the "people's" shoulders, and borne without a grunt, when £9 12s Gd are swallowed down the throat of the averago family every year in the form of ardent spirits, and £.3 [)a are puffed away out of the average family's mouth, or snuffed up the average family's nose every year in the form of tobacco ; and when to this we add the wine and the beer that annually follow the ardent spirits— certainly we believe in value not inferior, — wo are strongly impelled to foel but a mild sympathy for the sighing and the groaning over the one pound household rate for Education.