THE BAY OF PLENTY TIMES. "The spirit of the times shall teach me speed." KING JOHN, ACT IV. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1874.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume II, Issue 158, 11 March 1874, Page 2

THE BAY OF P L ENTY TIMES. "The spirit of the times shall teach me speed." KING JOHN, ACT IV. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1874.

Wot’s your perfeilur wanity r” said Sam Weller to his friend the shepherd of pine apple rum proclivities. If the immortal Sam was in the flesh Anno Domini 1874, he would, probably, when hospitably ’ncliued, adopt as more appropriate in these _ degenerate times, the new American invitation to a friend to take a drink, “ Come and h’ist in some pizen !” Some few months ago we called attention to the villainous system so much in vogue amongst canteen keepers of selling poisonops liquors, quoting as a reason the absurdly low terms on which rations were supplied by contractors, leaving them no alternative but to make a profit by the adulteration of spirits, or to lose money by theip contracts. On a late visit to the interior we were requested by a resident to visit a canteen not a thousand miles from Opopc, whore wo tasted liquor served ip a tumbler that had evidently done duty lor some dozens of imbibers since being acquainted with fresh -water and a napkin. On raising a modest appeal against the filthiness of the vessel, we were rudely intormed that the towel was missing—hence the filth. But the filth ol the tumbler was nothing to the filth it contained. Brandy was the name applied to it by “ mine bust ” —Heaven save the mark 1 A. doctor would, we arc confident, have found in it very little of the manufacture of James II c n n c s b u t r a t h e r a s ol u t i o n o f b 1 u c s t o n c, amylic, and other poisons. Vv hoover prepared for sale the liquor we tasted in that canteen should unquestionably be severely punished. Any officer commanding has, wo believe, the power to stop the license of a canteen keeper should he be convicted of selling adulterated spirits, and we would strongly impress on the officers of t h o Armed Cons 1 a b u 1 a ry a n d, t h e N a ti v e' Contingent resident in the district we refer to that it is their duty to see into a mutter which vitally affects the health and well being ol their men. Of

course it is obvious that an officer inspecting a canteen would bo served with the best in tbo bouse, therefore we would suggest that somo_ of the men should bo instructed to obtain liquor occasionally, to be analysed by a medical man, and/ if found impure and unwholesome, that the vendor’s canteen should bo forthwith closed over his head. This is the only effectual plan to adopt with such canaille. But it is not only at canteens in remote outlying districts that the adulteration of liquors is carried on with impunity. The extraordinary number of public-houses throughout the colony makes it often impossible for the honest-minded and frequently inexperienced publicantosell good wholesome liquor by fair measure, hence adulteration is the result 5 while to the dishonest, unscrupulous landlord the lar"e profits made by the admixture of too great a temptation to bo withstood. Ourreaders will scarcely believe that there is a small work published called “The Publican’s Friend.” This book contains several hundred receipts for the adulteration of spirits, wines, and beer, principally by the use of the most poisonous ingredients ; it also gives instructions for the manufacture of port, sherry, claret, and other wines. Irom late home papers wo learn that £> poisoned drink” at the present time is one of the greatest evils that the State, in the interests of moralitv, has to fight against. In England, Ireland,’and Scotland ** maddening compounds ” are being freely vended, causing insanity, crime, and suicide. In Australia and coming nearer home, throughout the’ colony of New Zealand, the same cry against adulterated liquors is heard. AVo clip the following from a late English newspaper :

Madness Induced by Adcxtesation.— It is a singular and rather unsatisfactory circumstance Lnat with all the efforts we are at present makin" to secure the purity of our food, we are allowing the deadliest form of adulteration to flourish unchecked. While we are busy overhauling the milk-can and the bread-basket, the gin and whisky casks escape scot-free, though the"amount of mischief done by their contents is a hundred or a thousand-fold greater than that which wo are attempting to check. hen we are daily deploring the extent and evils of national intemperance, it never occurs to ns to ask howmuch of it and them may be produced, not by tne amount of alcohol which is consumed, but by the vile ingredients which are consumed with it. It is a matter of common knowledge that large quantities of the spirits sold by the less reputable class of publicans are fearfully adulterated ; and there is little difficulty in believing that some of the worst evils of drunkenness—notably that species of savage madness which seems to be a more and more frequent attendant of it —are duo to the deadly effect of the adulterants. Dr, Sheppard, of Colney Hatch Asylum, who has for twelve years watched the varieties of alcohoh'e lunacy, asks whether alcohol is the real factor of “ tilis animal heat and dire insanity.” Ho affirms, on the authority of those who have given much time and study to the question, that the liouora most constantly drunk, whisky and gin, “ate pernicious, not so much on account of the alcohol which they contain, as by reason of the poisonous matters associated with them. They are largely mixed with amylic or fusel oil, ingredients which condition for the most part the miserable consequences of habitual sotlishnoss.” Dr. Sheppard asks why we cannot put a stop to this fatal kind of adulteration ; and the answer is easy, though disheartening enough. It is because wo have begun the reform ot the truffle in intoxicating liquors, more nostro, at the wrong end ; and because, apparently, we think it a little matter that men should be allowed to supply what is lit tie better than. u poisoned poison* 1 wholesale to to the people, so long as we have restricted “ the hours’ 1 within which this may be done.

It is useless to sbnt our eyes to the fact that there is very little pure liquor, either malt or spirituous, to he obtained the colonies now-a-days except at a price beyond the reach of most people, Barnum, in his “ Humbugs of the World,” pronounces the adulteration of liquors to be ‘ the most atrocious and murderous of all the humbugs and Barnum was right. "When will the system of daily poisoning be stopped P Hot, we answer, until the Government take some vigorous steps to prevent merchants, hotelkeepers, and others from selling adulterated liquors. Wo feel sure that respectable publicans will join issue with us in sayhm that _it is high time the authorities appointed public analysers, whose duty it would be to see that none but the purest liquors arc vended within their several districts. It appears to us a duty, especially at this moment, when thccY-il'is’ increasing daily, not to be silent on a matter of such importance, and wc shall take an early opportunity of pursuing the subject. '

REfiASurNG In's. Excellency Sir James Fergusson’g visit, to tiio North, tho following is the programme so mr as it is at present arranged :—The Governor wul leave Wellington for Napier in his yacht, the Blanche, the latter end of this week. After a short stay at Nupier he will, we are. informed, spend about ten days between Napier and Tauranga, visiting Taupo. hinemutu, Botomnhftna, and other places of interest iu that

wondrous laud ; and, after a brief spoil of a few Hours at Xauranga he will proceed, probably, overland, via the Thames, (o Auckland.

We learn with much pleasure that the Government intend very shortly to organise a system of storm signals throughout t lie colony. The requisite apparatus was ordered from England it is stated, by last mail. ° ’