LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 323, 9 October 1908, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

THE TOWN BELT. Sir,—ls it not the duty of tlio Mayor of tho city ; to give citizens a lead on important occasions? Why has not his Worship called the citizens together to give them an opportunity to express their feelings on the proposal of tlio Governmont regarding tho Town licit? If the Mayor cannot, or will not, do.it, some other more public-spirited citizen should. Here is a chanco for someono to do the city a real service; and I am very sure that a call for a meeting of protest, either in the Town Hall, or better, on tho Basin Reservo, would result in such a demonstration as tho Government would take into.consideration.—l am, etc., OPEN AIR. October 7. . THE NO-LICENSE CAUSE. Sir,—"True Temperance" is disturbed over the address I gave at the Chiistian Endeavour Convention. In answer to my question as to who' is ' responsible for sly grog-sell-ing in Ashburton, ho makes a vain attempt to fix that responsibility on tho No-License party. What ! said, in effect, in my address, and what.l venture to repeat is: That it is cruel hypocrisy for the Liquor party to hold up their hands in horror about tho sly grog'selling in .Ashburton when they could stop it to-morrow if'they wanted to. But they don't want to. "On the other hand, they are doing their best , to increase it all the time. "True Temperance" goes on to say: "What we want to know -is—jSVill No-License decrease drunkenness?' That's tho question in a nutshell/'.' Yes! that is the question, and to that question! there is and can be but one reply: No-Liceiiso lias decreased drunkenness in Vti manner. If the convictions for drunkenness in the .last year of .License'be compared with the convictions in the first-year, of No-License in the following electorates; we have this gratifying result:—' ... -.V,. Ashburton—Last year License, 91 convictions for ; drunkenness; first year NoLicense, '23. • iDecrease, 68. . Oamaru—Last ' year License, 156 convictions' for> 'drunkenness; first ~ year NoLicense, ~26. * Decrease 130. • Mataura—Last year License, 124 convictions for ".drunkenness; first year NoLicense, ' 39. : Decrease, 85. ' ; Invercargill—Last, year License, 145 convictions for ■ drunkenness; first year NoLicense, ; 23. Decrease, 122. If a further' coni'parison be made between a ■ License : district'and a No-License district theUjicceU' is-tho more apparent. Take Gisborne : 'tinder . License with a population of 5064 and. .compare it with Invercargill under No»License,' with a . population of 11,722. In 1907-8 the convictions for drunkenness • - " . ■ Gisborner'..,/ 390 Invefoargillt;.;... ... ••• 86 That is -to. say, invercargill, with double the populatipri, had less-.than one-fourth ■ the pon-victions-for drunkenness, proving conclusively that No-License' does decrcaso drunkenness. In , CJlutha;.-under No-License, only one-half--^)-'per thousand were convicted,_ as against ijll'per" thousand for the Dominion. If ' Clutlia's- -No-License proportion had prevailed throughout New Zealand _ there would have I6ss than 500 convictions instead-of 10,000. —I am, etc., , October '5. '.' '. ARTHUR DEWDNEY.

BALLOT. ,

Sir, —There: are: defects and anomalies in | this measure which the_ "man in the street" ! may not ;'see'-;St r first sight. I believe half-a-dozen ' third ''standard school boys could have turned out a better measure. It will 'not oven guarantee an absolute majority where there arc several-candidates contest•ing one : seat, and if it did it would still be wanting. The fact is that minorities have a right to a share of representation that they may put their side of the, case. But under the present system a majority of 0110 vote in each separate electorate would leave nearly half tho people -absolutely unrepresented, and l the least revulsion of publio opinion would overthrow a Government. A stable representative Government can only bo secured by a system of group electorates, each electorate returning soveral members. But it is very evident that both the abolition of triple electorates and tho second ballot aro ; party , measures which destroy tile haphazard : chance of minority representatives hero and there. I am satisfied that how is tho chanco to form a Propo'rtional Representation As- . sociation. Such an association would _be . open to all people bf all. shades of political opinion.'' All it asks is that the Government should/ be :; a. reflection of the governed. It is a .ipity, that the members as a whole' allow such' 'crude measures as the Second Ballot to pass into law without making a ■ fight fdr proportional representation. One can scarcely" believe that ten per cont. of them, aro satisfied with the Act. It cortainly speaks r in -'anything' but flattering • terms the/intelligence of our legislators. —I am,' etc., ■ October ■G. -v E. STEVENSON. POPULATION AND PROTECTION. • Sir,—This Hon. :J. A. Millar, Minister for Labour; recently bemoaned ' the prejudicial effect of- thii declining birlh-rato on olir in- : dustriesV"' Mr. Millar said that unless tho cradles wero kept full his pet-protected hothouse industries' 1 would perish. This is a .remarkable-confession from a strenuous protagonist'of. artificial State aid and compulsion as opposed to the natural development of industries 'by gradual expansion. The forcing' process has been a failure. What is the - use of high .protectivo tariff taxes upon imports 'if: the workers elect to limit their progeny and decline to accept Mr. Millar's dictum/of increase and multiply. Where are the factory operatives to come . from unless ,we are prepared to sanction child labour and ropeal the Factory Acts? Will Mr'.; Millar -tell us what is to be done i- about the "hew.protection" which he claims i will decrease • imports without, checking exports? How is the cost of production of i commodities to be increased without raising i prices?'-. How ..can .industries be carried oil if demand and supply, consumption and pro-' . ductionj do not,;meet? Will Dr.: Findlay's chimerical schejne he workable .'if there are no manufacturing industries to "divvy" up? Will the' Prime Minister's -Annuities Bill, which is to. make, us all prosperous without ; labour,'remove .these difficulties, or must'we ' descend to, a diet of snowballs and wind pud--1 ding when .Protectionism and Mr. Millar bei come moth-eaten?—l am, otc., October 2. : F. W. BURKE. | MORE RATES TO PAY. , Sir,—The Wellington City Council aro ever- \ lastingly, "sneaking in" "City Empowering s Bills," and passing them through a moribund Parliament at the instance of their ] non-ratepaying officers for the purpose of extorting every .penny they can get out of the pockets of the ratepayers of this heavilyburdened 'and mis-governed 'city. The I, latest is another 'Bill to enable them to ~ again bleed the'- long-suffering ratepayers to J tho tune of another penny in the £ as a g special' rate to supply Melroso and parts of Karori and Onslow with drainage. Tho rato*- ' payers are willihg to pay the usual drainage and water rates, wnich, if properly and economically , administered, are ample to meet all ..requirements without, being compelled under/ threats of confiscation and im.e prisonmeht,to pay \ another penny in the £ 1- to this: grasping City Council. The Bill has s no right to apply to that part of tho city i- recently annexed from Karori, containing e the "water-shed than drains into tho stream e which runs from'tho Karori Tunnel through y the -Botanical-,Gardens to the harbour, as that water-shed, has been included in tho city water and sewerage scheme for the last 20 years by an agreement with the Karori Council- of-that 'date, an agreement which tho City Council should not be allowed to repudiate or ignoro. Part of this district n has been eomiected, and paying the water o and "sewerage rates from the very beginning, ,{ and has no right to bo called on to pay _ another penny in the £. I hope Parliament will "throw out" the Bill, and introi' (luce and carry one compelling all land and properties in tho city, whether they belong 16 to the Government, tho Harbour Trust, or the City Council* or not, to pay their fair u share bf the city rates and taxes.—l am, i* etc., ' - 1. OVEK-BUEDENED TAXPAYER, Si September 29, '