PUBLICITY V. PUNISHMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 17 February 1911, Page 2

PUBLICITY V. PUNISHMENT.

Sir,—A friend writes me to-day that a certain shoemaker bought a sewing, niachmo for ,£l3 10s. pay a bio in instalments. Ho paid up WJEII 10a. and then got into difficulties, Iho.machino was seized, ami payments all forfeited. Consequently the/seller-' got "money and marbles too. Probably the machine cost him about"£l. The transaction is perfectly legal. ' ■ _ . . ' ' ' ■ Now, I want to make this a peg to hang a little discourso 611. In my opinion all we want in matters liko this is publicity. You newspaper people "are too lasy. Yoi} are afraid of unpleasant interviewers. You know the poor timid cobbler won fc bite, but you fancy a burlv well-paid machine' fiend will como and take your head oft. ■ Does it ■ never occur to you that it is your, duty as a public servant, to exposo these scoundrels? If your editor is literary and thin-skinned, adopt tho American'-practice of getting a stout,intemperate kniivo to receive disagr6cabl6 visitors. Legislation is no use. If I am fool enough; to sigh an agreement to rent a machine at '.£1 a week; said machine become iny property when U weeks' rent are paid, surely that is and .be, good in law? Publicity wduld so far cducato fools, that intending buyers would refuso tb sign such as agreement. There are aiiy amount of current swindles that only need exposure to die. I won't dwell on quack cUres becaUso you say you think the proprietors 6f some ridiculous pill warranted to cur 6 the tobacco habit would sue you f6r libel if yon published tho ingredients (namely, milk, sugar, and baking soda), and will instance 6no that is .common Arid can't alarm tho most' timid editor. Wheii a solicitor,writes to demand pay-' mrat of an ov6rdif& tailor's bill ho writes, "Unless the '.mount. nl]is'-.niy : ; costs" - is.. paid, Ho vtill die. lie has,,no.,'6l6im ",fpr.' li|s'!oosts ; niid lie knows it, - ..Yet. it "is - ilo'iift' apd', tho Law Society wpnjt .interferp.j .".Th6 <-aiSae' applies to insanitary dwellings. If you, suod plainly "nurtiber eight, Stinkomaleo Alley, is rotten, and iAhnbiUd by' people wanted by tho pMide. Tho landlord is the Ron., Henrvjfyyiibuggc, M.L.C../president if. tho .arid said it o.ften enough, matters would soon be righted. , ,* , • ..'"A' l . *j»! f®® in'-,thjs if you think. And yet it isn't so'very deep. I should put it to' a class like this: "In (Community a' Ifttf won't -work- unless the majority heartily 'approve'-of- it.' Alid' 'tfhere. .thev disaonr6ve, yiu dnu't want'a law'! public opinion is sufficiently: coercive." Of course' there are exceptions. In the case of robbery and arson, for instance, we have laws - because nublio opinion is too coercive. It takes the form of lynching. But in plain "chooses" T' believe mere exposure would amply suffix.—l am. etc., W. F. ITOWLETT. ' Tane, Eketahuna, Fobruary 15, 1911.