LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2119, 9 April 1914, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

QPttAU. MUSIC. Sir,—Permit me, as n subscriber t<P yo« paper, to support Dr. ITx-iTo hi. liia roiimife oil organ music in par issue of Monday last" The subject ©forga-n music is not one- to bo trifled with. I am indeed much surprised at' sudi alt astute individual as Mr. John Fuller, |un,, to see iiTiit hopelessly attempting to grapple with h matter which li.o seems to know iittto or nothing about. I would liSjft to know what musieal credentials Mr, Fnlkr possesses to attain this self-appointed roto .of censor of Sir. Pago's programmes. Of caurso., everyone knows that the .musical standing of the patrons"of His.Majesty's a.ftd of those who attend the ©fga.ft recitalsis very wide apart. >Sb much so, that comparison is entirely out of tho. question. Tho musical com-niwiity of Wei? lingtpn know fir. Page's worth, and they are the judges, Mr. Fuller way ho Vol] ablo to "iviilgo tho. "drawing" capacity of the individual who scat's on tho stage and plays or sings "I '0;'Vo Ton Shillings ft O'Grady" .or "Mr. Booau," and tliis I will not dispute life | right, Irat his criticisms of Mr. Pago's i prngmmm.es itro so much oat of phwu that ho has shown Samentabio Aut pardonable, ignorance of classic Music, Sir. Fuller should also ho sure of his figures when making comparisons, and not make random statements. Your correspondent says that Mr. Page is carrying on tho good woirk of Ms predecessor, jmd 1 maintain that he should have tho sympathy of the pubJM in his endeavours, and not_ ho subjected to tin' con-sure, of tofalk- jjicuiii.tieteiit critios It would 'behove''Mr. John Falter ta aot us an apostle in furthering the work of our -city organist tatter t.tta-f decry his efforts in.tho manner ho has, done, its it will bo the means' 'of keep ing a immhei' of inteitijijig 'patrons awity from tho recitals. I nape that sonny abler serine- than myself will take tile matter upj for thero seems to be' a systejuat/ie effort amongst a certain few to belittle the ela-ssie .programmes which Mr. Pago has been giving us, and I liopo iliiit Mr. Pago will keep on ill 'tho way ho is going, ahd .Hot lower tho e'i-iy organist's standing te tho_ level of a "barrel organ-grinder" as it would ha if Mr. John Fuller had his motion given effect to.—l am, etc., A. P. LEVIN* Wellington, April 7, -. THE PROHIBITION MOVEMENT, Sir.,—lour . eorrfis.ponde.nt, "Wnn Riob«nlsan," returns to this bone- pi contention. Mr. Hlch'ardsOn -snjNS: *'.! did not admit £1,000,609 would ho lost to the revenue." On Jirly Is, 1-91&J Mr* Massey told a deputation of Prohibitionists this fact in these ■words- (I -quote tt'iffl EtestisiGS rcjoi't}: "jho Minister flf tho day- had to hear in ■mind that the* ttaalltion of' tho liquof ' traffic would mean a loss of revenue of -£-900,Q00/ ! Bio Kcv. John Dawson, » very distiijenished Prolifbltianist, Said "£884,000." As that Was on tho -1912 returns, and the drink bill increased last year, ilia amotvnt to -fro lost will appro'Siniato a clear'million. Will Mr, Riohardson -'agreeffitli the Prime Minister and tho Rev. John Dawsoji -on this point? With tho spirit monopoly posseasod -by tho Government and drawing forty mil- 1 Jions- of profit out of )t annually, tho Russians drink loss spirits.-, saving Norway, per head of the papulation than any other ckilised natron on -earth.— Vide "Tho Temperance Problem.,"' p. 74. Mr. Richardson qijestions . whether .Prohibitionists who do' not drink or ProMbitipnists who do drink .contribute most to the .revenue-.. Not only do Pr-o< hibitionists who drink, hut all moderates, contribute more to the revenue tli-ait total •alrstpinetfs. That is cnpablo of deinoiistration. Tho drink bill was £•1,1,37,00.0.;,. aceording' to that omineiit : Frohihitionist Mr. A. S. Adams, a.iid nearly .25. per tent, of that sum wont tote the co.lfer;s of Hie State, and as the. Prohibitionitts who do Mt drhik did .nob spud one penny- in liqiior, it is c'lefti- - that the PFohibitraiikts who drink and tho.'moderates contributed tlio whole-of the State's revemio from the drink hill. It, is obvious, therefore, that tho I'ro* hibitionists who do not drink contribute, nothing to thfe Speveiiuo in this Way. As io -erinio, Mr. Ri'chaTdsoii says my statement, fet the worst forms of erimo ■aro mot done by drinkiiig men h unsupported. Since Pjoh-ibition aiid Sof/Wenso took a hold .of Nfiw Zealand drnnkeiiivess has nearly doubled, it w-a.s- - per 1000 the.ycitr betero' one areawont "dry," and tho year after 12 areas ivoii't ''dry" driyikcJUKJSs iii Wiv %w-. land had increased to 11.83 per IOQO of the-papulation. Now the Prohibitionists cay that its ■drnnkenii.e;ss increase? e.r'tmci increases. l!et the Chief -Justice (Sit K-«bert Stent} gave the statistics pertaining te cr-in-ie for a long series of. years, and concluded with these preg-nant-words.: "'Not only has prison papulation deore,iiie.d relatively to thc.popala-'. t-ion, h'v.t «o*ioirs oriino has absolutely decreased" (vide Tim DomikioKj Septcni- | her 16,1913). Yet while- e'rim© deere.as.Gß : drtniken-uess increases, no tliat when Pr-ohiW-tloißsts tell yoii, Mr.' William. .Richardson, that "jjriino hicreases as drn-nheuness increases." you can tell them they aro wafttirfg yoit to be'lievo a myth.

Mr. Richarison Says: "I fi.liall feci glad if "fcfrnperwicß' trill verify tho : statement that o'ij'ly 1.2 out of 10f) jnsaiiG persons in Sw Zealand is att-i'ihn.ta.'b'Jo' .to ■drink." Tiro official "Year Uwlc," 1913, p. 19G, shows that tho total per. rentage of insane, male and female, is 12.1)9, aild that 79,9:1 per cent, of insanity in New Zealand is attrikttahia to "other, causes." It is quite-ii misconception <rf the troth ahoftt insanity; ■ftild its ca'uso SO per cent., of;it, as is fclus custom of .Prohibition. 1 agitators, to alootiqlisih. iWnbitiouists, very good »cn and. woincn ill other ref;pe<JtSi seem to hehovo it to he "'their dirty to ''esaggcraio" for tho good of tho cause, I Would ieeqmmend Mr. Ujehafdson to i-cad "Oriti'id and !■»•> sanity," try Dr. Charies Mercisi", F.R.C.P,, Charing Cross Mospiiial, Laii.-* don, published in. lt>W, Sly grog-selling is the-direct issUo of. NVLicMi'so and'|'fohihi.tio.i)., and Sir, 1 lfeharAsoii admits that tho greMigrocers m Atieklaii.d did a roaring trade, while tho pitiiliciioiises w>ro closed toisi- • ' porarily (hraug tho strike-, and "liquor ■ ivas foiiud in various parts of the gftSCHRroeer's shojx, and incn and women drWiiiig in several roams when Win |»lieo. raided tlio plseo." If PMhilwtioiW isfes do not prefer to do-. ■cent hotels under I/ice'trsc, why do they*' coiitiiHiousiy. agitato for tho : istagurii--tion of ffoatlttioHs that create thesa' ■alioiwirra.tioiis aud render this otitcoifiio of No-Ijicensa so uvjiirfcms to ptfblio. tafals? .If knmv mora they would be less fsosifciv.e, and knowing nvoro thi>y would realise that IKVLicoi'isb and I'roiiibitio.u sv.ro dot terifefanco- re-' forms at all. Many of ihfeiu are- roa-Ks-iiig they have been Working aioisg wrong ■lines, and a,vo convinced tlia'.t tfiov have, abandoned pietljods tjiat lead to b.cjtitfflnttnt in. a people's habits for a species of .political notorfoty-hßiitfng oil tho >a:vt of iho leading* I'roliiiiitioivist .agitators,-—! am., etc., TEMPERANCE.