MINISTERS AND DEPUTATIONISTS.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2747, 15 April 1916, Page 12

MINISTERS AND DEPUTATIONISTS.

Sir,—The handling, of deputations by the Prime Slinister and also by Mr. Allen is a matter of admiration. Personaily, I am in-favour of wet canteens, but the case for the'wet canteen' was poorly made by the gentlemen who spoke for tlie ladies at tho deputation yesterday. Clearly their -heart was not in the argument. Some of the gentlemen- were, actually contradicting themselves.'" We admit, in effect, they said, the soldiers of New Zealand are a sober and respectable body of men, but there are a few—a very few —who play wp at times, and. we want to close the hotels in town earlier to keep liquor, away fiom these few. We do not want to introduce alcoholic liquor into tlia camps, but-wo want, the Minister to establish 'wet canteens so that the men can'have beer:' That was the "burden of their song,", so to but it was weak, discordant, and unconvincing. The Methodists recently wanted earlier, closing because of the drunkenness ■of soldiers generally. The Minister had to tell these nnti-liquor persons that their -charge against , the soldiers was not true; it was utterly without' foundation,■- in 'fact. The Young Women's Christian Temperance Union Conference' laid the same charge at tlie door of our soldiers, and through tho Moderate League the Minister announced that it was-.a gross libel upon the young soldiers. Yesterday Mr. Allen again declared that it was - disgraceful that "our soldiers should bo held up by some people to public obloquy'.'and . blackguarded throughout the community." The Hon.. Mr. Allen deserves praise for administering this very just .rebuke to a certain class of persons who, in , season and out of season, have not ceased for eighteen months to so blackguard the young men who have volunteered to fight, and aro fighting, for their King tnd country. It was also pleasing to'note that it was not tlio ladies of the War Necessities Committee w-lio had thus, by maligning our boys, hindered the work of recruiting in the country. Furthermore,-if there was any shadow of for the charges of Prohibitionists and others against the drinking habits of any soldiers, there is less ground for.the charge now. The Minister of Defence showed that there was far less drinking among soldiers than there was among civilians, so that "for the sake of the soldier" there was less ground for greater restrictions being Imposed upon him than upon the civiliiiji. And " Mr. Allen, with commendable fairness,_ would' not agree to any cciirso pr action that would be to tho disadvantajfb of the soldier and givo greater freedom to the ordinary citi?.en. . . • One other point raised by Mr. Allen is worth emphasising. It was that if the deputation and a section of the public moved to close hotels earlier "they might create a trouble ten times worse." I know how greatly this worse evil distresses tho Minister, who- is much concerned for the health and efficiency of the troops; and I am convinced that this ovil,'\ Which does not exist in licensed bars', as the Prime, Minister truly observed, would, with illegal grog dons, become deplorably rampant if hotels were closed earlier. Aiid the fury of this worse evil would spread, with all the destructiveness of a firo in a wooden town, with nm water supply. Althouch T support the wet canteen pionosal I do not think I could support earlier closing rf hotels to institute the wet canteen and allow "the worse evil" tj spread. The peonle at the last election said "leaye things alone,," and that seems the safest course at the present juncture.—l am, etc. S ANITAS.