LETTERS TO THE EDIOR.

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2913, 27 October 1916, Page 7

LETTERS TO THE EDIOR.

THE ANTI-SHOUTING ACT

1 (To tlio Editor.)

Sir, —Your (correspondent, "Enforce Ajxti-Shoutiiig," dosiros that Jus letter will raiso a controversy on this question. Hia letter 6coras to belio his signature. Ho says tho "Anti-Shouting Act" is a farco! Why onforco a farco? Ho characterises tho now law aB "this silly Anti-Shouting Act." Things farcical and silly provoKo laughtor and contempt. _ Why complain.?. Why attempt to incite moro laughter and contempt cif tho compronijiso of tho Prohibition Party for ii curtailment of hours? Tho AntiSl'outing Afct, says yoiu: correspondent, "is tho laughing-stock of all and sundry." To whoso iuveistivo genius is this laughing-stock duo? To tho Prohibitionists. They cried for aiitishouting,' and they got "tho laughingstock of all and sundry."

Your correspondent characterises tho Act'as "neither one thing nor the other." "Unless an army of privata detectives is employed," ho says, "with a good..reward sticking out for each conviction, tho Act is likely to romaiu a dead letter."- Yet after saying all this,- your correspondent wants anti-shouting enforced 1 Ho calls tho Act silly -farco, and urges its enforcement! What for? More laughter. His proposal to offer rewards for convictions is calculated to promote spying and lower tho moral.status of tho polios and ' detective force. Your correspondent is humorous to a degree. Ho Bays: "Drink, and drink only, has prolongod the duration of tho war." Yes, theso Germans arc horrible beer drinkers. If we could only got tho Germans to adopt prohibition, tho war would finish in 24 hours 1 The drinking capabilities of the Germans have earned for them the name of being the biggest beer drinkers in tlio wojrld, If wo could stop their beer they would collapse, and the war would be at an end. It is diink, and drink only, as tho Prohibitionist says, that is prolonging _ the warl To finish tho w;ar, then, it. is not so lmjch auf/i-shouting in Now Zealand that is wanted, as stopping the Germans' beer in tho Fatherland. The Prohibition site of Now - Zealand should petition tho Kaiser, or von Hi'n-. de'nburg to stop . tho '.Germans' beer, and so end tho war. If "trading with' the enemy" would prevent this, tho. Minis tor of Dcfence might relax tho regulations and allow tho - P.rohihfitionists who forced the silly farco of anti-shouting upon Now Zealand to present their petition to tho Devastator of Europe in,-person.—l am.;'