THE COMING POLL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 165, 7 April 1919, Page 8

THE COMING POLL

I ACTING PRIME MINISTER'S j VIEWS \ A LETTER , TO HIS CeNSTITUKNTS I 'Following i 6 a copy of a letter from •i Sir James Allen to his constituents:— ! . --Wellington, April 2,. 1919.., ! J. B. ITKihlay," Esq.. Lawrence; D. h Clements, Kaitaugata.; and W. Moore, I. Esq., Milton. I Dear Mr. Moore,—The issue,to be dei cided on the lOtli of this month is so I important that I feel compelled to placo ! before you my views on the liquor ques- ! tion, arrived at after many years of pub- ! -lie. life,., and especially owing to experiI encee since the war began.. I.do not j -write as a• member of the Government, ! but as a citizen who is entitled to give '■• -expression to his opinions, in the hope i 'that good may result. ■ There are two arguments used in. iav- | our of the continuance of the liquor ': traffic:- v I (1) Loss of Customs revenue. , 1 ■ (2) Interference witlr-tho liberty ot the I individual. !' I have no anxiety about the revenue. i The Customs revenue from alcoholic ! liquor and beer during the last ten years ! has 'averaged i the year 1918 it amounted to .iblb.B.a. i There are several sources from wlucn to i 'make this good: '(a) Customs revenue I from dutiable goods imported in large ' quantities owing to the expenditure of i an additional four or five millions, and ' probably more, that was previously spent I on liquor, being diverted to other chan- ;■■ nels. (l>) Additional revenue M-om in- ; comes, which will be greater becnuso ot i increased earnings, duo to greater clhi cioncy, and an expenditure ot a largo ■ sum of money now spent on liquor. ■'■ From a personal knowledge ot the ocal ■ industry, 1 am in. a position to State '■ that after pay day there is a fnllinwjlf ! in production. I am informed that tins i is true of other industries also. (C) J.ax- ! ation. The sources of revenue nmieated ! in-(a) and (b) will, in my opinion, be I ample to meet the lois of Customs rev- | enue from liquor. 1 Interference with liberty appears to be ; the chief argument used by those .in '■■ favour of the continuance of the use ot i intoxicating liquor. There arc many who i enjov a glass of wine, and probably more i who* prize the liberty to do as they like I within the bounds of the law. I myself !" can enjoy a glaes-of wine, and the liberty !■ which the law allows is dear to me, but 1 1 am willing to give up a pleasure and i part with a portion of my freedom m ! order to remove from my tellow man a i temptation which he cannot resist and ; ■ which is sv menace to him. '• -The evidence which' appeals to me is:— ! (1) The evil effects on those who in- ': dulge and the ruination in many eases '-. of family life. ' : It is not my purpose to comment on \ the general evil effects) which are ap- | parent; but there are bad stories which • the public <io not .know,of. During the ;■ war it has been my duty, to deal with f separation allowances to wives, and e.s----i pecially to wives living away from their ! i husbands. ,; In many cases drink was the \ cause of the break-up of the homes. By ; way of contrast I draw a comparison ' from my own experience. Some years i ; ago certain coal miners moved to a noi liueilse district to lake up farming. W hen i visiting the district a few years later 1 f had a meal at the home of one of these ' 'rcen. Mound the table sat a happy fam- ■ ily." The district was somewhat isolated, I and 1-asked., the wife if she felt lonely ■ and" whether she uid not at times wish i' to 'be back at her old home. Her reply -. 'was: "There is no I'uke here." "Puke' !' was the shortened name of the hotel , near the coal mine from which tho fam- ] ily had moved. It needs little imngina- ; lion to understand the full taeaning of i the wife's answer. ! (2) The menace to some of the returned : soldiers, both fit and medically unfit. ' j.t is unfair to ciscriminate between ! Boldier and civilian. The closing of j hotel bats when a transport . arrives \ alongside the wharf and six o'clock clos- ! ing apply to soldier and civilian alike. ■ Will any civilian argue that he is-.not ! prepared to put up vith these- curtau- '. menU of his liberty,in the .interestsof soli diers and their kith amliin ? These cui- ! tailments of the personal liberty of solf dier and civilian have not in many cases i prevented the supply of too much liquor ; :to returned men. No oi-e with eyes to r eee can deny this. • So-called friends, not ' real friends, of the soldier have found < means to evade tho regulations and the : Act, the result often being heartrending. : Affection and time will, it is hoped, re- '■ pair the sad hearts, , lint is there.not a '•■ clear call to prevent ftich things in tho i future, even if it does demand some sne- •• lifice? Necessity did, however, demand ; sonio discrimination, which has taken the ! form of regulations to prevent the supi ply of liquor to troop tiains and to the i sick and wounded whilst undergoing hosi pital treatment.'. Under the present law * this discrimination amid nut be avoided. On April '10, there .will .be an opportunity 1 to get rid of the discrimination, and to ' make effective : the regulations which I were devised to protect llio soldier and ': to-assist the wounded to speedy ; and more certain .-ecovory. : (3): Immorality and •••enerual disease. : I'do not desire to comment..on these '; unsavoury, subjects myself. A British ■ Koyal Commission not long igo reported on' venereal disease and I ijuote fiom ! the final report:— : "The relation between alcohol an:l : venereal,disease. Abunilunt evidence was ; given as to the' intimate relation bctwesn ] ■ alcbliol and venereal-'diseases. Alcohol '■ renders a man 'liable fo yield to tempta- ! tipns which he might otherwise resist, , : and" agiravii.tes the'-lisease by diminish- I ' ing the resistance of the individual. . . • ! , "The facts joint to the conclusion that i decrease in tne use of alcohol will be an i- important factor in diminishing the -prevalence of venereal, disease. . . Gon- ! eral conclusions (page G5): Our evidence I tends to show that the communication rof disease is frequently due to indulgence i' , in intoxicants, and there is no doubt that i the growth 'of temperance among the i population would'helpMo bring about ail ' amelioration of. tTie "very serious coiidii ftS-* .-inch' nil' - ' iiui'uiry has revved." ! (1) National' Emciency-This aspect of , the question has been fully discussed, ■ mid nothint; further m-ed be nildod exi cept to ask the questions: "Why have [ America'and Canada come dry?" The j answer, it appears to me, must be "For [ national efficiency." Can a wet country : siicepssfiilly coivneto aqainst a dry one? . Sly answer is "No." i Xo one lias siiffrostod to me that I I should write this letter. It has been j sent on my own initiative in tho hope !■ that it miiy lie of some service to my ■' constituents, and you ere at liberty to ; nee it a,s you think best.—l nm, etc.. : (Signed) J. ALLEN.