Page 3 Advertisements Column 1

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 167, 9 April 1919, Page 3

■ ■■The Acting' Prime Minister? says-:, ■-■';,' ;- 6 iii v order; ; tO;;reiiiove from my fellow mgn , ' : tv;liicli--he -^cattnot "wMcliis a menace to him." Following is the full text of ';;.■:..■-', a Letter to his Constituents: '..;;;■ ■..:'■',.■'.... ..j •'' Wellington, April 2nd, 1919. " There's no Puke here."' " Puke" was the shortened I . ; ',',w.:. i ' „ ..,„. , „ T Wo.-tnnrtoh. name of the hotel near the coal mine from which the I .-; ■ ~...,. I J. B. M'Kinlay, Esq., Lawrence; D.Clements,Kaitangata; . 1 " ■ ■', 1 ■* . ,tt »/ t? iru " : '"■".'■ family had moved. It needs little imagination to under- 8 ' I and W. Moore, Esq., Milton. ■•■■■••■■ / . ... I ... I stand the full meaning of the wife s answer. 8 -.;;■• '.';-:.'.. Dear Mr. Moore,-The issue to.be decided on the (2 ) The menace to some of the returned soldiers, both .... . 10th of this month is so important that I feel.compelled fit and med{call nfit> . , -.-I to place before you my views on the liquor-question, ~;. ...' :......:.'| arrived at after many years of public life, and'especially It is unfair to discriminate between soldier and civilian. ; ;, : .', • ,■ I. -.;';■■ ■'"""■ l ' ; vVl owing to experiences since the war began. I do. not write The closing of hotel bars when a transport arrives along- " ' . J as a member of the Government, but as a citizen who side the-wharf, and six o'clock closing apply to soldier and 1 ...- ; '.■'.'■;. J is entitled to give expression to his opinions, in the hope civilian .alike.- Will any civilian argue that he is not pre- -. J that good may result. ,;•■■. pared to put up with these curtailments of his liberty in ; 1 ,••-..■ the inte'rests'of soldiers and their kith and"kin? These '..■•■ [ There are two arguments used in favour ; o£.:the con- curtailments of the personalliberty of soldiers and civilians '.' , . .;: ■ I tinuance of the liquor traffic:— have not in many cases prevented the supply of too much -.:'-•. . . J, ;(1) Loss of customs revenue. -;.- liquor to returnedmen; : No'one with eyes to see can ... .„" .;,...! (2) Interference with the liberty of the individual. deny this. So-cailed friends, not "real friends, of the V :| ■■ ■ . . . _, _ , ■ • soldier have found means to evade the regulations and - Ihave no anxiety about the revenue. The Customs t he Act, the result being Wtrending. Affection •-- • v revenue from alcoholic;liquor and beer during the, last ten and timc will, it is hoped, repair the. sad hearts, but is / " . ..' ;■ years has averaged *B<tf 69per-annum. For the year there not a clear call to prcvenl such things in the future, . ' 1918 t amounted to £816,828. There are several sources . ~.,,, f >c v \r •* j-j I -.-■.;■>.. AU u,o • even if it does demand some sacrifice? . Necessity did, g • i«. . - from which to make this good: U) Customs revenue . , , ~■•■• 1•v il i i I' ' ' — ; ~T, " . •/. , ,. t . . , however, demand some discrimination, which has taken g ' from dutiful goods imported in large quantities owing to ' ~, . ~. . s : • , * . ' .... ,, fa r .... , the form of regulations to prevent the supply of liquor to g Mhe expenditure of;an additional four or five mdhons and troop trains and to thc sick and wounded whi i st under . ;;,■ probably more, tha was previoush; spent on liquor, being Under present diverted toother channels (b> Additional revenue from discrimination couldnotbeavoided. On April 10, there incomes, which will be greater because of increased earn- b ify fo tridof the discrim ination, mgs, due to greater efficiency and an expenditure of a and to make effective deregulations which were de- ,-.',■;• of money now spent on liquor. vised to protect the soldier and to assist the sick and .■;.. -;,? 8 From a pe.rs.onal knowledge of the coal industry, I wounded to speedy and more certain recovery. • ;•■ ::.*.- >'■' ;■;?: ' I am in a position tp state that after pay day there is afailing- • (3) I mmo raiity and venereal disease. -' •'■--"■ -■-.- '".±7 ' . ; .''' "' / .;.' ~..v: i '.'■; "I off in production. ;I am informed that this is true ofother . ",' . . ' i'...L. '«.:„ 'I "."• ----- "' : '--" '" : ; : ~~ " ,-r-i •■--■ I ■/,.'", ■■/Vrr. ™ r-''-'-" - Ido not desire to comment on these unsavoury ■- .. ,; v a... *>*. -i- ,--r> ■«#• -- . I ' industries.'< also. (c). Taxation-. The sources of. revenue : 5 ...., ~ .D V 1 r> »■ n v ••• -j. r „ -v.>.._.. . : -v> ..,.,=, .^.-_^. ■-fe ■'«*•■?.*■■ •■--..•■■ B ". 7 /\ j/i\ >' •"•11 -" ■•• t "'T * subjects myself. A British Royal Commission not long • --•-' --'- ■" — | mdcated in (a) and (b) will, in my opinion, be ample to • J , , ~. , T , c ~ ... ■• | . f „ ; r ~ : ago reported oa venereal, disease and I quote from the meet the loss of Customs revenue from liquor. , , ■'■ t •. • B final report:— ■•■•••■■■• ' ' B Interference with.liberty appears to be the chief "The relation between alcohol and venefeal disease. j argument used by those in favour of the continuance of Abundant evidence was given as to the intimate relation | ........" ''• ' the use of : intoxicating liquor. ■ There are many who between alcohol and venereal'diseases. Alcohol renders i enjoy a glass;of wine, and probably more who. prize the a mail liable to yield to temptations which he might other- I liberty to do as they like within the bounds of the law. I w ise resist, and aggravates the disease by diminishing the I myself can enjoy a glass of wife, and thc liberty which resistance of the individual. . . I •"' .-."■' . the law allows is dear to me, but lam willing to give up ~, „ , . ;, ~. ... ! 1 ■ a pleasure and part with a portion of my freedom in The facts point to the conclusion that disease in.the order'to remove from my fellow man a temptation use of alcohol will be an important factor iri diminishing ". which he cannot resist and which is a menace to him. the ■ prevalence of venereal disease General conelusions (page 65): Our evidence tends to show that the . ~ '<--•-., The evidence which appeals-tome is.:— communications of disease is frequently due to indulgence ,;: "■' (1) The evil effects on those" who indulge and the in intoxicants, and there is no doubt that the.growth of ; ruination in many cases of family life. temperance among the population would help to bring about an amelioration of the very serious conditions which - It is not my purpose to comment on the general evil our inquiry has revealed." . . ... '..,■. effects, which arcapparenty but there are sad stories which (4) National Efficiency.-This aspect of the question - ■•."'" ;. -. the public do not know of....During the war it has been has been fully discussed, and nothing further,need be •"--.• my duty to deal with separation allowances to wives, and added eX cept to ask the questions: "Why have America I especially to wives living away from their husbands. In and Cana(k cQm ' e dry? „ Thc answer) it appears to me, many cases drink was the cause of the break-up of must be ~ For National Efficiency .». C an a wet country the homes. By way of contrast I draw a comparison from success f u n y comp ete against a dry one ?My answer is '; :^ : m y o\\n experience. Some years ago certain coal miners "xt 0 )> moved'to a no-lic 0 When ' , • '',"'.',. ~ ~.„, ~ -'..'■■■■•ii '-.'•■ ~..",.,., ••.--! r ,v- .V, ■•- • . ... No one has suggested to me that I Should write-tlus I - .- visiting the district a few years later Iliad a meal at the , T1 , , v . :,. ,• ■• ■ (U l g" ' ;..;. > . 8 , ~. T i i - ... ,",, Y u etter. It has been sent on my own initiative in the hope g . •?. homeof one of these men. rßound'the table .sat a happy ~ ~-.■ . . , ... ■ , n , . Q . . " .. _. ~~ , -•■■- , •"' , , . . , • that it may be of some service to my constituents, and g ' ' family. The district was somewhat isolated, and I aske ~., . ~., . . T . I ~.,.,.,,.., , ~, . ,', .... you are at liberty to use it as you think best.—l am, etc., B the wife if she felt lonely and whether she did not at times 1 ■> t wish to be back 'at her old home. Her reply was: (Signed) J. ALLEN. I L...»»...--.,«. m »-i.i.i m .. U i...p.. m « "Be sure that hereafter when you look back upon to-day'and its call to "duty you do not have ■■cause—andperhaps bitter cause—to confe 88 to your conscience that you shirked your duty" to your country and "sheltered, yourself under a mere excuse, 95 -Kitchener <m "Duty."