WET CANTEENS.

Evening Star, Issue 23384, 29 September 1939, Page 8

WET CANTEENS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —One cannot believe for one moment that j'our correspondent “ Garrison Artillery ” is a returned soldier. But whether he is or not, one must take very serious objection to the gross and libellous statements he makes when he says that as a result of wet canteens in the Army “ thousands of young men were ruined for life.” That statement brands “ Garrison Artillery ” as ,a slanderer of the good name of the members of the N.Z.E.F. and the British Expeditionary Force, and so completely nullifies any value his statements may appear to have. If he had any experience in the Army whatsoever he must know that as a result of the prohibition of wet canteens in camps in New Zealand during the Great War hotels adjacent to military camps became veritable gold mines for the proprietors, enriching a few who were not averse to assisting the young soldier to break the law by trading through the back door after hours, very often supplying liquor .of questionable grade in quantities' far in excess of what a canteen would supply. Does “ Garrison Artillery ” prefer a repetition of this? One cannot blame the publican for being an opportunist so much as the system which denied the troops legal access to a mug of beer after a strenuous day’s work if they desired such. If “ Garrison Artillery ” knows anything about wet canteens he ought to admit that they are rigidly controlled as to hours, quantity, and quality sold, and discipline of the troops frequenting them. Statistics to-day prove that beer drinking in this country has increased enormously in recent years, due largely to the boasted increased spending power of the people owing to high wages paid and the present Government’s appeal to spend and spend. Many of these beer drinkers are men of military age. One ea'nnot brand them as drunkards—far from it; nor do they injure their health, as “ Garrison Artillery ” would have us believe, but it does throw some light on the far-reaching effects of spending made easy by easily-earned money and the ready acquiescence of the worker to obey the dictates of the Government which appeals to his imagination. So, having assisted ■ the prospective soldier of to-day to acquire a taste for good ale, it would be inconsistent to deny him the pleasure in a military camp whilst the civilian who does not see fit to accept a soldier’s responsibility continues to enjoy that pleasure. The value of the rum issue in the Great War was inestimable, and the writer can assure “ Garrison Artillery ” that if there was anything better than a good rum in the line it was two rums. —I am, etc., Front Line. September 29. '

TO TITE EDITOR. Sir, —Permit mo to say that your leading article, ‘ Wet Canteens,’ is a very weak argument to justify having liquor in camp. It is not a question of sheltering young men; it is efficiency that is required, and no man is 100 per cent, efficient if he is drinking in the evenings. If your argument is sound, why is liquor harred from public works camps? Because it interferes with the work in hand. When I read your article it is easy to see that you have no grasp of .the question at all. Why is it advocated that a car driver should not drink, hecnuso_ it impairs lifs judgment; yet you are in favour or putting it in front of our young men m the camps, where there is nothing else to do after tea is over, and the wet canteen is the .place they would drift to. You cite Colonel Hargest as being in favour of beer in camps. Let me tell you that only on very rare occasions were there wet canteens up the line. I know, as I did my bit, and I have three sons, single, who are of military age, and I would not like them to have this temptation in front of them. It is a well-known fact that a good many returned men who contracted V.D. on active service blame liquor for it, and have whipped the cat even since. Your statement that “ liquor is a commodity, and is entitled to claim its adherents as well as tea, butter, tobacco,” is I think, sheer stupidity. Can you tell me what good comes from beer, etc.? In mv opinion there is nothing o-ood in it, and only harm can come out of it. . I saw a good deal of active service and I think it is a big mistake to take beer near the camps. Whore there is beer there arc women—the wrong sort. For that reason alone I say keep it out'. —1 am, etc.. Returned Soldi™. September 29. [Moderate beer drinking—and moderation is t[ie golden rule—by men who

are getting ample physical exercise in no way impairs efficiency. If our corRespondent in. the courso of bis military career has never had the liquor “ sweated ” out of him by a knowing sergeant-major he has missed one of the enlightening experienced of the Great War. Incidentally, the average soldier of the line is not permitted ta drive to war in his motor car.—Ed, vai