CORRESPONDENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2297, 16 September 1908, Page 1

CORRESPONDENCE.

[Correspondence on public mat tors is welcomed at all times,- but it must be distinctly understood* that this journal is in no way associated with tho opinions of its correspondents.]

"A JACK Olf ALL TRACKS AND-

[To tub Edit on.]

Sir, —The thanks-of tlio community aro duo t 0 Dr Gerard .Smith, for hub instructive Jotters which, have been appearing of JaJo in your columns. Uno.might have .imagined ooirartoraua,t.ion amongst hundreds of men and women, especially the latter, when (). I*. Andrew, balled! toil, in Jus Jettor of the Id till lims t., a -narcotic; and now one might hoars a sigh of relied in many homes because a. medical man has come to the rescue by todling us tea, in spite of G. P. Andrew’s opinion, Is not a. 'narcotic. This again proves tho .tliuil.ln of the old sayng “A little knowJedgo is a dangerous thing.” And, I suppose, G. P. Andrew, “Britisher,” “Quid Nunc,” “Churchina.il” and tho rest of the liquor champions' aro going to inaugurate a campaign aga'anst itlobacco smoking and tca-drmrkiing i'n favor of liquor-drinking. I cannot, however, fancy afternoon “nip” will sound eu nice and .as ladylike as afternoon tea, and just 'imagine the" copious How of gossip -vUi-bre will bo and tho eta'to of mind the poor liu.siiiiiid, loft probably at homo in charge of tho baby, would l be liu after his wife had 1 gone out t<> Alns So-aud-So’s for aftonioon-“nii)” and wlnat ia shock i iio would! get when a tilludding sound was hoard against. the back door. The liquor party ms .represented by G. P. Andrew aro hard pushed lor arguments. Ho says: “It- seems strange that ministers whose lives and callings aro -supposed to bo devoted to fighting sin and evil, by developing tho conscience and moral ideas of the individual, como out iae supporters of salvation by legislative restrictions and enactments.” (The last phrase sounds very much like Dr. Collins.) It. is very good of him to remind tho clergy of Their duties. There wile many clergymen who, ais an Anglican clergyman said tho other day, “are sitting on the fence.” Now, P. G. Andrew could do much good, ns lie seems to have some authority in the church, if he goit; these men to workhard to develop the conscience and moral ideas of tho individual and to reclaim the drunkard, for no-licence clergymen, as a rule, nr;c very active workers ini the reformation of thedrunkard, and they know full well,too •they' have to fight sin and oval, and there are quite enough sinners in the world for them to save without having many' made to order through the machinery of the liquor -traffic, and there are also .enough of natural tempo t-atiom without creating some more —the open, liquor bar especially, with a pretty girt behind' it, is hideously artificial .and!, 'therefore, • mlo-rilly wrong, and a clergyman' is only doing Ills duty to God and man when lie unhesitatingly condemns it. No-lic-ense, though lit has been proved l to be the salvation of many a dninilcird, aims at the preventive rather than the curative, for “prevention js bo-R, ■ ter itih-ani cure.” This is an .impeltant aspect- of No-license which P. G. Andrew and all supporters of the liquor traffic fail blindly to see. I

,shall not deal with other passages in P. G.' Andrew’s letter which already have ’been, dealt with by Dr. Smith, and which aro equally fuultv. —I am, etc., “.WHAT NOW.” Sept. 15. 190 S. TEMPERANCE AND NO-LICENSE [To tub Editou.} Sir, —Mr. J. P. Andrew's letter in this morning's “Times” does not in •anyway exonerate him' Horn wilfiu liiiisfeprcsennation, but- causes lum to suit -deeper into the mud, when. Jus motive is clearly understood, llts anxiety to “bowl out'’ Mite Hughes after she had left the district call, bo excused, because if is part of tho otliics of tho “temperance” trade alio represents. J3ut, whilst' the opportunity was presented at Miss Hughes’ mooting, J.P.A. was very absent/, and it is far from honorable of any mail to take a dig at u. woman, when, lie knows aho is beyond retaliation, and it is meaner still when called 1 to book to shelter himself behind “the unfortunate reporter's” license. “So far as Ashburton is concerned the “fact remains” that 120- business men and others have testified that Ashburton is sweeter, cleaner, morally bo titer, and fiiiiiiiK-rally stronger without the liquor bans, -ami at t-lie monthly meeting of the Hospital Commit too this year (March 0) tho Secretary reported. “that the sum' of £230 had been paid by way of fees since April I, 1907. This is the highest! sum that has been paid in the time specified in tho history of tho hospital.” So wo can add moire “honest” to the. above virtues and say that tho inhabitants of Ashburton -airo building up “facts” that cannot be controverted by the “opinions” of the “Temperance” liquor party, lb certainlymust be very flattering to Dr Gerard Smith to have such an urbane critic as J. I*. A., but 1 am satisfied that J. P. A. is in good hands, and tJic Dr. will', no doubt, search him out ancl dissect him, but before I close I would like to draw J. P. A.’s attention to the late police report of our town, which goes a long way towards squashing his remarks -about “poverty being the cause of drink.” Tile report was published more than a week ago in a local paper and reads:—-“There is, however, n.o diminution in the number of the arrests for drunkenness or breach of prohi-bition.'-orders; on the contrary, t-liore is an .increase compared with the oorTospoiiding'period of Last year. I can only account for this by the increased population! and prosperity of the district, bottled beer, etc.,' supplied for consumption off the premises to partly drunken persons and their comrades, and inicr,cased activity and attention to duty of police.”—l am, etc., “l-'AIR PLAY.”