LIQUOR IN THE KING COUNTRY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 199, 14 October 1909, Page 5

LIQUOR IN THE KING COUNTRY.

To the Editor. Sir,—Circumstances have prevented my taking notice of tbe later letters of * W. 8." re the above subject until yesterday. And when I commenced to read them, it was with the hope of finding some practical statements and arguments wortby of bis pen. But after reading and rereading them. I could dicovcr nothing but a chaes of adjective abuse. In your isjue of September 23rd be takes umbrage, because 1 choose to be known By a letter of the Alphabet. Now. why shouldhe object to my "ncm de plume." seeing -s I am only following his example, ex-. cept in quantity: he uses two: lam satisfied with one. I can assure "W. 8." that to many they are a"nom de plume," and nothing mere. And many who meet him in the street l?ait to recognise any relation between th»label and the individual. Why then, find fault with mine? In that same letter he speaks of what the critic should be but he omits the one essential quality, as well ad fatting to pot it into practice. The kindly spirit that, whilst pointing out the weafcnses of an opponent's argument, respects his opirfions, and seeks by his criticisms to exalt truth and banish error: To rail at an opponent is not criticism, any more than to abuse is not argument. Perhaps it is owing to the dutness of my intellect and not having a dictionary of uncommon words hanc'y. that I miss the point of his argument. And must confess that I have failed to discover any statements that could hi called argument' in support of hfs contention. And so to cover up defects he has had to resort to sophtsttng and abuse. It would have been more in keeping with" W.B's." position as a literary man, if he had endeavoured to get the facts connected with the proclaiming of the King Country as a prohibited area, instead of tetting bis indignation ptcture what he thinks should have been rather than what is. That they can be procured I have no doubt: Indeed I may say they are being procured, and will be forthcoming at no distant date. Bat perhaps he did try, and found them so cenctusive against him, that he thoughf better to leave them alone and adopted the old dictum: "No case, abuse ytur opponent." "W. 8." in your issue of October 7th makes an ttempt to reply to Mr Sowry's tetter in the previous issue. Where he asked foe information, and put forth several arguments in support of bis positoin a* a prohibitionist, all couched in plain and simpte English. tbat any one could understand. But evidently they were too hard nuts for "W. 8." to-crack: and instead of answering them, what does he give us: "Long quotations and a reiteration of bis adjectival abuse." "W. 8." poses as the friend of the Maori, and has chosen of his own free will to take up his abode in the land of the Maori. An Ihe knows that one of the most potent factors in the degradation and destruction of an aboriginal race is the fire water of the white man; yet. "W. 8." who pretends to be the friend of the Maori and glibly calls him brother, is not prepared to deny himself a luxury, if nothing worse, for the sake cf that brother: and says, perhaps not exactly, in these words, but with a •nrnttar meaning: "Remove alt restrictions so that I may be able to do as I tike, and my brother can go to the Devil if he likes." He speaks of having had to stand alone for years in his effort< for the emancipation of the Maori. He says h* has bad to fight alone, and why? because his efforts are on the wrong lines. And many people see in his tactics not the raising but the towering of the Maori. For after alt thb noble race are but children in civilisation, and that the removal of the tiqvor restrictions is to proclaim the final doom of the Maori. "W. 8." entirely ignores the great work that has been done, and continue t to be done for the betterment of the Maori, and I should like to ask him: To whom is the Maori indebted for the rapid change from barbarism to his present condition? Is it to the trader and land grabber who came with fire water: or the missionary with the Gospel of Peace? I think "W. 8." will admit, that if it had not been for tbe missionaries there would not have been sueb men as Dr Buck. Ngata and others of that Young Progressive Maori Party. He knows as well as I do that King Alcohol woud not have helped them to attain their present position. No sir, I have yet to find a single instance in which alcohol has ; proved a stepping stone to the higher realms of intellect and morality. For a time it may exhilarate but in the end it proves detrimental to botb I Pafceha and Maori: intellectually, ' morally and physically.—l am, etc.. "M."

fAdvt.)

To thf Editor. Sir,—Wooid yoo kindly allow mc •pace to yoor paper to contradict certain statements and rumoors in cowiectien with the Hangattki Butchery. It has been alleged that Mr Cottrr bought the moat from the tlangatiki Butchery late on Saturday night so th&J Mr TesseM,who was in the butchery, cootrt not supply his customers on Monday morning. Th« statement is absolutely false. Mr TassetK beyond cutting op the meat for the orders for which he wa» to gat wages—bad nothing to do with the business for the last three weeks. Mr Robertson did the administrative part of the business for the first week after Mr Tasaell wont cot and ha too then went cot and the eoncam fall tato W kancfe. f** *** • fortnight ago- Three weeks ago I agreed with Robertson, who wanted to dose op that the business shootd go on aa nana! ant it I "old the stock cot. The stock wa» practically sold out on Satorday night and I »»ked Mr Cotter, as • favour, to take what was left. Mr Cotter bought the stock from me for somewhere about Jf& I alto gave Mr Cotter the services of the carder boy so that the botchery customers shootd not ¥o short of m«-at on the Monday. Mr aascHgot the meat and weighed it cot iD Mr Cotter's shop- on the Saturday night so that he knew all about the arrangement. Now, fir, I fall to mo how ft can possibly be asserted that I

| raid the stock over Mr Tassell's brad, mid as fot tbe rumour that Mr Cotter was doing anything underhand in order to close up tbe Hangatiki Butchery: Well! oa you can tee it is simply ridiculous. Trusting sir, tbat you will print tbis letter in fairness to all parties and more especially in fairness to Mr Cotter wbo ba<* been most unjustly blamed.—! am, etc.. T. W. SNOWDON.

J To tbe Editor. Sir. —Tbe otlter day a Maori chief stopped me on tbe street and asked : "I have heard. O friend, that ycu are putting forth your strength to draw waipiro houses into (he Robe Potae. is this true?" "No," I cried astounded, "who has belted me so?" Holding my face with a kindly searching eye, tbe white he softly nursed a stubbly chin: "If it were not for the anger in your eyes, I would tell you: but because of that sight I will refrain. Silence then, witt you be satisfied if I say: *lt came from the prohibit ton side?'" "Yes." I said. "I will." Is it impossible that a great humantar tin work certain zealots profess to strive for, can be achieved without falsehood. perversion, and vilest trickery? Is the effort too invincible, to bs honourable, truthful, and just? Apparently it is. and tbe leopard cannot change bis spots. Also apparently my charges are justified. These be your gods O Israel!—l am, etc.. W. 8.. Te Kuiti.

To the Editor. Sir,—l should tike to know if something is not going to be done to follow up the resolutions adopted at the recent public meeting held at Te Kuiti regarding the roads cf the district. I understood it was derided to get up a huge petition with which to arm the deputation to be sent to Wellington. So far I have not heard or seen anything of tfny petition in the town. What is the Chamber of Commerce diving anyhow? I believe that body wast responsible for catling the meeting. Can it not also take the responsibility of framing the petition and having it circulated. Trusting further action in the matter will no longer he delayed. I am, etc.. TOWN RESIDENT.

To the Editor. Sir. -Not being present at the TV Haiti meeting of "Anxious* Searcher* for information" t find myself somewhat at a disadvantage in following up the arguments of " W.tt." In th»- first place his letters arc more an attack on th# actions and statements of certain gentlemen at that meeting than upon the conditions existing in the Kobe Potae at the present time. In the second* place after reading Ibi.* lette-s eareftttyl I am not sure whether hi 1 * intentions are to get the restrictions removed so that licenses may he granted by the vote of the elector* or whether he merely wishes- to have the restrictions re importation removed, so that he can step otf the train and g»> peaceably hemi" without having t«> "bang his satchel on to the nose of a too inquisitive constable" and th«« cause and uproar, t feel swre. al though I have not the pleasure of "W.B's." acquaintance, that he b a law abiding citizen; therefore, he would not like anything like the latter to happen and further I e?n realise that he. being a Britisher of the fighting type, who does not when hit with a club return the blow with a pillow. does not tike the idea of having his liberties trampled open. IV that as it may the fart remains that curtain restrictions with regard to the sale and importation of liquor have been ptaced upon his district and tha', fact atone shows that something must have occurred in times gone by that caused the said restrictions to be placed over this area and failing the raising of "that two guineas" I suppose we must remain in darkness as to what actually happened. Meanwhile, dear "VV.B." although I am as you say. unacquainted w tth judical procedure, 1 take it for granted that if certain conditions exist and you imagine that they are unBritish, unfair, or that they have outitved their usefulness, it then, to use your own argument, is your place, having laid a charge agonist existing conditions, to prove that the said charge* are true and to outline a scheme that would be better for the well being of the people as a whole. I will pas.* over your statement re tanpits and tea but nevertheless I am willing to submit even tea drinking to the popular tribunal, if it can be proved that it plays as important a part in the criminal statistics of the Dominion as docs alcohol, fam also prepared to support "W.n." in his fight to "Local opt" providing he can prove to my satisfaction that special conditions do not exist which bar me from assisting him. such as a special treaty, expressed or implied with the Natives. lam glad that "W. 8." thinks the same as I do: "Everything that degrades a man is not good." 1 read in a late paper that Chief Justice Alverslone, who presided over the Queen's Hall meeting in connection with the International Congress on Alcoholism, which recently met in London, reiterated the fact, borne by forty years' experienexe at the Bar. that 90 per cent, of the crime in England was caused by , Alcohol. Without wishing to be accused of giving you a scrmonettc I wowtd like to iwk "W. 8." if it is not good "for crime"? I cook! also give : yoo quotations from local judges and > politicians, but toe edtior will say "sufficient for the time is the evil '■ thereof."—l am. etc., E. SOWRY.