THE GREAT REFORM.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1057, 17 October 1911, Page 4

THE GREAT REFORM.

WHAT ABOUT MAINS ?

[Published hr Arrangement.]

'idii:', hauor people veep wi-eny nave decided t.o abandon -V.T:.ieiT>n to its •--pfos'.pirrily. i iic-v ere now Lund shouting :u tim too oo tnoir voice L oIiCCI nU. t: , .1 i‘ l - ■- i' ■■ - O ■■j '■ ■ l ■ Readers can understand taat it is not quite so easy to pet prompt and full information from Maine as it is from Masterton. The cables sent to the Liquor people announcing the downfall of Prohibition in Maine came from New York.

The cable confirming the Prohibition victory sent to the Rev. Dawson, of the N.Z. Alliance, came from Maine itself. While it is just possioie that the petition now being heard .nay result in the repeal of Constitutional Prohibition in Maine by a very narrow majority, we would like to point out tiiat it contains no lesson whatever for New Zealand, save the lesson of the unscrupulous lawlessness of the traffic, and the unique opportunity before this land. A. Prohibition in the United States. What is Prohibition ? Prohibition consists of two things. 1. A Prohibitory Law. 2. Its Enforcement. it needs the two together to make Prohibition.

The United States, by reason of its peculiar methods of administration, has always been notoriously weak in the matter of law eniorcement. A Curious System.

The strange feature ol American public life is that the officers oi the state or town, from the magistrates down to the police and postmasters are elected locally, and by the dominant political party of the place, and for political party purposes. If the system were in operation in New Zealand, it would mean that for Otaki wc would have Government policemen. Government postmasters, Government railwaymen, guards and drivers, perhaps even Government school teachers. While in Palmerston at last election, on the defeat ol Mr Wood, we would have all these Government officials displaced, and their stations filled with Opposition appointments. it is easy' to see how difficult it is to have a uniform administration of any law with such a situation. Suppose prohibition, to be earned all over New Zealand and in operation. But suppose also we had the American method of appointing officials ; and that, while N.Z. as a whole had a majority for Prohibition, Auckland and Manawatu and Grey districts cast substantial majorities for liquor. What would be the result ?

The police and magistrates of Auckland, elected by the same liquor crowd, and with their eyes fixed on the chance of their re-elec-tion each year, would administer the law so as to please the local majority. They would be lax in enforcing the Prohibitory law. They would wink at sly grog shops and decline to prosecute when ships imported liquor even in large quantities. These places would become distributing centres for New Zealand, and in every locality where a majority could be got in favour of liquor the Prohibitory law would he openly disregarded.

This is the reason lor the strange stories that come to us regarding the lax enforcement of State Prohibition.

Of course, there is also the mixed population oJ the United States to be taken into account. Much of it is of the lowest dregs of Southern Europe, and has respect for no Jaw. There is, in addition to this, the notoriously law-defying character of the liquoi- traffic itseit all tue world over. This traffic is willing to spend any amount of money in order to break down or discredit a Prohibitory law. In the Suites it does so by litigation, through the partv judges, by offering liquor free and in any way whatever Py winch the people can be thwarted or their hostility to liquor worn out.

The effect of this state of matters is seen in the fact that practically ail the States that have abandoned State Prohibition have gone in for some form of Local Option.