COUNTY ADJUSTMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 276, 16 November 1908, Page 4

COUNTY ADJUSTMENT.

'To tlHi Kdilor. Sir,-In your issue 0 f Uu , lm _ j||sl my neighbor, .Mr C. K Bacon, dealWilli proceedings ul political Hie■! in.,. Hero, held by .Mr l]i„ e iUl ,| ,\| r svin,". It appears Dmt ,\Jr nine, in rcple hj, ~ <|M"ilioii by ;t supporter at his Koliura tulii meeting, ,oad lt lirt , ss n , ]|(11 . L (|f ;| resolution movcj l, y l,i ln ilt ■ tm , stnll ford County Council fully setting oul tho terms of adjustment of inter County accounts. J WIH 51ot pr{ . SL , nl at Mr limes meeting at the Kohuni lain Hall, but from two sources re ports came to me Uiat .Mr Hino claimei to have moved that £11172 be paid tc the W/iangumomona County Council ii settlement of accounts, and my tlcniu of tins at Mr Symes's meeting snbse (jucnlly had reference to the inattci as reported to me. It now seems thai Mr Jline at hi 3 Kohuratahi meeting outlined certain deductions which re iluecd the amount to some .C 1350, i widely dili'crenl matter to what i »va, led to believe. I regret the harshnes: of tli« strain in which Mr Bacon ha: written in view of the fact that friend ly explanations freely given would hayi cleared up a misunderstanding. Ji conclusion, the fact of Air Hine havin; moved the resolution in question in *i sense establishes the claim he makes The local government 'history of tin district is recorded in the minutes o the Stratford County Council, auiplifiei by press reports and by personal know ledge of the councillors. If Mr Him seeks to make political capital out o his connection with the Stratford Coun ty Council he must be judged over tin period of his connection with tha* Council, and not upon one partieula. item, an item, too, which ceases to sup port his claim when subjected to dis owning scrutiny. Mr Hine's inliuenct on the Stratford County Counil iiai been inimical .to the Oliurn riding, nou known as the VVhangamomona County and if .Mr iliiie challenges proof he ha: .it in the records of his own Counci. table resolution. In order to detad Mr Bacon's money from its conneetioi with polities 1 have handed a chequi for £lO to Mr MoCluggage, a membci of the Hospital Hoard, to be paid t< the credit of the Stratford Ilwspita Fund, upon receipt of Mr Bacon's cheque for tho same purpose.—l am <-'!*•, W. A. McCU'J'CHAX. Whangamomona, 13th. November, 1908

LIQUOR TRADE AND LABOUR COMPARED. To the Editor. Sir,—Doubtless many of your readers, like myself, have received a circular under the above heading. It is hardly necessary to point out how grossly unfair it is to compare value of gross product of the last merchant handling goods with tho wages paid by such merchant, as obviously prior to the said merchant receiving the raw material, it may have cost more than 75 per cent, in wages to produce and deliver the raw material to the above referred to merchant. Such happens to be the case with brewers of malt liquors, who consume and purchase large quantities of barley, tops, sugar, &c. In dealing with the average wages paid according to value of products (provided nett profits are not ascertainable) I think it wiir appeal to your readers that the average paid to each employee per annum ia much fairer than according to value of product, and these on the showing of the agitators for prohibition result as follows, the amounts specified being per each employer per annum:—

: Breweries ..... 120 .Engineers .. .. 90 Furniture, &c, .. 88 i Tailors 72 Woollen Mills .. US ' Flax Mills .. .. sli Clothing, &c. .. .. 55 i Comment on the above figures is need- . less, except to perhaps point out the • advisability to the present agitators '■ for prohibition to vote for continuance, ! and after the. election try to get a job in a brewery, which pays better wages, . and consequently will appeal to their ! cupidity, which is in the majority of I cases insatiable. If no-license is car- ; ried, it is estimated that we shall have ] to make up a Customs revenue eqnivai lent to about XI or more per head for every man, woman, and child in the Dominion, hitherto paid by those who indulge in the use of intoxicating liquors. To make up this enormous deficit of more than, three-quarters of a million pounds sterling per annum, it will be necessary to increase taxation on something, and as our population is too -small to t;lx further with-success the necessaries of life, particularly ill so far :..-. New Plymouth is concerned with its limited population, and heavy local liabilities, this burden must ol necessity fall upon the householder and landowner. Increased taxation on property means reduction ill value of such pro- 1 perly. As the duty paid by those who indulge in intoxicating liquors, namely, over three-quarters of a million sterling, represents nearly one-fourth of the total interest payable by the Dominion, on public debt and debts of local bodies, estimated at C 3,000,000, to eliminate this source of income and the compulsion of increasing the taxation on la-jd to make up thin revenue will mean a reduction in the value of property by at least one-fifth its present saleable value. In other words, if no-liccnsc is carried, a homestead saleable at ,11500 to-day will be worth .1:400 only, and so on in proportion, Prohibitionists and anti-prohibitionists will participate, alike hi this reduction of the saleable value of their, .property if no-license is earriet, anil consequently increased taxation (to make up the deficit in revenue) made necessary. One of the factors causing the tightness ol the money market at the present moment is the issue of the present election, as bankers and others are fully alive to the fuel; that the decrease in the value of your and my properly' (whether .prohibitionist or not) in the event of no-license being carried, means at 5 per cent, a diminution in flits assets of the Dominion of over 115.000,000. Dun't be led awav infancies and plunge the Dominion' and yourselves into financial ruin, If you are really conscientious in wishing to assist your weakor brethren, put the existing law into force without ostentatious display. Remember anyone w.io knows of another, whether related <-r iidt, can obtain a prohibition order against such person provided they are aware he or she is ruining their health or wealth through over-indulgence, or in any way all'erting the welfare of those dependent upon them. Do not he led awav by the hysterical misrepresentations of paid prohibition orators anil irresponsible persons, but study your own pocket.—l am, &c, PUD 1)0X0 PUBLICO. -Advt.

I'KOIIIIimn.V A l-KGAUSEI) TYIiANNY. 'l'd the Kdilor. I Sir. -The object (if prohibition i, nut | lo deter from the drinking of intoxicaf■■"K liquors, lint to put an end to it, and therefore, the penalties are out or all proportion to the nature of the ulVcncc. Justice tempered with mercy in not n qualify of prohibitory Jaws. I'Voni no soiiree does (ho cansc'of prolnbilion derive such strength as it does from (he support of well-ineniiiiijr but shallow clcrtrymcii, who induce multitudes to believe that legislation the liquor trallic is a necessary udjuiiet to Christianity ami contrary to the example of Christ. Compulsory ]ir „. hihition is emphalicallv condeni 1 by St. Paul. On this subject he writes to Timothy with considerable emphasis: " Hut, the spirit siith expresslv. that in later times sonic shall fall aivav from the faith, jtivinjr heed |„ scducim; spirits it ml doctrine of devils, throiifjh'lhe hypocrisy of men (Prohibition paid advocates) that spi.uk lies, coinniundine; i-.J abstain from is." 1 Tim. iv.,' 1-1. "Let no man therefore jml".! vein in meat or in drink." Coll. xL Id. "Fori ■ loll!) the lia|ili-l i- come, eatiii" no j , .read nor drinkinir wine: and ve sav ie hath a devil. The Sou of Alan is I come en tin},' and drinking, and ye say, Heboid a ejutloiious man and ;i winebibber." I.nke vii„ :!.1-:I4. The antithesis of (his text is that Christ, the moderate drinker, is unjustly classed union;.' the drunkards, even as the temperate men of the ipresent day are reckoned wilh the inebriates be die teetotal fanatics. However. John nndmibfedlv claimed to lie delivering a message ■from (bid when he said he (the abstainer) was not worthy to unclasp the shoe lalchet of Christ' (the liindrTate drinker)— Murk i„ 7. St. Paul inveighs a»ainst the ~in of drunkenness, and yet neither Paul nor his Master abstained from drinkiiij: the fermented and alcoholic wine of the period. No one had any doubt that (ho wines mentioned in the Scriptures were of an ■inlnxioiitin;; nature until tl'.e origin of

I'rohihitoni it is equivalent to saying that the tc'ii<-liin»« and ijirrtc-tico of Christ. „f the Apii'stlcs. and of the t'liipf men i.i Ihe Church allowed the universal belief and praelice of Christians ■to pi, vvrnii"' on such a. vital question for (lie Itnijr period of over one UimisiUci cifrlit .lunnlred years, until certain men (Prohibitionists) disooveved the true (jutility of the wine, not to promote

Christianity, but to imiintiiin that quality for the furtherance of a jjieconccivcd object of their own, nnmcl /, the modern heresy of .I'rohibiton by coercive legislation. Paul and his Mast'tr knew that the legitimate use of stimulants would not cause their brethren , "to stumble." Temperance and uiodera- , lion are everywhere extolled as sieces- | sary virtues, whereas total uTislTnence is in no place held up as a special means ', of grace. Let the teetotaller ponder on , the advice of St. l'aul to Timothy, ', "Keep thyself pure. ]l t no longer'a drinker of water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake," 1 Tim. v., 23. Prohibitionists claim that No-license must be successful wherever the moral sentiment of the majority of the people is in its favor; but even, then the imposed duty of seeing to its enforcement eventually becomes repulsive, spa-smolic' and fruitless as against the natural inclination of man for such .stimulants as fermented liquors are. By transforming moral duties into legal duties they disobey tin.' Divine behest that we should not render unto Caesar the things that are God's. They destroy the springs of moral action by ruling men from without, instead of encouraging them to rule themselves aright from within and self-respect. They try to suppress licensed houses, and therefore incite to the introduction of liquor into private houses, and to the setting up of drinking clubs for the well-to-do and slvgrog shops for the poor. Upon the tr"e of liberty they engraft blighting tyranny. They are. at war against the natural rights of men, and try to deprive us of one. of the means of enjoying life. They interfere with the riglits of the many in a vain atttiupt to benefit a few. «Thcy encourage spies and informers, and clothe certain officers with the powers of despotism. They are dishonest in depriving ninny of their fellow-citizens of their occupations, and in depreciating the value of their property without compensation. % subordinating every ■political question to their fanaticism, they form a pernicious excrescence upon the body politic. Unlet- banners with the legend "For Good and Home, and Humanity," and supported by religion (so-called), hosts of fanatics laboring to subvert the moral economy of God, to destroy the function of home, education and .■sample, to inflict financial losses upon the .people, anil foster espionage, social iy,pocrisy, dishonesty, un-Christian bitterness aud crime.' Prohibition is a pernicious weed which is grounded on ignorance and fostered by falsehoods. In the coming struggle let the lemperitc Liberals inscribe on their 'banner, 'Destroy it not, for a blessing it is •- Public- Convenience, Individual Liberty —No Confiscation," and with a suggestive mandate to free and libertyoving electors to leave existing coudiions. alone. —I am, etc., -Advt, AViT-SLAVEItY.

BLOOD MONEY. To the Editor. Sir,—The above is the term applied by Church, reformers to ..money ijeaeit'ed. from those engaged, in trades to which they take exception. Notwithstanding this it, is a strange fact that the first people to whom they apply and th°ir most liberal supporters (without whom they would cease to exist) ate ia-,M whose incomes are derived from sources to which their reference as far as they are concerned applies to. Gold talks every time, and whether received from Jew, Gentile, or infidel, provided it : s fortihconiing, the Church as at proseit will not complain.—l am, etc v -Advt. J.W.

SPIRITUAL ADVICE. To the Editor. Sir, —I have recently received a circular letter signed by the Kevs. Evans, Brocklehurst, Savcll, Rickaby, and Warnre, instructing all churchmen and church women to vote NOT ACCORDING TO AS THEIR CONSCRENCKS MAY DICTATE, but according to the views lieTtl at present by fneir ordained spiritual advisers. I use the word "spiritually" advisedly, as I would like the reverend gentlemen whose names appear on the circular to individually state since when clergymen have ceased to imbibe spirituous or intoxicating liquors, as well as where it was revealed to them as Apostles of the Carpenter of Nazareth it was conducive to the interests of the followers of Him to attempt BY COERCION to remedy any evil that may exist in the world.' Excess iu anything is regrettable, but, as the Carpenter of Nazareth stated: "He did not come into the world to redeem it by coercion, but by sacrifice. Whydo 7iot His alleged followers attempt to follow His example? However, it is apparent that since the absence of Archdeacon Cole, the saying of the phophet Isiah. "All we like sheep have gone astray," is being fulfilled so far as (he Taranaki clergy is concerned. Had the followers of the Carpenter of Nazareth followed 9iis teaching conscientiously, long since the evils of excess wouid haw been remedied, but with a view to saving their own labor and to suit their own ends they arc now endeavoring to coerce flip many for the sake of the few instead of following their Teacher's precepts.—l am, eto., —Advt. MODERATION.

UNFAIR TACTICS, To the Editor. Sir,—A supporter of mine received a typewritten letter signed by "G. P. Wake," and. marked •■private and confidential," but part of which lie felt justified in handing to me, cutting it off together with the signature. The following is the eoppy, and is only the last part of the letter:— [Copy.] "Yours sincerely, •V. P. WAKE. "P.S.--I am disgusted to hear this morning that at Xgnire on Stitunl-.iv night -Mr. A,ibury admitted Hint lie hud advised tile electors who would not vote for him to vote for Air. Dive, [t ■ s < i* treachery to Liberal principles for a man who professes to be supporting the Liberal l.'overnment to advi-n people to vote for nn Oppositionist. Apparently Air. Astbury realises he litis no chance ot success, and is merely trying to keep me out and let Air.' Dive in." To this postscript and its contcnls I wish to give, an unqualified and emphatic denial, for never have 1 advised any elector who would not vote for me to vote for Air. Dive. 'This is apparently an organised and secret plan to forward these letters marked "private and eonlidentiaF' throughout the electorate (for I met with this statement at Opiinake on the one side and Alangamiiigi on the other), for the express purpose of damaging me in the eyes of Government supporters. Further eoiniue-.it is unnecessarv. —I it in, etc., -Advt. " DAVID L. A. ASTBURY.