THE CANTEENS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 260, 9 December 1909, Page 1

THE CANTEENS.

To the Editor. Sir,—lt ia due to you and to your readers that 1 point out tluit in my letter to .you in Tuesday's' issue on tiie above topic i spowe of the Commonwealth Defence JJiJ] as excluding intoxicants from canteens. 'Uiat was and is t correct; that the Bill was subniiucd to ] the Parliament by the Uoveinmeiit with that provision, and up to the time of / my writing no news had been received in Xew Zealand that the Bill was altered, though 1 think the cablegram with that information appeared on the .same date as my letter to you. 1 mention tins, as I do my best to keep up to date on these matters, and also to be exact in ( my statements. 1 notice that correspondents in your columns often dwell largely on the quality of the liquors • dispensed, and the evil effects of bad ! Whisky. Well, on that I just quote a line from what is regarded as an authority in Britain. The Wltisky Commission said: "It was not establisheu before us that the tonicity of whisky is att'ccfcpd by age." "Tonicity" means "poisoning qualities." There is another item in any letter which I am glad to be able to iconfirm on the best authority. 1 jiofhted put that the canteen clause in -our Defence Bill anticipated that the bulk of the men would pass through their training before they \vould be of age to get intoxicants at the canteen. I have now before me a telegram, dated 7th inst., from one who had a -hand in framing the bill, and he confirms my view, and he says: "As the great bulk of the territorials proposed under the Defence Bill Will be under twenty-one years of age there is protection in the direction you llesire to that extent." I need hardly Bay that the message I quote from was in reply to one from us on'this matter, (Our contention is that increased facilities means increased drinking, and that means increased drunkenness—Colonel * IFoxton notwithstanding.—l am, etc., GEO. H. MAUNDER. 8/12/09.