CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 236, 15 March 1915, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

i RUSSIAN REFORM. To the Editor, Sir.—Your article in this morning's .tper on Russian reform is very intersting. May 1 add a little thereto? From" an English magazine liy tli.: last mail, I gather tne views thereon of a Russian, Sergei do Ve.isoHsky, PaL'. who reviews the temperance reform as he has seen it and known it ftr nuu-y years past. He says: Tiai it is not a mere bureaucratic scheme, nor only a class improvement, but that all cla.'ies, parties and religions from the West to the East, from No.-tii to South, unanimously and spontaneously co-op-erate with the Government, and enable the State to extend its be-ielieient reforming activity, the responsibility being borne by tlie entire nation. - ' The movement is educative as v.vll as piohilitive; and all aspects of ths alcohol question are studied, and diplomas given tc those who graduate in cou'perance science. Dr. Vesselitsky mj-* tlw State alcohol was an attempt to clitek State intemperance, and a van wn.i-j it \\i\- in operation the State vsa n:si»t:ng in various ways, the volunteer temperance organsations. Here is one method of attacking alcohol: "In the town Ostastkor, on Lake Seliger. the first Russian anti-alcohol steamer and (loafing museum was buili. The propagating programme of this one ship for the summer of 1914 included a four of Lake Seliger, then by the river Seiid;'arovKi< into the, Volga, and dorm the entire Volga to Astrakan, back a part of tlie way and up the river Xa,m.a into North-eastern Russia. This highly ambitious programme meant visiting twenty-eight cities, twenty-ix other towns, and two thousand villages. The steamer carried a doctor, as well as a lecturer, and a numerous staff and crew. As many as two hundred peasants c >nM be accommodated at lectures given on "board, while, in towns a huge portable tent was erected on shore, holding some eight hundred spectators. The. steamer was preceded throughout its long voyage by a specially constructed motor launch, which informed the whole river-side population of the exact day and hour of the, arrival of the anti-alcoholic steamer." It was no wonder then, that the doctor was able to add: "The following are a few of the results of the prohibition in the first three weeks of August. At Kostov-on-tlic-Don, tlie sale of alcoholic drinks stopped absolutely, even in all clubs and restaurants, and cafe chantants were, entirely closed up. At Warsaw, all supplies of vodka in shops and warehouses were destroyed under strong military and police protection, the fire brigade joining in the actual destruction. At Vilna, a large propor-, tion of the city couucilmcn petitioned the Mayor to permanently close all wine, and liquor shops. At Ivanovo-VoMS-ensk, prohibition completely transformed the town.' All of a sudden drunkards and beggars disappeared from the streets; the penitentiary had no more prisoners and municipal judges very little work to do. Jn Warsaw for a whole day not a single theft was conv . niitt-t'd., not n- single-- night row, whereas Mich incidents were of frequent occurrence before the war. ... A very

healthy anil .remarkable sign of the time's was the petition of many thousands of Petrograd artisans and factory workmen for the closing of wine shops during tho war. That was indeed reform from within; not a mere external application of an official plan or schedule." The above is only part of the good Dr Vesselitsky says resulted from the abolition of alcoholic drinks; the benefits are moral, physical and financial. —Im etc.,

GEO. H. MAUNDER.