THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1916, Page 4

THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

To the Editor. Sir,—At the Magistrate's Court 01 Thursday we had the finished product of the drink trade—no; perhaui the morgue is where we ought to look for that. However, intoxicating drink had put its permanent mark on the middleaged woman and on the yoim? man as "an incorrigible rogue" and as'"an idle and disorderly person." Of course, while this is quite an event in the Court annals of our respectable, little town, it is quite an ordinary occurrence in the big cities. Now, quite without the intention of the drink trade, these Court .oases force public attention to the ef. fects of drink; but whether thtti brought to the front or not this des tructive work is going on. It is nselcs! to appeal to the slaves of the habit 01 to the traders and capitalists who an getting money out of it.' We might however, ask the "moderates" to lean a lesson. These two, it will be said are not moderates. True, hut they wen moderates once, t and no moderate \< certain that he too will not become an "immoderate." But I do not wish to lecture your-readers. I would only ask where the compensating advantage* are that will make up for all this miaerv and suffering. Great travellers visit our country and tell us they so.i no drunkenness, and some of our .people try to believe that. Now they open their Daily News and see that thers nra evan in New Plymouth scenes and doings bad enough to make us blush for out womanhood, and almost hopeless for our young manhood. Some see a sort of compensation in trade proiits and in national revenue, some in all the hilarious laughter the drinker indulges in while lie is in training {'or tiie final degree. I can see nothing that can in any way compensate for this wilful, wanton destruction of character and life itself. One of the Justices remarked, when the woman got her sentence of six months iu gaol, -That is the best way to Keep her from the drink," If we would (and we could) put the drink under lock and key, shut it out, then the woman might go free. So long as the drink trade is | free these two victims—and thoimmds inn e—are not fiec.—l am, etc., GEO. 11. MAOXDER