The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1883. MR GREEN'S SPEECH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1091, 10 April 1883, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1883. MR GREEN'S SPEECH.

Mn M. W. GitEBN. M.H.R., for a Duuedin seat, has proposed a scheme for doing away with pauperism as a rival to that enunciated by the Colonial Treasurer. We cannot accept the telegraphic report of his address as correct, because that would lead us to set it down as absolute nonsense. Although the report is extremely ambiguous we think, however, that we understand what he means. He proposes to allow only one public house to 1500 of the population, the Government to buy the remainder by way ot compensation to their owners. In country districts he would not allow public houses to be nearer than 10 miles to each other on the same road. Local bodies, who would have the administration of his law, would place them in charge of trustworthy persons who would have no interest whatever in the sale of drink, and who would, we suppose, be paid weekly wage?. Part of the profit which would accrue from the sale ot drink in these houses would go to the local body, and the balance would go to a fund for providing for the poor; any deficiency would be made up out of the estates ot persons dying intestate. Next he would advocate that Government should get all railway materials made in this colony, even it it cost a little more than the imported article. An Act should bo passed empowering Government to resume possession of 10,000 acres of agricultural land, winch he would have cut up into sections varying in size from 5 to 50 acres and on which he would settle the people at a rental of 3s per acre. By this means any man who was desirous of doing so could get a home for himself. If we were to accept the published report as correct we should say that it was a good plan spoiled. But as the details of his proposals have not yet reached us we shall content ourselves by examining the main features of it. With his two last proposals, that is the establishment ot industries in this colony and the settlement of people on the lands, we thoroughly agree* As regards the public houses we admit that they are the source ot the greater part of the misery and poverty for which provisions are sought to be made, bu t we doubt very much whether anything can be done to diminish their pernicious influence. From the earliest times the liquor traffic has been condemned, and the strictest laws passed to prevent drunkenness, The ancient Britain used to stifle habitual drunkards in mire, in the days of Cromwell habitual drunkards were made to wear a badge so that they might be known and avoided, and so on down to our own day when by prohibition orders .we seek their regeneration. All that the ingenuity of man could suggest has failed to prevent drunkenness, and therefore, although in our youth we were most enthusiastic in the cause of temperance, we have come to the conclusion that efforts in that direction nill he misspent energy. Nothing could possibly give us greater pleasure that to see the evil of intemperance wiped off the face of the earlh, but we believe it cannot be done. Besides, the influence of the liquor traffic is so powerful that it is quite Utopian to expect laws for abolishing it to pass. It cannot be done, and consequently we condemn that part of Mr Green's plan as impracticable. But we shall reserve further criticism until we have tho full report of his speech before us.