THE LIQUOR EVIL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10196, 25 March 1911, Page 5

THE LIQUOR EVIL.

[To.The Editor.l

Sir, —The writer in your paper oi yesterday, a colonist of nearly forty yeans, who has lived mostly v in the back-blocks, evidently does not know much of the evils of liquor, or else does not want to know. Much has been said and written concerning NoLieense recently, mostly from a mercenary point of view,'and Mr s ; ,Grant, all honours to her, has looked at' the question from a moral point of view. We all know that crime, liquor, degradation v and destitution go hpnd in hand,,, -Masterton residents will. r«4 , member th-at for a y&ar or two 1 ions to the last Local Option, poll, quite a number of tragedies and fatalities. attributable; to liquor, took place in this electorate'alone. Since No-License such tragedies; have been conspicuous by their absence; but 7 could intuition several liquor tragedies . in the neighbouring electorate. .That public order a mil-lie moral tone of the community are much better there is no doubly and' only moral would say the. contrary. Concerning ;business : Well. it will be remembered that at the end of the first year of NO7 one hundred and twenty-six business men of Masterton • expressed themselves thusWEat effect has No- ' Liceiiscvupon your business ? Answers: 82 favourable; 16 indefinite;- 14 unfavourable. Do you think that business generally ha.s suffered as a result of No-liicen'e?- 66 No: 17. Yes: 15 indefinite. What effect has No-License on the moral tone? 105 good; 6 indefinite: 1 unfavourable. Would it be in the best interest of the town to restore licenses ?87 110: 12 yes; 5 indefinite ; 8 no answer. Has the opinion as expressed above- changed these . last nine months? I think not. Business is certainly;dull, but the general opinion is that No-License has little or nothing to do with it. And should "ot

morality come before greed? Wei know that there arc those in every town whoso souls can never rise j above their pockete—who would' even | libfel our' town to secure tlieir own greedy "gratifications. A: few days previous to the last lio'cal Option'poll: V respected resident (now deceased) of our town wrote :—"Wlio does not deFire to see the children of to-day growing up in better and purer surroundings ?. It matters little whether the 'electorate be wealthy, it can never bo mean or poor if the character of its people stands hiVh. We want just to roe the younp- folk of to-dav turn out ,r ood men and good women ;to banish ignorance find selfishness: and to impart that sentiment of brotherhood which makes.for the happiness of all. Our first dutv is towards out own electorate. to help keen it clean, honest ai'.c'l of good repute."—-T am. etc.. HUMANITY.