CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1809, 9 October 1884, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

MODERATION V. TOTAL ABSTINENCE.

To the Editor, Sir,-I thank you for your kind and courteous notice of my little pamphlet on the temperance question, and hope you will not think me ungrateful for your friendly criticism if I point out one particular in which it seems that you have, possibly through my own fault in not giving more prominency to the matter, misunderstood my position. You say that the principle of total abstinence is'•'for a section of the community thoroughly sound and incontrovertible," and you proceed to prove this in a convincing way, to prove it, too, as if I denied it, But I, too, hold that the principle of total abstinence is sound for a large number, of people, and for all who are inclined to drunkeness or have ever been victims of the vice. On page 24 1 speak of some persons having been aided "in what was for them the safe and right course, that of total abstinent', by example. What I object to is the putting forth this principle as one binding upon all, not to its adoption by drunkards. I go further and say that it is a good thing that some persons who are not and never have been drunkards should be total abstainers, just as it is a good thing to have some men living pure celibate lives, One can always respect any kind of self denial, provided it is not paraded before one's eyes too much, but when moderate drinkers are spoken of as being as bad as, or worse than, drunkards, it is time for some one to protest against what threatens to become a mischievous fanaticism, Yours 4c, H. Vere White. Kaiapoi, October 4,1884.

A WATER SUPPLY FOK MASTEUTON. (To the Editor,) Sir—l have often thought that it would ultimately prove a matter of vital importance for the town of Masterton that its inhabitants should be provided with an efficient water supply. The necessity for such a supply mußt

now, after the serious cases of illness that lately proved so fatal in the town, be apparent to every one, I have no doubt, myself, that the water from the eastern wells should not be drunk without boiling or some other provision being taken to destroy the organic matter that in such a porous soil readily finds its way into the sources of the water supply, Just now seems to me to be the most important time to ventilate the question. ' Important works will have to be constructed to prevent the overflow of the Waipoua at the Opaki, An inexpensive floodgate in the earthwork that will be required to confine the Waipoua river in its banks would allow a sufficiency of water to discharge into the creek that runs through Mr Cameron's land. An inexpensive water-race could be constructed to carry the water into the Landsdowne creek and from any point in that creek that might be chosen as suitable for a dam, pipes would convey the water into the town with a sufficient pressure for all household purposes and also would prove invaluable in the event of fire,

While the river works are going on levels could be taken and estimates prepared that would soon prove whether my scheme ia practicable or not, I hope tho meeting to-day would appreciate what my telegram referred to. If the scheme is possible there is no time like tho present for dealing with it, Of course it would take some time to procure pipes, &c, from England, but all the preliminary work might be undertaken at once. I am, (fee, George Beetham. Wellington, Oct. 7th.