THE PROHIBITIONIST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 4000, 30 December 1891, Page 2

THE PROHIBITIONIST.

Published by the courtesy of the Editor of Wairarapa Daily under the auspices of the New Zealand Alliance for the prohibition of the liquor traffic, Masterton Auxiliary. When ratepayers demand the entire eretinctioti oj all places for the sale of liquors'heir prayer should be granted. — Clmrks Buxton, Brewer. [Communications tor this column must be addressed to " The Prohibitionist" care of Editor of Waira&apa Daily.] At a temperance meeting at Melbourne, one of the speakers on the drink question (Mrs Hanison Lee), said if she had the poser she could " make it all right" by " one simple little law." All it needed was one simple little clause, and it would read this way:—" Any person hereafter caught making, selling, importing, or giving that which destroys his fellowcreatures, shall be hung up by the heels till he learns better." A correspondent writes to the Alliance News :—ln your last issue you make a comment upon a publican drawing trade by giving away tea. In Hoxton two publicans have got a diflerent dodge. They are insuring the lives of each purchaser. Here is a copy of the notice they have in the window. "£IOO given away. To all purchasers "at this establishment an insurance coupon for seven days is given in case of death by accident See that you renew it every week." This is not altogether a needless precaution. Most of bad accidents that trouble the surgeons of public hospitals are caused by intoxicating drink. On the question of legislation against drunkenness, the Lancet of September 12, suid "we are glad to see that the Government of Germany is doing a deal stringently in the way of legislation with drunkenness. It may well bo that some of the clauses of the proposed Bill exeeedin strength any that we could hope to pay in this country, where even a bishop has been known to prefer treedom to sobriety, ag if drunkenness wers consiste.it with freedom, or as if there were any more helpless slaves than the people who dnnk excessively. Those who criticise such measures are apt to forget that they are only meant to restrain such as are no law to themselves. One of the best clauses of the German Bill is the proposal to forbid the sale of liquor before eight in the morning, and to persons visibly drunk. The difficulty is to get evidence in such cases as the last. Policemen should be able do say more on this subject than they do, and there h a very unpleasant idea abroad that there is too good an understanding between them and tbn publicans, Whatever the explanation the fact remains that there is no proportion between the number <<l convictions for drunkenness and the conviction of publicans for supplying drink to persons so convicted. Rev Joseph Cook says: " License makes the community itself a rumseller."—Mrs M. C. Leavitt, hon eec of the Women's l) nited Christian Temperance Union, tells us that in Tasmania there is not a single descendant of the aborigine!) left, and that the destruction of this people is, in a large measure, due to the strong drink introduced by civilised nations. —lt is estimated that no fewer than 70,000 girls are employed in the pub' lie houses and drinking' bars of the United Kingdom. One of the Daily Telegraph's correspondents advocates legislation prohibiting the employment of women in any licensed house. —Rev Sam Jones says: "I understand that by actual mathematics it has been shown that we (the Americans) send to the heathen countries 13,000 barrels of whiskey to one missionary. The devil doesn't care how many missionaries you send, il you send that amount of whisky along with them." There has been great slaughter ol public house licenses during recent month* in the Old Country. The Publicans did grand service for the Prohibition agitation by bringing upon themselves a death sentence in the shape of the House of Lords de cision in the case of" Sharp v. Wakefield." The Licensing Benches in the Old Country now know that they, the applicants for a renewal, are exactly the same as the applicant for a new license. They have the same power to dPdl with each. The Justices are using their power. We learn from the Alliance News of Oc tober 2nd, that at the Brewstei Session more than 200 licenses had been refused. The following is a specimen of the cold comfort the applicants get from the Bench :—The Chairman at Keswick took the opportunity to say a few words to those who had come for the renewal of their lipenses. Firstly he reminded them of the very important decision given in the Sljarp v. Wakefield case. The case had gone from the lowest to the highest court and there was no appeal upon the decision which decided effectually the position of those who hold licenses for the sale of intoxicating drinks. It showed there was no right or property in a license either for the holder of the licens9 or the owner of the premises for which the license had been granted. Secondly, the Bench had decided to renew all licenses, but that the holders might be put on their guard he wished to impress upon them the fspt that it was only for one year, for at any future time the magistrates might withdraw any of them. He said he was aware there were several houses at which there was no other accommodation than that for the consumption of drink, and which were but mere traps for men to spend their time and money.