-- ».-¢<s~_.~.- w.- are wa-e __ ~M§s¢wz-7I~=<1§~g=fl1~A giro.” -__.,,. . .- assess-aa- s- i The [Charlottetown Guardian Ilodlclls HIIbOIL I. dholhv l. I but. .sla:aa:sar:laa:a:;£r... €3:L:?::?1JE1HbtZa1F2%;$£' Iqvll-ghfllyllilllil III) "Jiluyou (llndnloe). lellvcrol- ll-llllfilllfllldvnloclllllollaénnldl ‘ Ulltolltlhl. ' WIDNISDAY, FEBRUARY S, 1936- w... l; Responsible‘? In the brief presented by the Temperance Federation to the Caurnur. Government last week, one point of considerable importance was seemingly overlooked. That was with regard to the placing of responsibility where it now unques- tionably rests. We refer to the Attorney General's department. JIt was allegedly in order to make this department fully responsible for enforce- ment of the law that the Prohibition Commission was abolished and the salary of the Attorney General increased from $1,500 to $2,000. It will be recalled that when this legislative change was effected at the special session of Sept. 25 last, Hon. THANE A. CAMPBELL, At- torney General, made an explanation_ He said : “Since 1918 the Prohibition Act has been ad- ministered by a Board of Commissioners. At first there were six members; in 1928 they were reduced to three. The feeling was that by ap- pointing a Board of Commissioners the admin- istration of the Act was being taken out of poli- tics and successive governments appeared to be only too anxious to comply with this provision because it seemed to them to be an easy way of passing the buck, as it were. and shifting respon- sibility for the enforcement of the Act. -In my experience it has neither done this nor has it led to cflicient or economic administration. It appears to me that since the Government is re- sponsible for the administration of this law the Government should take that responsibility on its own shoulders, and not only that but should have and exercise full and complete control." This " full and complete control,” demanded by the Attorney General at the September session was granted to him by the Legislature-thus doing away with what he complained was an " anomalous situation " inasmuch as the Mounted Police, though nominally subject to his direc- tion, had previously been subject to the direction of the Prohibition Commission in matters aris- ing under the Prohibition Act. The criticism of the’ Temperance Federa- tion, therefore, should properly have been direct- ed, not to the R.C.M.P. or the City Police. but to the Attorney General, as he himself has made it clear that there is to be no more “ passing the buck, so to speak " and that “ since "the Government is responsible for the adminis- tration of this law, the Government should take that responsibility on its own shoulders.” Since he is now Premier as well as Attorney General, Mr. Camrnnu. will doubtless feel that he is doubly responsible in this regard. At any fate, having placed the administration of the Act back into politics, he has made it impossible to discuss the question at all without frankly rec- ognizing this aspect of the situation. A Year Of Centenaries ,Ma.ny notable names and events will be re- called by centenary and other anniversary dates during the year logo-ranging the wide fields of literature, politics, science and art.‘ _ i Scotland in this connection furnishesa host in itself. Last month Greenock held a week’s commemoration of a figure of world-wide fame -—JAMzs WATT, of steam and engineering dis- covery and development. The son of a Greenock builder and merchant, bVarr was born in that town on January i9, r736, and died in London in 1819. Another Scot who left his mark on mod- erndevelopment was Jorrn LOUDON MACADAM, the Ayrshire genius whose new methods of road construction gained him fame and fortune, Born at Ayr in r756, he died on November 26, r836. Scotland's earliest historian, H-zcroiz Boeca or Bosrinvs, is recalled by the 400th anniversary of his death at Aberdeen where he became the first Principal of King's College. He was a native of Dundee. In i736 there was born James Mac- PHERSON, a native of Badenoch, Inverncss-shire, who, on coming to Edinburgh, became the sub- ject of the famous Ossian controversy. Among famous soldiers we have Sir Joan HEPBURN‘ and GEOllGE GORDON, sixth Earl and first Marquis of Huntly, notorious for man£his- torical exploits, including the burning of oni- bristle Castle, Fife, and the killing of the ‘Bonnie Earl of Moray" of the famous ballad. Both died in i636. Groaoc, fifth Duke of Gordon, who raised the Gordon Highlanders regiment, died a. century ago. A tragic anniversary is the quin- centenary of the assassination of James I. of Scotland in Blackfriars Monastery, Perth, on February 2o, 1536. In addition to Scottish names there are many with a wider association to be recalled during 1936. Among literary anniversaries, fior example. there are Sir Wanna BESANT, the English nov- elist; Sir F. C. Bonn/um, the humorist and fa- mous editor oi “Punch"; and a sweet-singing woman poet and hymn-writer, FRANCES Rrnnnv Havucan, all born roo years ago; and Rouoar or: Lisur, the French artillery captain who wrote . France's National Anthem, “The Marseillaise," ilflh. and died in r836. _ Four hundred years ago there died Eras- grecrpbilosopher, a native of Holland; ‘showman Tvnnans. one bf the _ of the Bible, was martyred. Fin '18“ include Sir Eowup Povrrns Jury a a» J ans. (b. r836), whose eye-glass was as well-known to an earlier generation as Mr, Bawwirfs pipe is to this. Although not a Midlander, he made a family have ever since been connected with that great city. Only a little less famous was Sir HENRY cAMPBELL-BANNERMAN (b. 1836) who served in several Ministeries, finally becoming Prime Minister. He did valuable work in many directions, especially perhaps in South Africa, and the first real struggle between the two Hous- es of Parliament took place during his regime. This brief list _does notpretend to exhaust the anniversaries of 1936, but it may serve to indicate that there will be ample opportunity for commemoration during the year; also too, for reassessment and revaluation. Editorial Notes Interest in City Council election is beginning to become general. ill # After all these years of practical experience and results, protagonists are still discussing the pros and cons of Prohibition.‘ if 9k 9K Aren't we well off this winter compared with our unfortunate fallow citizens on the North American Continent ? 9K 3K 3K _ If that meat market strike in London had begun on February 26, Ash Wednesday, there would have been some sense to it. 9K 3K 5k Tomorrow Parliament with its big majority in the Commons, and big minority in the Senate, begins its first session under a. new King and retrieved Prime Migéisti. It is riot likely any Mayor for sometime will obtain the Royal and foreign distinctions con- ferred upon retiring 'Mayor KENNEDY by King lic. . pub it 5K 9K _ It is stated the Nova Scotia Liberal Govern- ment intends borrowing $14,000,000 in order to improve roads and provide employment. As there is likely to be an election next year, it should provide an election fund as well. 5K 5K if It cannot be alleged that HITLER is over op- timistic regarding the efficacy of his restoration plans. He told 25,000 of his StormTroopers in Berlin on the third anniversary of his accession to power that the Nazi goal of unity and unani- mity would be reaclzézd aikn 1:0 years. When dentists differ their patients must continue to suffer the pains of the condemned. The University of Michigan School of Dentistry just advises us that the recently announced de- sensitizer wouldnot prove to be a. ‘panacea for relief from all pain from instrumentation in the dental chair.” It says novocain is still the better bet. iK 9K 5k Mr. JAMES M. BECK, former United States Solicitor General recalls this joke which he says was told him by King GEORGE V: During the World War, before the United States entered, an American traveller tried to strike up a conversa- tion with an Englishman. He mentioned the Battle of the Somme and quipped “Somme Battle l" The Englisljkma; reatlprted, “Some don't!" Rt. Hon. Ramsay MACDONALD, M.P., is the first non-graduate ever to be elected for a Scot- tish University. It seems a crowning glory to a career begun as a pupil-teacher in a small High- land glen, by a. youth too poor to seek entrance as a University under graduate. Our present Governor-general, as Join: BUCIIAN, represented the same group of Iiniriaersaiéies in Parliament. Our Premier (plus legal President of Council) and Attorney-general has no opinion to offer on the vital question of to be or not to be opposed to the proposed amendment of our constitution. The Province is at a disadvantage in having as Premier and Attorney-general a gentleman who devotes himself to private prac- tice as well. It is still impracticable, as it ever was, to serve two mistgs htoncstly. ' Wonders will never cease. Three hundred years a ter Room: WILLIAMS was expelled from Massa{husetts because of religious differences with t e Puritans, the Legislature last week heard arguments that his sentence of expulsion should be revoked. The petitioner, K, H. WASl-IBURN of Middleboro, acted on the “bet- ter late than never" theory. The request was in connection with this year's celebrationbf the tercentenary of Rhode Island, where Roan WILLIAMS went to settle after the Massachusetts Bay colony would have ‘to ‘more of him. ~ as How iould "ski" be pronounced. The New York Times has its own doubts and its own way of settling them. New England saw the Norse- men six hundred years before it saw the Pilgrims and the Puritans, it says. Mr. Lonorrtrrows Skeleton in Armor and his blue-eyed maid may have travelled on skis over a snowbound Vinland dotted with fewer colleges and shoe factories than now, but probably no colder than today. ‘So it seems only fair that New England's hills should once more re-echo to the Norse vernacu- lar, skee or she. The big dietionarfi plump: for skee, but has a note saying that in ngland they prefer she. Good Americans will thereforeaay skee; unless, that is, they have sold out to’ AL Slnrir and King Eawagn XIII. We have heard little of sterilization schemes since the action was initiated by a daughter , against her mother and doctor, allegingjtbe per- formaneeof an operation to tle ve her of her inherlmlee There will pro also .be less heard of? matey shying," or “lethal cham- Illll Cl’ fortune in Birmingham (from screws) and his ' GEORGE V and the President of the French Rc- _ from the nave-l conference uld that tn the event of war _Jap_ln ‘would wln even lf the retlo stood tan to one against. It's. people who have the ldea they can ltck all hrnltlon who start wars-end let someone else flnlsh them-Port Arthur News Chronicle. ~ ' In China and Elypt lhulenh seem to be more concerned wlth nlotlng than studying. Of course Chlna and Esypt or, not alone ln this. The mental balance of many students ls apt to be unstable. In, their search for knowledge there NotesBy The Way -. PUBLIC FQRUM ~ ' ' Ibl|_e0lunn ls obi! "Q ‘a n» In wlll‘ ' “ma,” "i, “mi. fTl-IE commoner-own. GUARDIAN ‘III Charlottetown Purim doll Pfl‘ rslinuanv. s, m, sazfloim of ecrrgepeldeltl. THE FEDEIATIDN’! IIIJEI’ guydlt ls to be regretted that the reverend and esteemed 881m!‘ men whose names are appended to the memorandum or brief submlttetl to the Government on Prlday last had not examined with a little moi-ecmthedocument, , ‘ for them before c-tfxlng tbelr signa- tures. - No cause la ever helped by extra- must be tlmes when they an out of trlm and tf they are caught ln a. storm under these conditions their behaviour tends to be violent- ly errutlc. iii Convicted tn the lrlgle 5.8. Mono Castle case, the aetmg master of-that vessel has been sen- tenced by a. United States court to two years ln prlson and the chlef engineer to four years. Declaring lt would "not bring back a single llfe to have extended the term of sent. ence which I have imposed," Judgq Hulbert said: “The real thing, we are interested ln here ls that the indictment wlll have a» salutary effect." That ls what ls needed. No nation can afford to let it be thought that the regulatlons tt makes for safety at sea are flouted or negllgently observed. Al: the sum "-1118. 1n punlshlng these ship's of- flwffl. the Jlldllc took occasion to observe that much of the blame for dlsasters such cs this must rest on the government and the passengers. If either governments or the travel- llng public counter: nee laxlty when they are, or should be able to detect lt. helm ls contributory negligence. EX. Invsplte of its errors and lt| faults, the democratic system has undergone the test of the economic crlsls better than others, aecordlng to the English newspapers. To dem- onstrate lt, theyclle certain good examples, more particularly that of France. Al; the beginning of 1935 there was fear of a. revolutlon there. However, ln the face of a grave emergency the extremist parties agreed among themselves that they must postpone untll later the settlement of their quarrels. . .0n the other hand we perceive that the sltuatlon ln oountrles unfriendly to popular government ls less favor- able. The Itallan dictatorship ls en- gaged ln compromlslng ln a mllltary adventure what ll." had galned dur- lng ten years of economic and poll- tlcal torment, The Hltlerlte tyranny ls llkewlse dragging Genn- any into a. rectal and mllltary Sllflfllfllblon which may well bring vagant or ‘ curate statement. Quite the contrary. Int-he contat of nlns years ago snfllclent exper- ience of such a handlcap was ob- talned to last a llfetlme. A certain sermon dellvered professedly on. be- half of Prohlbltlon was so filled with exaggerated and highly-col- oured statements that lt became one of the chlefest obstacles with which those who sought to maln- taln the 1-7 “bltlon Iaw had to contend. It was quoted repeatedly bot-b ln the press and on the plat- form by those who clafmed that Prohibition had “felled? So with the statements on IH-ldey last. The picture ls overdrawn. I fem- lc wlll become the very means of defeating lta own purpose. No one deplores the present altu “ more than the writer of this letter. How can any honest cltlzen fall to regret that law ls violated or that the effects of the use of llquor are what they are? All wlll admlt that the use of lntoidcants ls a danger and all too frequently a. detrlment to morality. All good citizens wlll deplore when they find that law vlolatlons take place and the oflen- ders are not brought to justice. It was never the intention that law should be violated, although 1t ls known to all persons of common- sense that law wlll be violated. Oflloers of the law are then sup- posed to do t-helr duty and brlng the partles to justice Necessarlly they must fall sometimes, perhaps many tlmes, but this does not de- tract from the law. The Federation's Brlef states that “bootlegglng has become a great industry"; that l.n far too many cases lt. ls "undisturbed by the offl- cers of the law”; that immoral llvlng flourishes"; that; local po- llce should busy themselves "daily bringing in some of the hundreds of oflenclers ‘against the law." Sur- ely these are overdrmwn statements. Does any reasonable person suggest that on any slngle clay 1n the year offenders can be found who can be brought tn in hundreds? If that ls not‘ the intended meaning why wrlte carelessly and equlvocnlly? Why express a matter ln such a. way that its possibly incorrect. I1 about lts ruln. As for Sovlet Russia. which ls slowly recovering from its communlstlc experlmenh. . . fear ls bringing lt. back to a wlser pollcy, both as regards its foreign relatlons and the carrying out of lts internal pollcles. The relative prosperlty of the Anglo-Saxon countries and the American republics adds weight to ence to the drink. “The vlclous and ‘destructive you wlll, and exaggerated meaning can be used against the law. What comfort too the Moder- atlonlsts and those who advocate ‘legal beverage sale of llquor wlll take from the Federation's refer- "abuse” of- strong IQOGI‘ I SONG Hero where the bee slept- lnd the orchls llfted Her honeytng plpes of pearl. ho!‘ velvet llp, Only the swart leaves of the oil! 11H drlfbed ‘In sombre fellowship. Hero where the name-weed set the lands alight, _ Lies the bleak upland webbed and crowned with white Bulld high the logs, O love, and ln thine eyes Let m‘: belleve the summer lingers to. . We shall not mlas her psaslve pag- eantrles, We are not desolate, When on the stll, across the window bars, Klnd winter fltngs her flowers and her stars. -Marjorle Plckthall. n. law for the rlcla and e for the poor." They mlgbt have more deflnltely expressed tt, ._pollttcally rlch and polltlcolly poor. The September amendm to the Prohlbltlon Act. does not pretend to abollsh the Prohlbltlon Com- mlsslon. ‘that body was appointed by statute the salary fixed by the same authorlty,‘ for a three year term, They are stlll a corporate body. the Attorney General, plso by statute, prescribed to “Functloxfl ln carrying out. their obligations. But what happens, when the At- tomey General neglects or refuses to so “functlon"? The tenor of the "flederatlorrs" protest ls that thls neglect or refusal to fuhcllon la the gist of their grievance. There ls practically llttle of law enforcement ln llquor cases. The bootlegger ls the white headed boy ln popular favor. It would be PBIl-hrent to ash-if all those bootleggera who are now under- sentence of flne or lmprlson- ment, whn have not pcld their fines or served their tlrne ln jall, were placed behlnd the bars, would there be any left to peddle llllclt rum on our public highways, or under cov- er of the beck alley dives 7 I am, Slr, etc., PROHIBITIONIST- THE HOSPITAL PLEDGES Sin-May I have a. small space to voice my entlments, and the sentl- ments of a number of other people‘ 1n the country, about the Hospital csmpalgn. we were approached for subserlptlcna for the new buildings, lust before the depression, and people subscrlbed quite liberally. Some have made their payments, and a lot more have not. Not be- mentary Quebec. the arguments ln favour of parlia- lnstltutlons. — LeSolelt, a mar-smart. Failure to suppress the slave trade ln Ethiopia ls given as one of the excuses for the attack on that country. But. when lt ls remembered that it took Britain 30» years to achieve that end ln the Sudan, ll: ls hardly to be wondered at that l-lalle Selassie hasnot been able to no. compllsh lt completely ln about a decade-Snuff Star. Investors who strongly oppose a reductlon tn Interest rates, on the ground that tt lmplles the repudla- tton of a solemn obllgatlon under- taken by the borrower, should ask themselves how Canada can hope to escape a reductlon of ln- tzerest rates when Britain ltself was compelled to enter on such a course. Canada's financial posltlon ls not so nuieh stronger than Edwin's that it. can afford to contlnue to meet lts interval: burden with new and larger- ln a continuous pyra- mldlng of debt. Under ouch a pro- cess lt ls only c. questton of time llef afforded to the taxpayer.-Tor- onto Telegram. ‘thirty-nine yOlII In the first elrmelldellvenedlettcrsfromlvew zeeluid ln the Great Barrier InlsndsAfter thattbe mall was trail at, .4: n. case of friends?" ln the llfe of thlsProvln the efforts which have been ‘made ln the past. by our leglslatma to zpewlthorlomlnlmlrethlsevll refer excluslvely to facts (and of course‘ to comments upon facts) u shown tn the history of lezlslatlon upon the subject. It seems to me that such a hlstory, by showlng what the law was destined or Inten- ded to do, the oondltlons whlch from time influences resulting from the abuse of strong drink," say the Federa- tlon. Surely the Moderatlonlsts wlll joln hands with the Federal-ton ln condemning the "abuse of strong drink.” I though the Federation went further and condemned the use ln any quantity of lntloxlcants. Are we to revlse our opinion of the Federatloms alms or ls ll; again "Save us from our So much has been wrltten, some of-lts carelessly written, on the sub- ject of llquor and the Prohlbltlon Act; so much confuslon of thought has resulted from vague and inac- curate statements and from lack of appreclation of the place of law ln dealing with this evll, that I am tempted to venture a review of the posltlon which llquor has occupied ce and of strong drink. In doing so I shall to time exlsted‘, the "success" or "fellure" of the laws that were enacted to meet those condition-s. as ascertained from the declarations by the dlflercnt legla- loturee themselves, wlll be of Inter- elt to the man and may perhaps enable hlm to decide the question. what can be done about glégvllcndhowsbouldltbedealt Wlthyourklndpermlsslcnthere- . fou-mllnIlhalllnsful-tlaerletter es-‘letcen take up the subject "The ltory of our Liquor Lows," more Illrlfcularly and pomlbly u. dill"!!! "WW1 lfltlllltlon and ocu- dftlonl Prior to Prohfbltlon. ' I Ill!» 811'. etc., W. l. BINTLII. —-—-_-__.__ VIII DILUGI OI IOOZI tadthelrcesetothe E s lhz-Jrho Pmhlbltlon Ibderotlon u, plum ‘lbeymlshthe probedendtdempwnhtomlnt VD unlocked: - p“ Ltd. was merged ln The New Inl- land Gas andllectrlc Assoclatlcn. It ls a fact that. the latter own 100% of the farmer's stock. Wes lt u I consequence of this men-w t-Mt t!" bills were made out ln the name c! The A. G. E. 00.? How comes ll that oureoamglgl-gw m"; a‘; me o a 111D yeui: and then brtug lt to llfc 180111? However. 53 this was the situation when the bondl. ¢¢11l31°°"'"- "'4 obllgatlons were sold. m5 0111' m“ Government gave the 0011111811! I permit to sell sumo, 18 "l!" n“ l moral obllgntlon on the Eflvflflmml to protect these investor! Nld t0 take all necessary action for that purpose. I may say that ls mother objective of thlsserles of lctlcrl 1nd they are not through yet- Tne company in l latest. “neigh- borly talk" says: vervvne m1- lzes that people Investing money 111 a business enterprise are entitled to a falr return on that investment." The Company admlttedly are re- celvlrlg some return, then ls it not a falr and honest proposition to Mk that 1t share lts return or profit with the lnvestors of this Province, who have not been paid their ln- terest. I respectfully suggest that the Company should not. be allowed to continue ln business h unless lt ewes to deal equitably th the people from whom lt canvassed for funds. Nothing having tlle slight- est semblanc of a misrepresenta- tlon should be condoned on ‘the part of a publlc utlllty company. In closing thls letter, I wlsh to give "Boar's Ratings," of The New England Gar and Electric Associa- tion's Capital Stock. The $5.50 91'6- ferred la marked “C", speculative. and the $7, second preferred, C. vol’? speculative. The prlce range runs from 99% ln 1928 to a low of 17% and a high of 37V; in 1934. The stock of the A. G. E. Co. ll quoted on the New Yonk Exchange at. 1%- No wonder a. law sult was started against the latter Company for mla- management of funds and no won- der that the trend of all legislation on thls Continent today ls to give the maxlmum protectlon for the ln- nocent investor ilgalnst the losses to whlch he has been subjected by predatory flnanclers. I am, Slr, etc., JOHN F. WHEAB. LIQUOR CONTROL Slrwln vlew of the numerous articles ln your paper regarding the above subject, the followlng ls sub- mltted for your -' ' considera- tlon: In addition to the duty of keeping the peace and of enforcing con- tracts, government ls considered to cause they don't want. to help by any means. (forwe need the hospi- tal) but through poor prices ,unem- Plollmcnl‘. and a general dlsruptlon of business. A great many farmers throughout the country have mort- Bagecl their farms and struggled h-a-rd to keep, their families at. home, so they should not be a burden on the country. They have given more than they really could afford to all charitable ‘ tltutlons, by coljec. tlo-xrs.‘ donatlons, Collectors go through the country and get considerable for ‘hospltar’ ¢V¢r¥ year, and would llkely get more as ttmes get better. But, now, hem cornea the hard part from the executlve; they are setting the law on the unfortunate ones who have not been able to meet thelr subscrip- tlons yet. Just. a word more. We were taught as children. it ls not a wlec pflllcy to klll the goose that lays the golden egg. If thls force ls used on people. ll: wlll be uselegs m future to look to the country for voluntary help. As a people we have Y!!!)Ondcd to calls for help in the Past years qute readily. I am. Sir. ete. COUNTRY __..____...__.__ ELECTRIC LIGHT BATES Stu-In my last letter I polnted out that. the owners of the llzht and power feollltlea here are not lustf- fled. ln referrlnl to some as "your ocel ‘ ‘ llghtlng company." That la a mlsrepresentstlon and 1t ls made deliberately. Unfortunate. 1v our local company was bought Ollb ln 19" I01’ QDQOOO, It w” gub- 1$§hS“%?§%?%£$l'°"° ¢ W 0 States financiers who elslm‘ that their ln- vestment here was nearly $1,000,000, but. which an sprawl company sold was worth only poo. who; the bubllo demand ls an appnlsal by a Public Utlllty OXPQrt and that. ls one of the objectives of these ser- luwof letters. e are told by the Com that lts advertlud munch?’ are "nelahborly Jlelka." "Who ls my nelgbbor" la a question asked 1n the Bible wd 1n m»: a told of the mm who went d the Jericho roedandwehsvetbeetoryoftbe Serum There ll one foa- llkowlsc" It ll not “cctton" that are wan. =a -‘ V’ g E iriiii Egggfiggé and other ways. l5 be under the obllgatlonof providing leglslatlon not. only to preserve llfe but to promote what, ls understood to be the good llfe. The great soc- laliproblem of our age ls how the good llfe may be promoted by the- actlon of governments wlthout mor- al tyranny resultlng. The question of the control of the consumption of alcoholic JlQUOIS illustrates the dlfllcultles lnvolved, and ls not one that. lends ltself to a solution that e “ to all " allke be- cause of common factors ln ' nature or of onunon features ln the causes and consequences of al- cohollc excess, wherever lt may be found. On the contrary, problems of this klnd only admit of belng solved by methods and regulations consistent with the temperama n. of the partlcular nation regulated. Hence the best test ls the practical one of nalrlng "What works?" What legislation has, ln fact, the desired result of promoting that temper- ance which la self-evldently destr- able wlthout produclng that dlsoon- tent which even total abstinence socletles agree ls to be deplored. However, lnstead of applylng the above test, this question has been approached from the slde of ab- stract rlnclples, not from the soc- lnl results of "learning by doing", nor from the stde of sclentlflo re- search lnto the permanent hyslolo- Ilcal, psychological, an social causes of the tr “ Over against the moral demand, u an absolute prlnelple, for total abstinence, has customer-fly been set. the equally ab- solute principle of personal liberty. PERSONAL LIBERTY It ls a popular contention that a man has "a rlght to do what. he llkes with hls own" elthouah not wlth that. which ls prcven to con- cern othera. Thus an autcmoblla driver cannot dlsrezard truffle laws wlthout. being penellzed for causing damage to others: 1n fact, he can be punished for dolnl that whlch may ccusedamage lo others. Even when soclal damage ln a particular cue ls not demonstrable, yet. the law may Intervene to prevent prob- able tnjury to society. LAW The law, however, it wlll be noted, moved by the very oonslderetlons of probcblllty does not problblt car drlvln: (or shavlni. for that but» telr) and, unless lt ls impracticable to separate the cue of the drinker from that of the drunks-rd. lt ls not apparent from this analogy ted u disorderly, alone If tbll ll true, lt clear that Society sulhrl Z i r r E 3 r .§§r.%ir Egfilif gggsag Egaggsigg F friiii it‘? ti?‘ i 2 l £5 fr? Pi 5 r i USE lslrliirrilv' isszl QIANGIIZOIV KIIIIIOWIL lutlcllvhsnlelrtlntpbgs. state tE the Harm 596% 6% _________________§ lllhat M12 of ibwva By James ID. Barton. ITLD. NOISE LESSENB IIRQDU AND INOOME on" out the ‘INN!!! world the cam. P8381! 8811MB noise ls rapidly grow, In! 1n strength tn that instead q the government creating laws m1“, m! 1101M. the people themselves u, Pelltlonlns the QOVEYIIIIICDt for act- lon. And the encouraging ream, h that many of those responsible f“ nolse are themselves trying to eqmp their motor cars. horses. wag steam or electrlc drills, factory WM‘, tles and locomotives, radlos, Wm, sllenclng devlces. The London City council per-rum the costs of sllencers on road drlu; to be added to the cost of breakln; up the road. Mllk distributors are cooperatlng by putting rubber tlres on wagge and rubber shoes on horses, wnlm others are using trucks dIll/enrhy electricity. Rallway cfflnpanlgg m taking steps to reduce the blowln; of whistles and deaden the noise of platform trucks by the use of rub; ber llnlngs. It ls not falr to say that nolrq always have exlrted and always wlll exlst, that nothing can be don, about lt, and that. nolse does no harm anyway. Any thinking individual knows that the noises of to-day are louder and more penetratlng than at any previous time ln history. l-le also knows that he man of to-day ls 5 more highly complex, more hlghly strung lndlvldual than at any prev- lous time. ' And, as mentioned once before, whlle Nature protects the delicate nervous echanlsm of the eye by enabling us to close our eyes against lnjur-y, the delicate mechanlsm of the ear which, like the eye, ls dlr- ectly nssoclated with the braln, bu no such protect! ls t‘ ' necessary for many of us who wlsb to read, wrtte, or rest, to put car atopples (the llttle rubber uppllflllllll used by swimmers keep water from going lnto the ears) or absorb- ent cotton, lnto our ears tn order tn deaden to some extent at. least, the mental upsetrnent caused by noise. Nolse ls now on the payroll ln that lt costs us‘ some of our mental ablllty, our alertness of mlnd, to try to do mental work of any klnd wltll the confusion and tension whlcli noise creates wltlhn mind and body. It llvtheiefore gratifying to see architects, builders, transport oom- panles, health organizations, broad- casting and other organlzatzlorls and individuals all working vo suppress y noise. to sobriety under discussion means elther the lnqulsltorlal actlon of small groups of morally omnlsclenli persons or the patronage of thl poor by the wealtlw who propose m tell “the lower orders" (who do not have prlvnte cellars or drlnk at home) how It lsgood for them to llve. Quite frequently has temW“ once lelllllltlon been of this kind- Too often has proposed legislation on the llquor question been deter- mlned by polltlcal expediency. Society wlll be the judge of b0! much freedom lt can afford to allw the free drinker without prvmvllnl customs whlch are 301x13 to mull ln trouble‘ with the excesslw drink- er. Again lt ls generally agreed that is man has the right to use but not to abuse the fruits of the earth. Gluttony, for example, ls the abuu of eatlni too much food. 01‘ °l drinking too much beverage ol N1! klnd. Alcoholic drlnlra have U191! legitimate uses, ln practice lnnocu- ous, u well as their abuses. Th0 consumption of opluin, on the other hand, even by a. Colerldge, ls alwayl andlcbuse (excepj: when taken 101‘ me cal purposes . At the beginning of this letter ll was stated that the government W“ under an obllgalfon to FY0111“ what. was understood to be the 800d llfe. In thls regard high-minded cltlsens formlng voluntary soclell" of like-minded persons are tempt" to try to procure by state leslsll- tlon conformity to moral rule! which may be perfectly aprolillll" for their or anlzatlon. altogether li- norln t fact that a state 1-! l coerc ve s ' of heteroBfllem-l" people among whom there doe: Ml usually exlst. any agreement "D011 lvirrhat, Ideally speaklns. ls the K a. BOUND LEGISLATION Lew la an Instrument which hi: to be lulled by whether lt ls luv" cessful lu dolnl that for whlch lt designated. "If tnqpproprlnte mew! are used, the statute wlll remfllfl i ma letter and disrespect 1°‘ l‘ wlll be Increased. In the omen an evll as proetltutlon, whl has ‘probably tn the course of llwl been more vehemently denouggad I999 any leglnlatlon hitherto hm W" the lnte t. enough to rcmllvglquo, E nmnsflnflw wuuhmM.8 amwhflv eounosrtluremedyvffi°hibilm dxmnonrwmnbnnm mmw" “mfiflw-m ummmueuinn5>