My Dear Mr. Adams—. . . [unclear: First] there, " Prohibition has ruined the [unclear: Clu] financially." To this I give a most [unclear: es] phatic denial. During tho nine and [unclear: a-ha] years that I have been resident in [unclear: Tap] I have never known trade to be so break [unclear: a] it is now and has been for the past [unclear: twe] months, and this is the universal [unclear: cons] of opinion. The carpenters and [unclear: bulid] have never during my residence here [unclear: been] anything like so busy as they [unclear: can] Painters, too, have more than they [unclear: can] attend to. . . . I don't say that this [unclear: is] in consequence of Prohibition, but it is [unclear: at] least a coincidence, and disproves [unclear: the] "financial ruin" statement. And [unclear: there] are more coincidences. During my [unclear: res] dence hero 1 have never known of [unclear: so] many improvements being made in [unclear: the] borough in the way of road-making, [unclear: metal] ling, &c., as have been complete [unclear: with is] the past two years, and, moreover, I [unclear: don't] know of a single storekeeper who [unclear: compa] of the state of-trade. In my own [unclear: expect] ence I have no hesitation in saying [unclear: that] receive more cash and find leas difficult is getting in accounts than ever I experienced before.

Item 2. That there is more drink [unclear: sold] than ever. This is lie writ large. [unclear: The] fruit of drink-selling is drunken[unclear: e] Where is this fruit to be found; I [unclear: am] about the town and district as many as [unclear: any] man, and I don't think I have seen [unclear: s] drunken men within the past two [unclear: years] It is true that now and then [unclear: special] occasions—such, for instance, as "[unclear: smoke] concerts given to send off some old [unclear: resi-] dent" liquor is purchased wholesale, [unclear: and] drunkenness results, but this, being [unclear: e] tirely owing to the existence of [unclear: wholesala] licenses, hardly comes within what [unclear: Me] Seddon calls the " order of references."

The day after cur last agricultural show I inquired of a traveller for a firm of agricultural implement makers what was his experience of our Prohibition show. He said it was the best show for business he had ever known in Tapanui.

I was recently vaccinating a number of infants, who chiefly hailed from Kelso and Heriot. In the course of conversation I said, "How is Prohibition getting on in Kelso!" One of the ladies, acting as spokeswoman said, "Fine You know, Doctor, I never suffered from the drink (which was strictly true), but I'll tell you something.—At the sports at Kelso on New Year's Day I met. Two lady friends with their children. I could not help saying to (them, "Well, now. I'm glad to see yon here today. Why, it's years since I saw you at a gathering like this;' and one of the the ladies said, "Yes, it is fourteen years since 1 have been at a meeting of this kind; we have never at this time of the year had decent clothes to put on our backs or on our children.'" No, at the happy New Year time the cheques were all running down the liquor sink !

I said, "There is no fear of you ladies going back on Prohibition?" Quite a chorus chimed in, " No fear; we know what it is in our homes I" And that is where the benefit is being found—in the homes of the people. I see it in many a home—more com fort, more clothes, and, I believe, more food. . . .

Now, finally, in reference to private drinking. I believe that liquor is kept in houses where it never was kept in quantities before. I believe it to be true to a limited extent But it is kept only by drinking men—men who, whenever they got opportunity, made free use of the public-house; men who probably always had a bottle in the house, but who are now compelled to obtain at least two gallons; men who don't want to risk hanging about the public-house—and I submit that this is one of the strongest proofs that such Prohibition as we have does so far prohibit.

It is quite common to hear men say that there is as much drink sold as ever. Many have said so to me after this style: " You Prohibitionists have done no good; there is as much drink sold as ever—well, not .so such as ever, but you know it is sold." Oh, yes, it is sold; but only to trusted customers—and since the prosecutions these are becoming fewer and fewer—and never to quantities which the seller judges would be sufficient to intoxicate.

To conclude, I believe there are few who do not admit that a large measure of success has attended Prohibition in the Clutha, I am afraid I have written at great length and somewhat discursively, but I have endeavoured to give you my version the question, and to under rather than overrate the amount of success which [unclear: so-license] has achieved.

Bertrand C. De Lautour.

We said to a storekeeper in Clutha, "How does Prohibition affect you?" "Well," said he, " before we had Prohibition I was not a Prohibitionist; but I am now. There are men about here that before I could not trust with a shilling, whom I can safely trust with pounds [unclear: now]."