CURSE OF ALCOHOL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 60, 30 March 1943, Page 7

CURSE OF ALCOHOL

BpER AND THE WAR EFFORT J-'ACTS FROM CURRENT AMERICAN SOURCES Meatless clays in America. Meatless days arc introduced bccauso ol' lack of transportation; railway wagrons are needed to carry military equipment. Yet 1 <*3 railway Avagons passed through Rirmingham, Alabama, one day, and. 124 of those ■wagons were loaded with beer. Quite a few pounds of meat coulftl have been put in those 124 wagons. (Vanguard). A convoy left an American port recently and left behind several tons of airplanes and repair equipment "because we have to make room for 800,(XX) eases of beer." (Vanguard). Labour shortage. While America cries for more labour, leaders are pointing out that a million men are engaged in the liquor industry and that 2875 million pounds of food products are used annually in making beer, together Avit.lv 370 million feet of timber for beer by/r-* rels. More than 40,1}(i0 railroad cars arc required to ship empties (barrels and bottles), while 20,000 tons , of steel go into beer kegs and, the services of 990,000 persons arc required in the. distribution and sale of alcoholic birverages. (Vanguard). American Police speak their mind. The official organ of the Police Officers League of America, "The Police Patrol" stated recently: "Let's take the thousands ol' able-bodied men out of the saloons, liquor stores, distilleries, Avarehouscs, etc., and place them in shipyards and airplane plants and in the army. Let's take the millions of gallons of liquor, distill the acoliol out of it and. make rubber. Let's dismantle the thousands of breweries and use the scrap \ in the Avar effort. Let's take this , method to keep the. drunken soldiers off the streets. Let's take this method to keep the defence workers sober the night, before, they go to Avork so their heads may be clear to make ships and planes. Let's really get on a 100 per cent Avar basis., Let's, don't Avait until AA r e find out Avho OAvns the large, distilleries. Maybe they are important people." (Vanguard). The American Methodist Church. Bishop Edwin Hughes of the Methodist Conference, has made an urgent appeal 4o Americans for a return of Prohibition of the Liquor Traffic in the interests of progress - and civilisation. (Vanguard). What about accidents? The National Safety Council of the United States says: "One out of every three fatal accidents occurring at night involve a drinking driver or pedestrian . New Jersey experience shows that Avhile half of all motor vehicle accidents occur between six at night and six in the morning, these same 12 hours account for three-fourths of the drinking-driver and driverasleep accidents. (Vanguard). Texas speaks up. From the Texas Daily News: "We can't get going properly until we strip for action. And avc don't believe there is a seri-ous-minded person, Avhether he has a boty in the services or not, avlio will argue that, we need liquor in this, grim business of war." (Vanguard) . A voice from the Army. Colonel George. E. Skinner, of the MedicaiJ Corps of the U.S.A. Army, says: "If our country is to survive in a crisis depending on defence, avc must liaA-e a trained defence force that is relatively free from the. disturbance of alcohol.'' (But is alcohol any less detrimental to the defcncc of our country than it is to the defence of America? Colonel Skinner is one. avlio. knows; let's listen to him). (Vanguard). A;lcohol and crime. Ib'a J. Mills, director of education in one of the largest of Pennyslvania's prisons, spoke at a meeting of young people. He stated that there are approximately 4.000 inmates in that prison. In answer to the question, "Hoav do you happen to be here?" every second man that comes into the institution answers, "Its liquor, sir." (Youth's Instructor U.S.A.) Some statistics. America has 700.000 saloons, and other legalised liqr> nor bars. More than a million young Avomen arc employed as ban maids. American breweries and distilleries consume yearly 4„187,192,000 pounds of Avhcat, corn, barley, rye and §ugar as well as 105,000,000 gallons of molasses. The liquor bill to the consumer is 9,000,000 dollars daily. Every nine, days America spends for liquor enough to build a battleship, or the price of forty in one year. (Review and Herald, U.S.A.) Before churches, and schools. America has two taverns to every church; three. taA'erns to every school; one tavern to every 75 families. (lieview and Herald, U.S.A.)