NO ABUSE OF NEW LIQUOR LIBERTY BY LOCAL MAORIS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 37, 24 December 1948, Page 5

NO ABUSE OF NEW LIQUOR LIBERTY BY LOCAL MAORIS

When the law was passed permitting Maoris to take liquor away from hotels there were many dark prophecies, mainly from Pakehas, that the Maori race would use this privilege to disadvantage. It was said by some that drunkenness among the Maoris would increase, and that generally the Act was not in the best interests of the Maoris. To find what truth there was in these prophecies and how the sale of liquor to Maoris was faring, the Beacon inquired at the hotels in Whakatane. In all cases the reply Was the same. No Increase In Sales There has not been a big sale of liquor to Maoris to take away. In fact, one hotelkeeper said that bottle store sales generally were down a little. So far as he was concerned Maoris coming to the hotel were only* taking away two or three bottles at a . time. “I think the passing of the' Act has done a lot of good,” said another hotelkeeper. “I have found that Maoris now enjoy their beer more and they are not drinking so much. It has removed one source of resentment and those who are taking beer away are not taking any more than Pakehas.” “Sly-Grogging” Knocked Before, there had been a certain aifiount of sly-grogging,. it is alleged in some quarters. It is said beer was being sold to Maoris by certain individuals for three shillings a bottle and had been taken to Maori- communities in large quantities. This abuse has been eliminated by the new law.. From reports received from other parts of the country it would appear that there has been very little abuse of the new law by Maoris. However, there have been some humorous episodes with, perhaps, that which took place at Rotorua at 10 a.m. on the day following the announcement, being the gem of them all. First To Buy A Bottle An old Maori entered the store of a well known hotel and asked for some bottled beer. “How many? A dozen?” asked the barman. “No. Just the one bottle,” came the astounding reply. The Maori carried the bottle into the public bar. Reverently he handed it to the barman with these instructions: “Put this upon the shelf. When I die, bury it with me. And say that ‘here lies the first Maori to buy a bottle of beer in .Rotorua!”