PROHIBITION IN U.S.A.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17419, 1 April 1922, Page 5

PROHIBITION IN U.S.A.

A NEW ZEALANDER'S OBSERVATIONS. (niOH CUB OWN COBBESrOXDENT.) LONDON, February 17. Ji. subjeet in which Mr A. Hall Skelton took particular interest during his journey through fcho United States was tho administration of tho liquor laws, oe4 ho feels that his reputation in the Dominion for tomperato views should giro him the right to pjace ihis opinions before the public, 'iiiis matter, and tho liquor question in France and in England, he will speak upon wiien he returns to tne Dominion, in the meantime, he has given me some ot ins impiessions of the administration of the law in America, making a comparison of the state of affairs in that country with the way in wliich the question is dealt with in France. "It is quite obvious," said Mr Skelton, "that in the United Estates there is no such thing as prohibition; it is a great legislative farce. Tho night before I left New York (New Year s Eve) 103 well-known citizens died of wcod-alcoholic poisoning. I saw there more drunkenness among men and women than I ever saw in any Now Zealand town. You can get drink, particularly at most of the cafes, but of a spurious kind. One of the leading Prohibitionists in New York stated in the papers that he gave vp all hope of Prohibition's being put into effect in New York after the exhibition of New Y©ir s Eve. The head man connected with the putting into force of the Prohibition Law was arrested on tho serious charge of receiving sunis of monev derived from operat'ons in defiance of ths law. _ I was informed that prior to his appointment, he had been a great Prohibition advocate. Many men throughout the States, who were penniless two years ago, are now millionaires. One man, in particular, now a multi-millionaire, was arrested, and his wifo put up a bond on his behalf of 250,000 dollars. Eighteen months ago ho had not a penny to his credit. Obnoxious Spirits. ".|3oot-logging," Mr Skelton explained, was the bringing of liquor for salo into the States, and this was carried out on an enormous scale Strange to say. manv of tho bnot-lcggers were advocating Prohibition for their own purposes. The country was flooded with imitation spirits, most of which had dangerous results when they were consumed. The Japanese, for instance, were piercing the bottoms of bottles with an electric needle, withdrawing the contents, and filling the bottle up again with most obnoxious spirits. Home-browcd liquors of all kinds were being made which had „very deleterious effects. All that cnuld be said in favour of Prohibition waa that whisky had beeomio dearer, and therefore was to some extent beyond the reach of tTie poorer section of the people. Spurious liquors of every imaginable kind had come into general use. Deaths from wood-alcoholic poisoning were quite frequent, and the moral fibre of the most educated section of the American people was being degraded because they could get as much spirits as they required, as they had the ready money, whereas their less well-off brethren had either to havo less or none owing to their lesser capacity to find the cash. Thieving and robbery in private houses throughout tho States were rampant, and the fact that every person could brew so much beer and wine showed that Prohibition did not exist in America.

The Continental System. "Franixj," said Mr Skelton, "has solved the problem of drunkenness. During the whole three weekß I spent there I never saw one man or woman show* ing the slightest sign of liquor, and yet every few yards there is the open cafe, with light beer, wines, and spirits on sale. It is true that wine is the main drink of men, women, and children, but liquors and spirits also are generally consumed. In my experience, it is not true that the wine is as light as we in the colonies are led to believe —it had just as potent an effect upon me as the ordinary beer sold in New Zealand. It is strange to see, as one sitsi in the French cafes, whole families going in and using tne cate as if it were their own home sitting-room, listening to the music oi lue oicnesuus, and sipping their wine. 'J.'o me it appeared ao simyie and sociable. ine .trench maintain tuat if Jikigusn people went in tor drinking wines ctuiiug chncihood and upwards, druniioiiues:} wouid be eliminated. One could not help thinking tiiat if one-Half ol the money spent in the Pronibition campaign were spent in inaugurating a system such as l'Vaace possesses tne wiliole question of intemperance wouid bo at onco eliminated Lorn our modern society, and the evils of excess teadrinking would give place to the advantages of light wines and mild beer. "I am satiaiied that the system in praciice in England of keeping the hotels open in tlio evening is preferable to our New Zealand method of closing at 6 pin, Here most of the people have their evening meal before drinking at all, and consequently there are not the ill-effects that arc common in New Zealand, where men rush from their work and drink heavily on an empty stomach for three-quarters of an hour."