A TRAVELLER'S EXPERIENCE OF PROHIBITION IN ASHBURTON.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 182, 27 April 1908, Page 9

A TRAVELLER'S EXPERIENCE OF PROHIBITION IN ASHBURTON.

• -Sir,—Having. taken 1 the liquor question during the;past twenty-" , six years, and as . the result of mv experi-' enco, principally caused by the abusfy 6f tlie law indulged ill by certain licensees,- I ■xvas forced to tho conclusion'thaj, prohibition was the only remedy.' ."I*'had never.been in a. prohibitiondistrict,; valid. '•Ii j; always' ■: felt i anxious; to see ' for myisclf: .ifliat'' tlie.Te'feot' 1 of prohibition".was <in a town .itf' WS • in force. It' was, therefore,-Jwith -'ffeelhigs of gratification , that I ifound-'myself i bound 1 for Ashburton : a few- weeks ago'-on-ia 'littlo' !| business. , I did not knotty a :, siHgl6'''pbrsqn ] there, and I-had iievef set' a- ; foot' : iri-'tliir'' place before, r. So : that- *'-felt '' - 1 able to judge - for' myself -'as £d; : what- £jie | effects of prohibition we r rc:"-":TOicn' I got out .« of the train ;'.I asked a^c6nst'ablo r: t'o dirtiiti 1 .1 mo to a decent- place' dlrectod; ; mei'to the.— —-■ Itoto!/ L(1 '-p.iay iiUMitioH' J that the old' hotel buildings" are iniown'-'by-'' , their hotel" names.) In my bedroom was ,« ; card hanging on the wall stating' 'that'Hhi)" j tariff w'asss. per day, or"£2 2s, pei week. J .The charge was somewhat-bo,voiul my means, but as I w" 1 ? going to *stay_ only ..it few. days, ■ L decided to romain theroi«v n ' ; v s At such a price I naturally ' find tho accommodation.' above the average, ! but I was greatly.'-.disappointed'.' 11'hV- bedj ; was certainly a good onp—hiving ovi'dently 1 beon there since the' qf license.- There '• were three ' pieces •of dirty- oh. J tlio floor that should h'ave becii '.hi'init Jong". before.... There: was ■ stand, and if appeared to ,l)e' badlv in neei} J •pf a scrub. Tho tower'tanirarliclo thatshould be so clean) was "itstj;V^han*-saifcdl; ■.! it f positively. dirty, afld' appoare'd/to hii'vo .!. been' used by. several persons since it ,was last . washed.;... There was; l v-pieqe.,a|i,qut. \\ foot square sown iir thc.'.ice"ntre,-;',aiid 'outsidei.^ • this it, was worn through,,., lt,,.was .so. dirty-,- -j that I had •to use niyliaiulkorchicf to. drjj. % my face. The'food was very poor, and thf ,i attendance, at table wretched...; A person... had to wait for iivo niinutcs or .so ..before- „ tho unfortunate solitary waitress could - attend £o you. For lunch thcro were soup-tiiid 1, meat, but no pudding or dessert of any t description, and there \yas nytlier.', cheeso .'nor jam on the table, and-'jW had' to fossick round for a decent'Jileco .of bread. It was tho worst table that f ever saw in such fi a plaeo.. Dinner was smnpwhat-,.hotter, l but, ,ci taking it all round, I consider, tlmf » shilling. -y for such -.meals'* and .bod v .,-with-.'a clean-tqwel- p thrown in, ..would-'..bo. \vbati, >fuigU't d

.cspect at supli n plaqe.'. I afterwards went ,£<?.-Timaru, where I got the best of attendwith a real, good table, at a shilling', per'meal. I was really'glad to get a dcccnt feed. . .s.| , as in Ashburton there'was a man ' . lgckfid up,there ( with "D.T.'s." I asked a cpustablp v/hero the man camo from. The 1 • coustablb' toltl mo that the man. worked for ■• ;a\fiU•.mQr">iJV. : th'b' oamo to Ashburton . ahaut-ftiwpok before, with a.cheque, got into que I of; ; these shops, where-he was kept drunk until Jus money was gone, when hQi street, and got .locked up. j lii./«ll.probability this .unfortunate man - .- :tfas re'ducSd to''thisVcofiditibn • more from the ;■■■ ■ quality,. of -the liquor lie - drank.- 1.-was aJsqi.told \that-'a- weok or so -■ lveforo, ithcy a similar condi-' 'A;'tion; and tjiac, : .iiy.;spite. of air the, proscoutioliij,. it was; quite easy for any person 'who isv.iis: kiioiravto got as much "liquor- as lie '.w.anted-iii'A'shliurton: ' : , I can'tsay: what'tiio effect of prohibition was ;on,,l>usiness tjiere,.. but, I was told that farmers. jni|hp. district had a job to get men, .beoauso: .when u .man earned il cheque he geiior- ..' "eitherto Chrjstch'urch or Timaru • tcj' spoiui 'it,' and forgot tc'retUrn," thereby crmsin^-farmers some inconvenience aud-loss, '. - r'S'! should bo'spentiu the placo ' . ; fot : c!dfchingj,;iiddts, "etc.',;"went -to ChristSmirch" oi-' - Timaru'. i In ' conclusion, I. must say. ;lhat- -liiy experience of Asklnirfnn- has ' altered- my '• opinion -as ;to Vthe merits and " ' desirability of prohibition. 1 I went there a - prohibitionist,; but.came' away 'feeling oon- ■■■' ..'greater.perils; than ; .decently-conducted' hotel.—l am etc., ;. 1 , i AIIUVILILER April 23