A STARTLING RESULT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1234, 16 September 1911, Page 6

A STARTLING RESULT.

"MAORILAND FILLS 'ESI UP AGAIN." With the approach of the liquor poll in November (says, tho Sydney "Bulletin," of August 31, 1911), the Slaoriland Coldwater Up rushes are tuning up tho old cracked No-License hurdy-gurdy for something extra in tho way of a fling, 'i'he groat hope this time is that every pub in louland will bo put out of existence per medium of tho "Dominion option" issue, which will bo presented for the consideration of the freo and enlightened for the first time; and judging from the results that have followed in the wake of the wiping out of the beer palaces in various districts since 1895, Messrs. Barrel and Bottle may reasonably bo suspcctcd of subsidising the movement. - Since that year, when only one No-Licenso district was on tho list, and the cost of liquor per head amounted to £3 Os. ad., the inhabitants have been rolling tho old water chariot along amidst the loud "liic, hie, hurrah" of the procession, until in 1909, the year of tho-last poll, 12 districts had turned good, comfortable hotels into sec-ond-quality hash-factories or imported rag emporiums, and tho thirst barometer had jumped to ,£3 lis. 0!d. per head of population. As usual, tho whirling Dervishes charge the increase against the "wavo of prosperity" which lias' swept the liicketty Islands, leaving behind it those prolific deposits from which luxuries spring. The argument, might be right if the facts were right; but the tnilh is that in tho past two or three years there has boon a bad slump, bringing Civil Service retrenchments, slackness of work, and a general fear that the mortgage may ring tho bell any morning. Between 100*1 and 11)10 the national debt had swollen from ,EG2 lGs. lOd. lo 13s. 9d. per head of white population, and (he cost of living had also put on weight. But if tho Maorilandcr tightened his belt at all it wasn't when there was liquor in. tho vicinity. On those occasions, which are all day and every night, lie merely said: "Sufficient unto tho I O TJ is tho day of reckoning. Letsavoadrink." So lie leaned over the bar more than ever, and look homo more demijohns than ever, and became drunker than ever, and got run-in more than ever. In 1901. 50.12 of him was convicted for overloading himself with alcohol, mid in 1910 not less than 11,718 of him had been fined or sent to knuckle oakum. It is a cheerful advertisement for NoLicense, and proves that if tho Maorilander gives all his attention to "striking out tho top line," the I'limsoll lino will look after itself."- •