N.S.W. DRINK BILL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1737, 30 April 1913, Page 7

N.S.W. DRINK BILL.

—— SOME STARTLING FIGURES. INCREASE IN INTEMPERANCE. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Sydney, April 29. At the annual meeting'of the New South Wales Alliance rei'erohce was made to a statement prepared by Archdeacon Boyce covering tho State's drink bill for ■1912. The statement ,slums a total expenditure. of .£7,096,621, an increase of .£691,917 'compared with the previous year, malting the increase for the two years ..£1,371,010. ' Th 6 expenditure per head of population-was ;£•! Os.' Gd., an increase' of 3s.' Bd., making the increase for tho past two years 10s. per head.

Whili anticipating an increase owing to tho prosperous times, Archdeacon Boyce says he was not prepared for eo notable an increase as the figures reveal, find for which, be frankly admits he does not think prosperity sufficiently accounts..

The increase was most marked in ,colonial beer consumption, the advance in this item being 4,507,757 gallons in tho two years.

Convictions for drunkenness last year totalled 32,977, including 3232 women. The Archdeacon considers the increase in intemperance, apart from commercial prosperity,' is attributable to threo causesweakening of tho moral fibre of tho.people generally and consequent loss of self-re-straintj neglect by the churches and other bodies that, foster temperanco societies, and shortening of v thc hours of labour whilo the hotels aro .allowed/ to remain open. . •

Tho report also pointed out that the increase in. convictions.for itho:last two..jears was 5597. :As there had been 110 corresponding growth in population, Qit was very ovident that intemperance had groat. ,ly .increased.