THE DRINK BILL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1906, 14 November 1913, Page 9

THE DRINK BILL.

PROHIBITIONISTS FIGURES

EXPOSED. LICENSE VERSUS .NO-LICENSE. (BIT MODERATE.) There are some assertions, surmises, and figures in tho Prohibitionist's artie'lo that should be noticed. There is spo f'.eod for tile recrimination, insinuation, and awmsatio.i of misleading that the Prohibitionist so freely employs against Jus opponent. Figures cannot he disproved by declaring them a "atom exaggeration," a "disfertis»i s " and a "misrepresentation." They must he- cither truo or not true, and ihe deductions bom them must stand or fall. Br. Schuster Bays: "Tlio cause of te-m----pwanco [not prohibition, not iio-licoMe, but temper ijico, which is mfiflcratioiij rests on to firm a basis, it cannot be ! -permanently damaged by aliv form of! nns-statompnt," And when tho fact-is and figures m\s against noJkcrso drinking, which is illicit and lawless drink- ■ ).ng ; and in favour of licensed drinking. ■ which a legitimate and under control, then tho Prohibitionist advocacy of a lawless system of drinking Under nolicense, either ignores those faets. and ■ figures or disposes of them as "cxagger- : tio-ns" and "distortions." That is the :

trick of tho ostrich and tho sand

invercargiil and No-License. There is a determination on the part of tho Prohibitionist not to believe that Invotcargill under no-license consumes more beer than it did under licensing, Tho Prohibitionist says "tho total quun* t-ity of beer sent into Invcicargill Jast year was 88,485 gallons, not 148,870 gallons," and that 'tho 39,000 two-gallon kegs mentioned arc those fttrnialiod in the return of 88,000 gallons, and together with bottles and" barrels they account for the total consumption," Here, is truly a jumbling of figures. Wo cannot say whore tlio 88,485 gallons come from, but we know that the Kev. L. M. Isitt's return gives 95,967 .gallons of liquor as InvorcaraiU's criusUmfitkm, and wo know that duty Was paid oh 148,870 gallons of beer manufactured bv tho three breweries in the liwcrcargill electorate. Wc also know that whereas there was paid in 1905, tlio last year of licensing, £144fi 14s. Gd. ii-ibear duty at Invercargill, there Was paid in 1912, under No-License, tlio largo sum of £1840 17s. M., wliioh at 3d. per gallon represents. 148,870 .gallon*. This return is from January to' December in each year :— Jnve'reargill Under License* Beei duty paid, Quantity War. & s. d, at 3d. pat, 1905 1440 14, fi 115,638 liivefcargill Under Na-Licciis&. Boer duty paid. Quantity . War. £ s. d. at 3d. gal.

1012 18(50 17 6 148,870 These figures are from the Invorenrrgi.il Customs officers' returns for the years Mentioned, and arc official. They provo indisputably that Inveresrgill has consumed marc bow under No-Lieenso- than ! under License, a'rtd no account is taken ■of the* uii-asoortainoble quantities _ of bfter, spirits, and wine that go into Illvereargill at the present time ' in various unaccountable- ways. Kegs for Homo consumption. But the Prohibitionist affirms that the 39,000 two-gallon kegs mentioned are those furnished in the return of' 88,000 gallons. This is manifestly wrong,- bccause 39,000 two-gallon kegs represents : 78,000 gallons of beer, leaving 10,000 gallons for bottles and barrels.} The truth is contained in a return supplied by tho Sec.rc-tii.l7 of Customs, showing tli© total number of beer duty stamps of each denomination sold at 1.11wcargill during tlm twelve months ontlecli June 30, 1913, and wo produce it hero; — Vessel. Stamp, Qals. s- d. Number. 52 13 0 m 39 9 0 7» 97 G 9 W8 18 4 6 W 10 ... 2 C- 1813 5 1 3 2,225 3 ,"; 0 9 -3,0?2 •• 2 0 6 39>OU This return is from July 1, 1912,, to Juao 30, 1913, and represents 146,892 gallons of heel. A, similar return for this corresponding period by\ the- same authority lor the last- yewf of licensing gives the 110,434 gallons, and this shows an increase, of beer consumption in Invercargiil of over 3000 gallons permonth under No-L.icense. > The Prohibitionist writer admits that No-License lias not stamped out driinkonn&ss in the areas affected, and it is possiblo he may bo fed to-belie*© now that No-License has not even reduced the- quantity of liquor consumed, And the number of "kegs" of two-gallon size, namely, 89,011, shows what we meant by "home" consumption under No-License. No-Licoi-ise besides roeaniiig lawless or illicit drinking means "liotec"- and "secret" drinking, and tho distribution of 3250 two-gallon kegs per month in Invercargiil, together with the "tagging" exposures recently made, 1 would convince anya.no but a Probata j tionist of tho iruth or thi*. A Question of Population. Exception is taken to tho Yen* Book giving the- population of Inroicargill as 12,782, which includes all butone suburb,, and tho Prohibitionist says "wo uro discussing the Inviireargiil No- ■ License electorate., and its actual population according to tho 1911 -census was 14,64 ft, n difference of nearly 2t)00." Wo accept this for argument's sake, and taking tho Prohibitionist's figures, wo wilt demonstrate how the beer'emis.umptlou of lavereargill electorate compares with the rest of tho Dominion: Beer' Pet Popu- consumed) head, lotion, gallons.' gallons. Invercargi.fi electorate 14,645 1.48,870 10.2 Dominion 1,008,000 9,52G,9G0 9.4 Thus, on the- I'l'oJiiWtiuniit'n figures affecting population and taking tho Collector of Customs' returns of beer consumed, wo find that Invercargiil consumes, more heel' under No-License than tho avorago per head for v t.bo whole Dominion, The Prohibitionist writer voluntarily admits that "No-License has- tiot stamped out drunkenness in tho areas affected/'' and ho will now bo forced to admit that No-License had not lesson od the- amount of liquor consumed, and when No-License has not effected the objects of its adfocates wlij continue its advocacy? f Drunkenness, Crime and Morals. It is :i favourite Prohibitionist argument that/if you lessen the- amount oi liquor consumed drunkenness will decrease. Tho converse- would bo equally - true. Therefore, when Invei'eargitfs beer consumption increases its arrests j for drunkenness should show an in* j crease as well. Thus Inspector ] ■O'Donovan reported an increase of 44 j cases of drunkenness and inspector 1 Norwood a decrease of 42, So, 'talcing j o.no year ffi'i another Invdrtiatgfll,' shows a slight inereaso in cases of druiikonjiess, warranting the -conclusion that oil tho wholo "driinkonuess is increasing in Invercargiil." Even a straw shows tho direction of thd wind.

I Tho Prohibitionist says "there, is m I record that 832 .persons wore arrested ! ilt tho Invcrcargill township, the In- | vorcargill electorate, or tlio Ihvoroa-r- ---| gill police district," but tho Rw. L. jl. flitt's return is our fmthorityfor t'li<i state- ' incut that tho imft-ftcr of jjorsons taken I into custody in luvefcnrgill was $32, I and what bettor authority does the Proj hibitioftist want than the Rev. %. M. Isitt's return? Yet he. .says thorn is i.uo record! What s.s tho dis-

oussiiig any ■question with a Pfoh.ib-Hrß-n----igt who will deny tlio existence of his own return. It has heo.i shown coiiclusivcly t-irat lio-licenso is tho pm'Onfc-of sly grOgge-Hes, With all their abofii-iii-a" oj-s, secret drinking, -arid waiitonncK)>. -».U>ro lire tlio 10 cords for two years mii.co tho Prohibitionist is not satisfied with one. Oases. friiies. 191W.2; 1911-12. Invorcargil! under nolicenso , 43 £55.1 Wangamtl, partly iiolicense ,— -jG 187 Napier, under licensing ■*- £50 Judging from tho amount's of i-ifirs' ■imposed, theto is only onc-tt'fttli of tho sly grog business under jicenso thatthe.ro is wilder no-l.ic.c'irso, yob AO'liceuso advocate expect us, to t.ate- tlient sCr'i- ■ ous.ly when thuy asci'aini nc-licenso as a moral iiillu.o.neo! Tho "W.tirarapa Age-" (Mastorfcon—a . no-'licenso area), writing editorially upon an article by "J. M, Combs.,'" said; [ "There is a moral aspect of tiijc question • which must ej-iter seriously into tho ' discussion. Are wo producing the best i results by breeding a community of sly- . gioggc.rsi"' And how much arnnken- . iioss, immorality, and. crime docs tfra ; sly grog sliop hide from tho publie eyo i and the police? Thcso having any pre- ; tensions to being moral reformers can . Movef hi th.o light of such results sci-i- ---[ ously advocate no-liccnso.

No-Licflnsa Retards Prbgress. That Irtvercirgill lias been prosperous in spite of fto-lksensc-.only gives effi.pbasis to the observation that Invorcatgill would have been much mftro pro* porous under licensing, siicl withal lesir drunken ami criminal as tlio result of sly-groggor.es. Truth is .that m.coplo are avoiding Settlement in n.o-lieon:sa arCfts on account of their more criminal and backward tendencies. . Admitting

Invereargill's prosperity, wo fmd that the provinces most under no-license arc tlio least progressive. Population is the test: — Pop. Pop. Increase 1901 Ml p.C. Otago and Southland 173,145 191,130 10v4 lUm of Do. ■minion... 1399,574. .317,338. 36.1 ... But it is claimed, that thcso mostly, no-liccnso provinces arc prosperous.. Our contention is that in point of population they are not, and it is not canceiva,bio that they will compare any mora favourably with tho 'rest of tho i)omiu< ion in point of commerce;— Imports. ■• Imports. 1900 1911 I'nc . & & . ,p.c. Otago and ... ''Southland g-,433.906 1 3,242,753 -30.04 Rest of Db-miii-ioii ... 8:,0G4,5.28.16.,928,822 97.55 (Thcso figures aro from Year Books 1901 and 19-12.) Notsvithstenaing tho prosperity of InveKargiH, Otiiga aiid South'inn'dy having n.eßi'.fy half of their area under nolicenso, uro tho leas-t prosperous pari* pi this Dominion, inid noJiccnso ad.vo>o:atc.S are seeking to impose tho :stajj■nating conditions of tijeir policy upoji tlio who.lo country. No'-ticonsci .advo* cates cannot claim to bo any frie.ricls of pi'OgroEs,'neither can. they claim to bo' 1 patriots jiincc STo-Jjicenso would destroy property, lower morals through % grog shops, xmd sacrifice one .million sterling of the country's revenue. Some More Eugenics, ! The Prohibitionist s.ays that an oe'-, easioiml "hurst" is loss deleterious tliitn ■moderate nipping, Prohibitionists, may know- more about that than other iiCo.plo, hut the statement proves nothing and tlio history of nations shows that the lpodcrato or tojhper.ato users of alcohol, like the Now Zcalahder-s, ara among tlio most tf.rila, Statistics prove tlrat tho nations using alcphoiic boveragos ijro the most cultured, most pro-* gr&ssivo -and least criminal, and those who are prdhibitioiiists by law or religion a'ro tlio most decadent,, least in. telligoiit, and most, snisually ■criminal. Prohibitionists .continuously inalign this coiHitry, and its community of alleged drunkards.' It is a.gross and vulvar libel. Now ZcalSnd'e.rs -arfe mora temperate aitd less criminal than most branches of tho wo.rhl's people; but it is not duo to No-Licoii6o iind its sly grog Shops for tho tcndqiicies of these aro towards evil.

Tho / Prohibitionist impeaclioa tito younpfNcw Zcalandor for bis drunks cimess. ]'M t'liem listen to Sir Robort Stoutj C.J.: "Taking ..persons over 1(5 years of ago born in -New Zealand wo find that in'l9ll tboy amount to 4 ; 7 per rant, of iljo population:, but only 3ft •of the prisoners over 15 year's ojf ngo'l wore Sew Zealand borft. Tho;so facta sg»al? well, for tli© Now Zealand .youthk and I think every unbiased persoh will say they also redound to tho euMc'ht moral trainmg of the youths." No part of tills is attributable to Jfo-Liccnso or Proliibitioii for theso aro tlie unholy parents of sly-groggories a, most raorai* destrojii.iG; progeny, and .so prolific .in tbos'o wliitfiil-sppulclroo districts known, as No-Licensed areas.