OPENING HIS EYES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2327, 8 December 1914, Page 7

OPENING HIS EYES

WHAT A VISITOR LEARNED. AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW. (By Now Zealander.) If a distinguished gentleman visiting Now Zealand inquired of a prohibition official what tho Now Zealand Alliance had accomplished for temperance in tie quarter century of its existence, the following interesting facts 'would be elicited 1 :— Visitor: _Are New Zealanders as a whole, or individually, consuming lese liquor than when the first area carried no4icenseP Prohibitionist: No. The average for the Dominion is £3 15a. per head. Wβ cannot, of course, account for the illicit or sly grog liquor in "dry" areas. Visitor: The amount of illicit liquor oannot be ascertained. ' Say, tell me, what the consumption per head waß the year'before ono area went "dry"? ■ Prohibitionist: The first area Clutha carried prohibition in 1894. ' The total consumption per head- in that year was £3 Is. Id. Visitor: Now, there are twelve dry areas —or about one-sixth, of tho Domin. ion under prohibition or no-license. What is the drink bill now? .' Prohibitionist: It is now (1913) £3 14a. lid. per head. Visiter : What, an increase of 13s. 10d. per head I' Your Now Zealand Alliance has failed then to arrest the measure of your liquor consumption. It has done no good along that line. Try another. Has tho New Zealand Alliance promoted temperance among the people? Prohibitionist: I do not think the promotion of temperance has anything to do. with the objeot of the Alliance ~-our object is to compel the people by the force of numbers to do without alcoholic liquors. Ours-is merely a political agitation—not a social improve-, ment organisation. Many of our supporters do not know our ultimate goal. Wβ want to control and we are carefully concealing our object from the public Visitor; Oh, I see; my mistake. Still, with all this vast area of twelve electorates under no-license there must be less drunkenness. Say,, tell me how many convictions for drunkenness were there in 1894.when one area went "dry"? Prohibitionist: On page 21 of the New Zealand Alliance Handbook for 1914 you will find the increase has been as four' is to eleven since ono area went "dry." Visitor: What! Then 25 years' working of the New Zealand Alliance has accomplished nothing for temperance among the people as a whole. You are sure the figures you have given me are correct? Prohibitionist: Absolutely. You will find all the figures quoted by mo in our handbook for 1914. Visitor: Are the so-called "dry" areas still as favourable to No-Licenee as when they first carried it?

Prohibitionist: Well, the voting of the electors was not so favourable at subsequent elections; but then it takes a three-fifths majority to restore licensing. Several have had "bare" majories against No-License. Visitor: I soo by your handbook that only two "dry" districts could have carried ■ Prohibition at the last election on that basis,. Then, are NoLicense districts going back on their first love, so to speak?. Prohibitionist: It appears so from the results, of the voting./ That is a matter I would advise you not to dwell upon when you leave New Zealand. Visitor: Still, when the New Zealand Alliance, has accomplished so iittle it seems.to me that its methods must be wrong. It has_ neither abated the individual drink bill nor instilled temperance principles into the people. Ah, but I forgot you said the Alliance is a political organisation, and is only running temperance as a side-line like the American travellor who ran' play-iiiß-oardß with religious tracts as a side-line 1 From what you say, and from what I read in your handbook about your movement being only a political one, I do not think that if I were a New Zealander I could do other than strike out the bottom lines on both' ballot papere, for in all these years you have done nothing towards promoting temperance.. And you tell me that ministers of the Gospel forsake their pulpits to promulgate this political agitation which haß accomplished no real good. Oh, that is worse and worse.— Published by arrangement. (