EFFECTS OF PROHIBITION IN NEW ZEALAND

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2984, 23 January 1917, Page 5

EFFECTS OF PROHIBITION IN NEW ZEALAND

Sir, —Your correspondent, "0.5.," in [Friday's Dominion, claims to bo a stuflont. 1 hope he 'is. Well, "0.5.," as student, will not mind being told jthat whon studying a question ho must Hot play fast and loose with the authority he is 'consulting. ' From a certain set of figures compiled by the New (Zealand Alliance, "0.5." tries to gull your readers into the absurd belief that itho existence of the 12 No-licenso districts in.'New Zealand is the cause of a Slight increase in tho per capita consumption of liquor over the whole Doiuimon. Nothing could be more dishonest. The figures he quotes from 'deal with 'the wholo colony, and make sio distinction between License, and No- : license areas. There is, however, ait other se't of figures worked out on the same basis and published jn. the Alliance Handbook dealing strictly with .this phase of the ' question, which •'■"O-S. has quietly omitted. Lot me Supply the omission, so That your read- ' lers may appreciate the trick "0.5." Sought to play upon them. The figures are US compiled from official records hnd read thus: Consumption of liquor for the wholo colony per capita, £3 ' 3.55.; for License districts, £4 ss. Id.; for No-License district?, . 18s. 6d. though these figures are for the year 1912, an analysis of official. records for other years would give similar results. I'heso figures wero first compiled iu Christchurch. Then an independent 'computation in Wellington gave the same results, which in turn were carefully checked by an actuary of high Standing. I commend "0.5." for going to the iAlEauco Handbook for information. A better authority ■is not. to be. found, but to suppress or misuso evidence is. Jiot playing the game, especially for ione who poses as a studcat. On the general question of Prohibition, 3. have nob timo to dwell just 'flow, but the evidence coming from Russia, the United States, and Canada, Vhere millions have of late swung into 'tho anti-liquor line, is ail overwhelming proof of its success. —I am, etc., VALINCA.