"WET" AND "DRY" ELECTORATES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3180, 3 September 1917, Page 6

"WET" AND "DRY" ELECTORATES

CONVICTIONS FOB DRUNKENNESS. Sir,—l have Tead tlie letter signed "G. Kennedy" appearing ia T our issue ° August 23 with much interest and surprise. There are so many misleading: statements therein that I crave a little space in your next issue to P ut l " e truth before your readers. I will number the misstatements m tlie order m which I propose to deal with them. In misstatement 1, G. Kennedy saj '• "Take the case of Masterton. There were, G7 cases of drunkenness, in the year 1911.13 " The official report shows that there, were 36 in< 1912 and 48 if 1913, so he is. wrong whichever year it is. i ~ Misstatement No. 2, "G. Kenned/ says: "In the year Sl 1915, there were 119 cases. The official, report says there were 52. Misstatement No. 3. _ G. penned. "In Oamaru for the year ended December 31, 1915, there were 56 cases o£ drunkenness." The official report say° the number was 47. „ Misstatement No. 4. says: "If the whole of the No-License> districts were gone through it would b* seen that there was a large incrcaso iD. intoxication and convicfaons therefor . ; in striking contrast with ttte ceneral decrease throughout the Dominion." Will "G. Kennedy ' name one, single year in which there has been a. decrease in convictions for tonkeimess in licensed districts since a general decrease until last year, last vear there was a'decrease m the dominion of 2269; of these 141, or an average of 11 per electorate, were ill License electorates and 2128, an of 31, in the "wet' electorates. In 18la. Gisborne alone had 424 convictions, whereas the whole of the No-License electorates had 489. Misstatement 5., G. "that in 1915 theTe was a decrease of. 2400. The official document says that, the number was 96. The fact.is th?. general decrease was in 1916, not 191*. and that then both License and NoLicense districts had a share, as I have. Sl Now, sir, in order that your renders generally, and "G. Kennedy" in particular, may be in possession of tho facts i p to date, that is, to the, end of 1916,,m1L vou allow me to give the official figure., for the eight "dry" electorate in which there are Magistrates s Courts, - in. contrast with eight the same period, showing also the popu lation thereof as returned by the last census:— mtW" C'nv'ct'cß. - Electorates. • Pop- 1916. Invercargill 15,886 - Mataura j 5 Clutha «»;$! „ Bruce ; 11,9-J Oamaru '••••• JWj>9 • Ashburton 7 - Masterton •••■ U375 Ohinemuri U> bo ' "Wet" _ Electorates. Pop. 191Palmerston North ... 16,13s W Napier 16,157 1W Waikato ",<Bl Lyttelton. WW TiZu"!..::::::::::.'" iml?. w Wairarapa 13,942 - ;j>j| • Gisborne 16 - 605 " bb The contrast speaks for. itself. fr<je|d, Palmerston North alone, with a populate of 16,135, has 408 convictions, or 6ft more than all the eight ekjtnrifws with a copulation of 101.24b. Anti* anrhw " here £ the drink purchased that makes the. men drunk? your space determines me to leave Or. Kennedy's" reference to liquor in the No- ■■" License districts for another issue, ex cept to m that, roughly, there » only one-sixth of the liquor goes NoLicense districts that is consumed m the Licensed areas —I