DRUNKENNESS.

Evening Star, Issue 3732, 8 February 1875, Page 3

DRUNKENNESS.

To the Editor. Sir, -The supplement to the ‘Otago Daily Times’ of Wednesday presents us with one of the most humiliating aspects of social life in England. We are there told that during the ten years from 1863 to 1873 the number of persons charged with being drunk or drunk and disorderly has very nearly doubled, and this notwithstanding the large increase in the number of avowed abstainers, the counteracting efforts of the Church and the school, and the hundred and one civilising influences which have been all the time at work on society. The ‘ Times ’ calls particular attention to the fact that “ in 1873, the first year under the new Intoxicating Liquors Act. instead of a continuance of the increase of 10,000 or 11,000 in a year, the number leaped up to 182,481, an increase of nearly 32,000 over the preceding year.” Here the obvious intention is to show that the restrictive provisions of “ Bruce’s Bill ” did not operate as the supporters of that measure anticipated, but if they had any effect on the drunkenness of the people they rather increased than diminished it. True, the ‘Times’ says “There are no means of distributing the increase among its causes, whether high wages, stricter police supervision, or other causes.” But the slap at the “ New Intoxicating Liquors Act” is unmistakeable. The following may serve to throw some light on this very important social question, and will at all events show that the restraints of the new Act, if they are not to be credited with a diminution of drunkenness, are not responsible for its increase. Dr Gibb, medical otfioer to the Monkland Ironworks, read a paper at the late meeting of the Social Science Congress, “on the relative increase of wages, of drunkenness, and crime during the last five years in the central mining districts of Scotland.” Hr Gibb shows from statistics collected by him that in the Airdrie and Coulhridge district, while in 1869 the convictions for assaults, breaches of the peace, and of drunks and mcapablesj • number 1,335, and the tines . amounted to wages averag--o a-aay, during 1872 the convictions reached 2,818, the fines recovered with wages averaging 8s - 1 mg 1373, vrhiju wages had'attained their zenith t-11s O-day—the convictions numbered 4,402, and the fines recovered amounted to L 2,669, he;ng equal to an increase in crime of 111 and 229 per cent., and in fines of ls3 and 437 per cßnt. respectively. In the Hamilton and Westland districts, the same rates df pay prevailed for the years given, tod tables choiv that of criminal convictions in ihese localities 1872, 2,289 5 fines recovered, TiM 1875, 2,754; fines recovered. L1,573-being equal to fin increase ;n crime or 200 and 260 per cent., and in fines of 245 and 500 per cent, respectively.” I presume it is almost unnecessary to state that the provisions of the new Licensing Act did not apply to Scotland, and could not therefore affect the above results in any way. liv considering these humiliating and startling wAi, I hkve bWfti dibbled to tbg& tbty plat

to an increase of the quantity of liquor used by those who drank before, consequent on the increase in means of obtaining drink, and the having more time for drinking, rather than to an increase of actual drinking.—l am, &0., A Reader. Dunedin, February 6.