PROHIBITION COLUMN

Evening Star, Issue 19794, 18 February 1928, Page 16

PROHIBITION COLUMN

[Published by Arrangement with the United Temperance Reform Council.] The abolition of the liquor traffic will create increased employment, reduction of taxation, combined with increased efficiency, happiness, and health of the community. Prohibition has saved 1,000,000 lives in the United States since National Prohibition was inaugurated in 1920, by lowering the death rate of the nation. Prohibition draws the people of the nations. Since Prohibition started in the United States the population has increased from 105 millions to 117 millions. Twelve millions in seven years—not a bad testimony to the economic and social popularity of the abolition of the liquor traffic. THE REV. “ DICK ” SHEPPARD AND DRINK. “Not long ago I witnessed a scene quite near to this church—St. Mar-tin's-in-the-Fields —that 1 shall noc soon forget. A poor drunken girl from the streets was surrounded by a crowd of people. I am ashamed to say the majority were men—who were laughing at her antics and encouraging her to continue her tragic inanities. I think it was one of the most dreadful sights I have seen, for I am still oldfashioned enough to think the spectacle of a woman far gone in drink is one of the most dreadful sights this world can afford.”—Rev. H. R. L. Sheppard, D.D., Rector of St. Martin’s-m-tho-Fiolds, London. DOES PROHIBITION PROHIBIT? Pre-Prohibition beer and ale, sixteen years old, and valued at 1,000,000 dollars (£200,000), the property of a Newark, N.J., brewery company, which was not legally sold before Prohibition came into force, was poured down the sewers on October 11, 1927. In the Thirteenth Federal District of Chicago, the United States Marshals padlocked the Friars Inn (a night club) for a period of twelve months for permitting alcoholic liquors to be consumed by members, who brought them into the inn.

John W. Smith, Mayor of Detroit, Michigan, stood for re-election as a Wet, but John C. Lodge, a Dry, was elected with a majority of over 30,000. The citizens would not re-elect an able mayor because _he declared himself against Prohibition. Live of the reputed leaders of the Superior Industrial Alcohol Company, of Philadelphia, Pa., pleaded guilty to violating the Prohibition law by diverting into bootleg channels alcohol intended for industrial purposes. Federal Judge Paul Jones sentenced them to eighteen months in the Atlanta Penitentiary, .and a fine of 6,000 dollars (£1,300) each. Before ho died, the late Colonel Joe Miller, of 101 Eanch, said: “If I were given 10,000 dollars (£2,000) and for this had the power to put saloons back in Ponca City, I wouldn’t do it. In open saloon days we always had trouble with our employees; they were eternally getting drunk, breaking up the equipment, abusing the horses, and lay-ing-off to sober up. Since Prohibition we have none of this.”—‘ Capper’s Weekly.’ The ‘ Minneapolis Journal ’ recently told of one of the large corporations engaged in the manufacture of motor cars entertaining 200 newspaper guests in Detroit, U.S.A. Naturally it sought to provide every hospitality, and its welcome extended by the head of the corporation was reported like this:— “You are most welcome. We want you to enjoy and profit by your trip to the utmost. We shall leave nothing undone to that end. But there is the matter of liquor to be considered. You are free to drink, if you like and as you like. We snail not criticise or blame any of you who do. But let me make it plain that our company will not buy or furnish one drop of intoxicants of any sort for you while you are our guests. As Americans, we believe in obedience to the law, and wo shall nob be party in any way to violations of the Volstead Act.” This corporation evidently considered the statute laws of the country more sacred than the laws of so-called hospitality. WORLD NEWS. Hungary. Budapest, December 2, 1927.—Resolution adopted by Parliament recommending steps be taken to prohibit sale of alcohohc liquors from noon Saturday to Monday morning. Holland. Zeist, December 2, 1927. Legislative mills grind very slowly, especially the Dutch one. Matter of our Local Option measure not yet settled. Chambers of commerce have petitioned against the Bill, and there is much interest being aroused. India. Rangoon, October 30, 1927. —A vote of 660 sailors has been taken regarding the sale of intoxicants in the Sailors’ Institute here; 67 per cent, favor a dry institute, 10 per cent, remain neutral, and 23 per cent, declare for liquor. On two tramp steamers having European crews the vote was unanimously against the sale of liquor. Russia. New York, December 3, 1927.—Moscow despatches say that Russia by changing from a dry to wet nation are now faced with an increase in drunkenness, a lowering of labor efficiency, and a perceptible decrease in disease resistance. In Leningrad in one week 5,124 arrests for drunkenness were made. United States. Now York, December 2, 1927.—Dr Howard Russell states that at least 85 per cent, of the making and selling of alcoholic liquors has disappeared and six million dollars (£1,200,000) more actual cash is in the

country’s pocket since Prohibition was adopted. United States. Philadelphia, November 18, 1927.—President Coolidge, addressing Union League' yesterday, stated that three times the taxation has been reduced. Millions of taxpayers have been entirely relieved, and heavy reductions granted to others, thus saving the nation over 6,000,000 dollars (£1,200,000) each day. DOMINION OF CANADA. Alberta.—The Alberta Prohibition Association, reporting upon the Provincial Liquor Control (1926), states:— “ We made 497 of our men and women, boys and girls, into registered clnmx-ards-interdicts (five times as last as they were made under the old bar system), and we caused 2,809 liquor-pro-duced crimes out of our small population of 600,000. Wo drank more than twice as much wine in 1926 as in 1925. Wo drank 318,000 gallons of beer more in 1926 than in 1925, and 21,000 gallons more spirits in 1926 than in 1925, and we call all this Government Control. God help us!” _ The Salvation Army reports that since Government Control was established in Alberta its necessary expenditure for relief has risen by 230 per cent, in the town of Edmonton alone. A local minister says: “A new generation of topers are being created. Conditions are becoming worse; in fact, Government Control does not eliminate, rather it cultivates, the alcohol habit.” British Columbia.—lt is reported that- under Government Control in British Columbia there are now 251 beer parlors, 72 liquor stores, aud 73 licensed clubs. One brewery made a profit of 600 per cent., aud the province imported 128.389 gallons more liquor in 1926 than in 1925. The bootleg traffic is stated to enormous. To compete with the bootleggers the Government opened beer parlors, twice lowered the price of liquor, and extended further the time of sale in Vancouver until midnight. This is Government Control! Manitoba.—The Government of Manitoba, under the Premiership of Hon. John Breckon, has taken a significant step towards systematic and scientific education for Temperance. Ontario.—The ‘ Royal Templar,’ Hamilton, Ontario, states under the caption ‘ Results of Ontario Liquor Control ’ —Jails are full. Prisoners arc compelled to sleep in corridors. Six hundred policemen are asked for in Toronto. Highways are unsafe for travel. _ Numerous accidents, the result of driving under the influence of liquor —one near Hamilton where a number of schoolboys were run down by an intoxicated driver, and at least one gasolene station raided on account of the proprietor giving drink to customers. Prince Edward Island.—The Rev. A. A. Macleod, the energetic general secretary of the Temperance Alliance of P.E. Island, writes:—“We are the first province in Canada to turn back the tide of Government sale of liquor, and thus to sustain After twenty-seven years of Prohibition the people of Prince Edward Island by large majorities endorsed the principle of Prohibition as the best means yet devised to control the liquor traffic.”-