TEMPERANCE COLUMN

Evening Star, Issue 21744, 12 June 1934, Page 6

TEMPERANCE COLUMN

(Published by arrangement with the United Temperance Reform Council.) “ If it is a small sacrifice to give up wine, then do it for the sake of others; if it is a great sacrifice, then do it for your own.” ■ “Were you ever at Cork?” enquired a Father Mathew, man of a tipsy Irishman. “ Faith, and I niver was there, but I’ve seen a good many drawings of it.” BRITISH M.P.s, Dr Salter’s attack on the drinking habits of M.P.s has received a good deal of publicity. Many M.P.s have stated the attack was unjustified, but w r e believe Dr Salter lias all the “ chapters and verses ” to quote when called upon. The House of Commons drink bill is £17,000 less annually than it was. NIGHT CLUB HABITUES. ‘ The Life of Mrs Meyrick,’ which has been published since her death, provides some interesting revelations regarding the conduct of night clubs in London. The author has been extremely frank in her revelations, and the names of the patrons of Mrs Meyrick’s clubs are liberally supplied. Among them one finds eight suicides, and at least ten. people who afterwards went to prison or to the scaffold. WHAT WAR WAS THAT? Point was added to a debate in the House of Commons, on February 7, on road accidents by figures given at question time about the casualties on the roads in Great Britain in the eight years 1926 to 1933. The figures, which were given by Sir John Gilmour, the Home Secretary, were received with expressions of indignation. A member asked, “ What war was that?”

The figures were:— Killed ... 50,837 Injured 1,421,083 The detailed figures were;—

So that Jast year’s toll of killed was nearly twenty a day, and over 590 a day injured. SUSPENSION OF LICENSES. The following figures, issued by the Home Office, show the use made by magistrates of the power to suspend the driving licenses of motorists in 1931 and 1932

—Reckless or Dangerous Driving.— Prosecu- Charges Sustions. Proved, pended 1931 12,027 5,658 392 1932 6,430 3,287 560

—Careless Driving.— 1931 23,405 16,325 25 1932 22,343 17,348 33

In 1930 there were 26,702 prosecutions under the combined heading of “ driving recklessly, negligently, or at a speed or in a manner dangerous to the public.” There were convictions in 20,908 cases, and licenses were suspended in 95.5 cases.

DOCTOR’S HORRIBLE MOTORING RECORD. A doctor with a big East End of London practice, and what his solicitor described as “a horrible record as a motorist,” failed in an appeal for a driving ban to be removed. He was Dr Frederick Percy Richard Gover, of Hartland, Stratford, London, E., and he applied at the Mansion House for the removal of the driving disqualification imposed on him in March, 1932, for being under the influence of drink while in charge of a car in the city. Mr Percy Robinson (for Dr Gover) urged that Dr Gover had suffered considerably for his last “ indiscretion ” and had become a total abstainer. Dr Gover said that he had a large East End practice, and so long as his disqualification lasted he had to employ a chauffeur. ' ' ' Mr Robinson: You have seen the inside of a prison, I think. The Magistrate (Sir George Truscott), referring to the record of convictions: More than once. Dr Gover: I will never touch another drop of alcohol so loijg as I live. It is costing me over £4 a week to keep a man to drive me round. Sir G. Truscott: From all appearances the case against you was a very serious one. You were defended by eminent counsel; you pleaded guilty; and after all that was possible had been urged on your behalf the court fined you £IOO and imposed a three-year disqualification. It is a decision not to be lightly interfered with, and I do not feel, having regard to your past record, that I ought to do so. I shall, therefore, dismiss the application. A MEDICAL TRAGEDY. Mr W. Bentliff, a member of the Royal Commission, asked Dr Weeks what motives led him to become a teetotaller. “I am afraid they are entirely selfish,” the doctor replied. “ I was a young doctor, and the doctor whose practice I bought died from drink. I made it a rule never to drink when attending patients during the day. “The thing that finally made me ‘ put it over ’ was that I was called to a consultation by another doctor. He was in evening dress, and had been out to dinner. He was not drunk, bi’t he met me with that fatuous smile that people do put on under the influence of drink. “Upstairs in the bedroom was a tragedy. He had made a profound error of judgment in regard to a woman. “As I drove home I said, ‘ That might have happened to me,’ and became a teetotaller.”

“ Two swallows make no summer,” A fact allowed by all; But tipplers often show to us That twenty make a fall.

1926 Killed. 4,886 Injured. 133,888 1927 5,329 148,575 1928 6,138 164,838 170,917 1929 .... 6,696 1930 7,305 177,895 1931 6,691 202,119 1932 6,667 206,450 1933 7,125 216,401