WHY PROHIBITION.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 October 1919, Page 1

WHY PROHIBITION.

[ Mr Creagh, Sydney’s Police Court Missioner gave a vigorous and educational address on the above subject last night in St Andrew’s Hall/ Hokitika. The labour, financial, accommodation questions were dealt with, the speaker pointing out the small amount of labojir the liquor trade directly employed in brewery and bar. The trade nearly always'added everybody working in the hotel as being about to lose their jobs if prohibition was carried. They forgot the bar was only part of the business, “the part that no doubt brought in the biggest profits with little labour. hjjk there was the accommodation part. £os was generally neglected because of t,ViP trouble, most of the socalled hotels

were just for drinking only. Mr Creagh pointed out tlie great interest that was taken in the brewery employees. They would lose then jobs jhe said. Why was not the same inj ter.est -takep in otjier workmen. If tlje ! trade was proved tq be harmful, and it | ' was, then it’s job was finished, a re- ; 'construction was necessary, and the j money that had been previously spent jfn: liquor, giving little employment, would be available for other things; j The speaker said it was impossible to j spend the millions in other directions without giving much revenue, and j much more employment, and " ages j •than the trade gave, and none of the. j | damage alcohol inflicted. The speaker | I pointed out what happened to men m ( other walks of life. Thousands of men were often employed making a length j of railway, and if the boss came along j and said the job was finished, the men did not squeal, they just packed up, they knew the job was finished. The people all over the world were saying , the alcohol job was finished, yet there J was a squeal, what will become of the j employees. Why is not the same intei- j e st shown in men of other trades. The J squeal comes not from the men, but from those financially interested. The Trade’s job, a mighty had one, is done they must make way for better conditions. Mr Creagli is very much at home with the moral aspect of the trade, with his own experience to guide him, backed up by many years’ work in police courts, hospitals, asylums, slums etc. He gets wanned up as he looks on the tremendous damage the alcohol habit has done. He says the public do not got .the facts of the ease. If the people looked into the state scrap heaps u-hcrA +lia ivat-a thrown they

would stand aghast. In six years at the Central Court, Sydney, 43,384 men and women passed through for drunkenness This does not take in the more serious crimes while under the influence of drink. Mr S. Meanley, head of Prisons Department said:—“ln the more serious cases of crime such as murder, or when personal injury is inflicted, drink is very largely responsible;” That is true of New Zealand; but that refers to Sydney. What about New Zealand? Well lot us look. From T 879 there lias been 779,200 prosecutions for all crimes, and the total convictions for drunkenness during this time (41 years), has been . 322,121. He ventured to say that at least 7 out of every 10 of the larger crimes were drink created crimes, yet your, government, “if the people of New Zealand are foolish enough to sanction it,” are • going to buy this trade for £10,000,000, or more of money. God forbid that you will do this National crime. If the Government could muster all drink victims men, women, and children, you would turn away in shame, the sight would he a terrible ope. , Mf Creagli instapccs of State control. It W always proved a failure, the (larger lies in the drug, not in \vjw sell's it. Human nature will err • with this tiling. The way Mr Creagli describes bis pwn experiences, and those lie has come across, makes one think. No questions were forthcoming so the speaker further deglt with the wine growing and other aspects of the trade. He gave Canadian facts, also American, pointing out the splendid lead this country would give to the Australian States. He finished by a strong appeal. As the cry came from the Hup victims, men women and children to be saved from brutal treatment, so the cry comes from alcohol’s victims, even more nuniortxus. Be patriots, usp your common sense, be sports, give prohibition a fair try. If you do, your reward will be a cleaner face, a more prosperous nation. Votes of thanks to the speaker and chairman closed the meeting. Mr Creagli speaks at Ross to-night.