PROHIBITION

Hokitika Guardian, 8 November 1922, Page 2

PROHIBITION

THE LOSS IMPOSED. . \ very responsible F.ngl isli newspaper. the “Manchester Guardian” lias lieen reviewing the Federal finance of the United States under prohibition, end it supplies an interesting summary which is well worth noting when it is desired to force prohibition upon New Zealand. It is recorded: The United States lost 500.000.000 dollars of revenue as a result of prohibition. It also silent 6,000,000 dollars on prohibition enforcement. What I the * various States spent on enforce--1 ment of the prohibition law is a liiat- . ter for conjecture. The sum of 30,000j 000 dollars have been recovered from ! violators of the prohibition law in the ! way of fines. Supposing that all these ! fines went to swell Federal revenue we have the following result, as it effects the Federal finances through the ■ operation of the prohibitory law: Dollars. Loss of revenue 500,000,000 i Cost of enforcement ... 6.000,000 ; 306,000,000 1 Recovered in fines 30,000,000 Net loss 476,000,000

It is interesting to note the volume of the fines imposed as indicating how the law is broken. This state of affairs is not good for the country—when the people in mass as it appears to be the ease will not respect the law of the land. America is becoming a nation of the law-breakers evidently.