PERNICIOUS DRINK

Hokitika Guardian, 17 January 1933, Page 6

PERNICIOUS DRINK

METHYLATED SPIRITS. ADDICTS IN NEW ZEALAND. " WELLINGTON, Jan. 14. Methylated, spirits unliking Ims seriously increased throughout New Zealand in recent years, according to Commissioner J. Cunningham, of the Salvation Army, who was interviewed today. .

Commissioner Cunningham considers that tlic piesent situation is a grave one, had lie strongly advocates that methylated 'spirits should he made into rank poison and labelled as such/ This, he thinks, is the only way to put an end to a steadily growing evil. “L am constantly haying Salvation Army officers teuing me about the evils of methylated spirits drinking, ’ said the commissioner, “and i am told on all hands by our officers who live in close contact with men and women who have become addicts to this evil that ifc is seriously on the increase. “I am told by our officers that the beginning' of methylated spirits drinking o-fen occurs through a man having been drinking heavily for several days, in some cases several weeks, until his money is completely spent, an# then, in a, condition of eodapse and dying lor another drink, he moves around among men of- his own class, pleading with them to save his life and give him a drink. A bottle of methylated spirits is often produced and, being in a condition when he’is ready to drink, anything, he takes hi-s first drink of methylated spirits. Consequent Evils. “Once this has started,” said the commissioner, “the man sinks further and further and, in a short time, he is becoming an absolute slave to the habit. When a man reaches this stage he is ready to lie, to steal and do almost anything else to obtain 'another bottle cf the spirits. Having reached this stage, he often does some wrong or other for which lie is arrested by the police, and will probably get a short term of imprisonment, ibis, in reality,; is one of the finest things that could have happened to the man, for during that period lie may free himself from liis slavery and may come out of prison to leave the habit' entirely' alone. On the' other hand, he may begin the old evil once more, and if that is the -case he usually 7, continues until ho has completely wrecked his, health. In a number, of, instances pur officers have known such men to continue until they have literally killed themselves.

Position in Wellington. “Some people,’’, the commissioner continued, ..“may be of the opinion that ’there cannot possibly”lie mally who so far forgot themselves''hut our officers know and can name some 40 or 50 men in the city 'of . Wellingtop alone. The position is much the same in other large centres,/ and these/- 4 men can ho de finitely classgcl. as confirmed addicts. We find gfeat: difficulty'in controlling them when they 7 appeal to us for beds ar meals. If we put them into large domito’.'ies with other men they themselves, and their conduct, are so utterly 7 unbearable that we are begged to have them isolated. Our officers often find it well nigh impossible to control them at all.

.“What do we suggest?” said the commissioner “Well, some army officers advocate the addition to, methylated spirits of some nauseating chemical which would either make it impossible for. them to drink the stuff or make them side when they did drink it that they would speedily be rid of it. I advocate something much more drastic than this, and I do so because I learned 20 years ago when chief secretary for the Salvation Army in .Holland that there the Government and the police authorities had been faced with the very same problem. Alon and women had stink to such depths that the authorities felt the business must be brought to an end and the people saved from themselves. To this end the Government decided to give qll -/methylated spirits a special colour, ,to make it’rank poison and ti label every bottle as poison.

Poison as a Means. “When I tell this to some people in New Zealand,” ,saicl Commissioner Cunnongham, “they are afraid that possibly some might lose their lives if this were done in the Dominion. They do not, J fear, realise that men [ and women are being killed now by their own hand as a direct result of their being able to obtain a drink with a ‘kick., bn it, which certainly eventually kills.- I have.no hesitation in advocating that the example of Holland should he followed in New Zealand, and that methylated spirits should be made really poisonous. It should he given a special colour and every bottle should be clearly labelled ‘poison.’ “When men and women take to drinking these spirits they become so utterly depraved and helpless that it is as good as impossible for them to break the habit,” the commissioner concluded. “Commonsense and humanity, apart from religion altogether, ipust. surely make us all feel that these people must he saved from this evil and from their own weakness. I hope the- Government will take the matter in hand, and I feel sure that if the people of this land realised just how serious the question is, quite a stir Avould 1)6 .made in the direction indicated’.’.