WHAT IS THE USE OF LOCAL “NO LICENSE."

Manawatu Herald, 17 September 1904, Page 2

WHAT IS THE USE OF LOCAL “NO LICENSE."

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MANAWATO HERALR. Sir, —The above is a question hundrcds of people have asked me. They say “ What is the use of it when, as in the case of Port Chalmers, licenses are only a few miles off up the rail* way.” My answer is always twofold, (i) It enables all who really wish to reform, to do so, by removing temptation from their immediate path. A very large proportion of heavy wish to reform, those who dp not ca.IT not be helped by anyone. ''Those on the other hand who have not yet con* tracted the appetite will not put themselves to any considerable trouble to obtain liquor. This reduction of con* sumption among the careless, whothus drift into alcoholism, is perhaps the most valuable featureot no-license. We could here quote Dr Forel as renorted in the ’Temperance Record of April, 1904. “ Suppose that by a magic power we could cause all the drunkards in the country to disappear, they would be completely replaced in a few years. But, supposing we could transform all the moderate drinkers in the country into total abstainers, in a very little while there would not be any drunkards in the land. Thus the moderate drinkers are the founders of alcoholism.” (2) It reduces crime. It kills the shouting system, and is the only means that will effectively destroy the present awful political power of the trade. To prove that nolicense does reduce crime even when under unfortunate conditions, i.e., proximity to licensed area, I append a comparison of drunkenness and 13 different sorts of crime in Port Chalmers for the 12 months immediately preceding no-license and the 1* months immediately following. Period July Ist, 1902-3 (license)Drunkenness, 194; assaults, etc., 28; ’ resisting police, 9; prohibition orders, 16; theft, ,13; obscene language, etc., 9; damaging property, 4T : no visible means of support, 3 ;,’iniplecent acts, etc., ti : embezzlement* 34 smuggling, l i i attempted suicide. 2 ; vagrancy, o; total, 293; truancy, prosecutions, 61, ■ Period July f, ,1903-4 (no^ieense)— Drunkenness ’Bo ‘"(mostly at station;. assault* eto.v -;4j; resisting police, 1; prohibition orders. 0; theft, 2; obscene language, 5 (2 In railway train); damaging property, - T l! 00 visible means ot support,', o ; indecent acts, etc., 4 (1 in a railway carriage! embezzlement, 1; tempted suicide, 1; vagrancy, 1: total, 100; truancy prosecutions, 34s The no-license year only produced -20 cases of serious crime compared with 99 under license. The above -leaves out of the reckoning all trivial cases such as bye-laws, trespass, etc., which If included make the comparison of much less value. Truancy was included because it might be affected by the drinking of parents. Similar improvement in truancy was noticeable at Kaitangata in their year of no-license. Fora place so near Dunedin the above is marvellous. It was especially encouraging to me to find the improvement a sort of crescendo. Crime in the Port is getting less and less every month. I am, etc., : i G. Bernard Nichoi,ls ( Otago Agent N.Z. Alliance, Dunedin.