PICTURES V. DRINK.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1045, 18 May 1912, Page 4

PICTURES V. DRINK.

Drink is on the decrease at Tiiuaru (says the Timaru Post;. The other afternoon a reporter called on several of the leaning hotel-keepers m the town to ascertain the state of trade at present with what it was two or three years ago. In each case he received the same reply—the trade had decreased considerably on what it was a year or two ago. When asked if they could ascribe any reason for this change the publicans gave varying answers, but all agreed that popularity ot the picture business was the Lading feature in the decrease of the drinking habit. ()uolh one : “Come into my bar any lime you like at night and you will not see more than three or lour at a time, whereas two or three years ago we were nearly always lull. There's only one thing that’s doing it, and that’s the pictures. Instead ol young lellows spending their evenings inside the hotel as before they elect to visit the picture theatre, and there .they stay until alter closing.” Another publican told the reporter that the pictures had injured his business to a far greater extent than would be imagined. jNot only young fellows, but men of riper years who were wont to frequent bis bar were now almost total SUangeis, a fact he would ascribe to nothing else than the plenties. The age of limitation iu the Act, had, of course, precluded a number of the younger generation from visiting bars, who were m the habit of doing so previously, but of course the Act would not interfere with older people. One publican went so far as to say ins busiuess iu the liquor line had dropped by almost one-third.