DISCRIMINATION OF DRUNKENNESS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 10 August 1917, Page 1

DISCRIMINATION OF DRUNKENNESS.

♦■ On May 11 Lord d'Abernon. who is chairman of the Liipior Control Board in England, attended the annual meeting of ''the Chief Constables' Association, and addressed that body on the above topic. Lord d'Abernon, in his speech, said that the convictions for drunkenness in England and Wales had decreased from 180,000 a year to 80,000 cases a year, and there was now an opportunity* for specialised methods for dealing with the offenders The chief defect of the existing methods is the failure to discriminate between the casual excess of tho-convivial drinker and tli© recurrent drunkenness of the confirmed

inebriate. There • should not be any serious difficulty in arranging for adequate medical' observation and report in all cases where there is ground for suspecting some abnormal condition, and the sentences could be adjusted to meet the special circumstances of the individual case. The first condition for the more effective treatment of the drunkard was the recognition of the wide diversity of. character and causation in cases of drunkenness. The penalty of imprisonment for drunkards was too severe and not severe enough—too severe in that it subjected the drunkard to detention under a system of penal discipline designed for offenders of active and dangerous anti-social tendencies; not severe enough because it was too short to have any curative effect or to exercise any deterrent influence oh the! recidivist. There was necessity for a more rigorous enforcement of certain preventive measures, for a recent inquiry had indicated that rather more than 45 per cent, of cases of persons convicted of drunkenness was " drinking with friends," or treated by friends. Means should be found to make certain sections of the trade more alive to their responsibilities in serving drunken persons. With restricted hours and, as lie hoped later, a large reduction of public-houses, it would be much easier to detect the public-houses where drunkenness occurred. He ; was prepared to assert very definitely thati-the problem of drunkenness was susceptible of solution in a 11111011 larger measure than was ordinarily supposed. Mr Farndale. Chief Constable of Bradford, speaking from 53 years' experience, said he had come to the conclusion that the drunkard was prepared at all times,to make some excuse for getting 'drunk. He ■' never blamed himself for liisVdrunkenness, but always complained of family troubles or his friends, or some other ima'miary cause. ° The Chief Constable of Hudderstield said the solution of the problem was to be found in the State control of licensed houses. If the houses were managed by efficient servants, uaid reasonable s:il:iri»« t.lmm ■>■-«,.u

wiiiLt., jj.uu reasonaoie salaries, tliere would not be the temptation to supply the liquor to men not lit to receive it. The Chief Constable of Acerington said that in the industrial parts of Lancashire the club question required much more attention than that of the public-house. I nluss-.the club were dealt" with on the same lines as the ." pub," there was no use in legislating at all. Alderman Crooks, of Hull, complained that it was difficult to' get stipendiary magistrates to give confirmed drunkards* more than two years' detention. Experience had shown that this period in many cases was not long enough for the, drunkard' to recover his moral balance. Nothing but change of environment and separation from temptation could meet with success. Lord d'Abernon, replying, said that everybody admitted that a reduction of public-houses would be beneficial to sobriety and public order. It.was less gen/ erally recognised, but none the less true, that that reduction would be beneficial to the trade. He had nn doubt that the' 90,000 licenses in .England could be reduced by about one-third. He mentioned that the closing of public-houses for all purposes "when they were closed for alcohol t was being considered with regard to the Xorth-east Coast area bv the Control Board. He would.like to see the establishment of a technical board .for the examination of suspected inebriates.