NEW ZEALAND BECOMING INCREASINGLY SOBER.

Otaki Mail, 6 December 1922, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND BECOMING INCREASINGLY SOBER.

I STATISTICS PROVE IT. j Tlw "Otago Daily Times" in a recent issue makes some very pertinent I remarks on the subject of the extent of j the intemperate use of intoxicating

•liquors in this country. '.'lt i- rather ; difficult to understand why it should Ibe considered necessary by some perj fervid advocates of Prohibition to rej.yrtsent New Zealand as a country in i which the vice of drunkenness prevails j to a very serious extent and to depict ; the native-born New Zalander as intemperate," says the Dunedin journal.' "The residents of the Dominion who are proud of their country and of its population have some right to resent ' allegation.- of this character. In point I of s»pbriety New Zealand will compare j favourably wiii. most of the other countries of the world. Moreover, j' is becoming increasingly sober. The ' statistics of the convictions for drunk-1 euness establish that conclusively. In j . the past ten years, "ffhi)c the pbpula- j ' tion of the country has it.crea?ei by ; _ about 200.000 the number of convic- j

tions tor diun-kesij-ss nas .declined to marked degree, Tee proportion c convictions per 1000 of the mean popt latoin in 1911 was 11-23. In 1920 i was 7.13. The proportion was lowe still last year, when there was a dc *r&aj«3 of 30S (6.94), in the number o prosecutions lir drunkenness as com pared with .the previous year.;; Of cour-e. the agitating "reformer*' who are now flooding the eountn .voyii have you think that we. a.- i latiou. are going U> |he dogs. Tbej vast Prohibition at any cost. Bjat _&< KOple of New Zealand have .had thW ijea opened to thee dodges. Ti*y ar« roing to Vote Continuance. =d