THE SOCIAL HABIT

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 160, 6 September 1916, Page 5

THE SOCIAL HABIT

BENT AND POPULATION. (Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, Sept. 4. The hotel-keepers ’ concern over the eflect of the ‘ ‘anti-shouting’ ’ regulation continues, and apparently with ample reason. It is in few cases the bar trade has declined by as much as 50 per cent, since the regulation came into force, but the licensee of one of the most popular houses in the city, which bears a high character with the police, declares that last week his bar takings were • less than half his takings for the proceeding week. Against this there was an appreciable improvement in the bottle trade, perhaps as much as 10 or 15 per cent, and it was noticeable that towards the end of the week business was better than at the beginning. The licensee attributes this to more of his regular customers having reconciled themselves to the passage of sixpences before they enter the bar, and to others under the stress of circumstances having overcome their repugnance to “solitary drinking. ” These are not desirable developments, but to an extent they are inevitable, and if “anti-shouting” regulation decreases the v amount of promiscuous drinking during the war period by even 10 per cent, it 'will have more than justified the expectations of its most ardent advocates. Different Points of View.

The hotels that have suffered a decline of as much as 50 per cent in their bar trade as a consequence of the abolition of the ‘‘social habit’ 5 of “shouting 55 are probably few and far between. But a great many are taking 20 to 25 per cent less than they did before the regulation came into force, and naturally the licensees are looking around for, some relief. The position is to be considered by the “trade 5 ’ in conference, as soon as the actual results are definitely ascertained, and it is expected the brewers and landlords will be requested to shoulder a share of the loss. In the meantime the prohibitionists ar e viewing the position with mixed feelings. Those who have scqfffed at regulating the liquor, traffic as impossible in fact and undesirable if it were possible, are predict-, ing that the proverbial coach and four, ultimately will be driven through this restriction, as, they allege, it has ■,been driven through every other restriction. Et,ut those who ar e frank enough to recognise the truth admit that in this case regulation has proved effectual, and has inclined them to look more favourably than they did before upon the bigger experiment of State control. In this way the legislation of last session may point the way to a bigger, reform than its promoters, ever contemplated. City Population.

j Though the Registr'ar-Geiieral has been showing the people of Wellington for months past that the population of their city is not"increasing in proportion with its business, activity: ;and its opportunities for employment, it has befin left to the “ Dominion -(L-itb tell them bluntly in an article- on house-room and house-rents it publishes this morning that the number of souls within their borders are fewer to-day than they were six years ago. The local paper obtains its figures from Mr Malcolm Fraser, and they show that between 1910 and 1916 the population of the city itself declined from 71,533 to 67,230, and of Greater Wellington from 76,390 to 75,085. The tendency now attracting the attention of the people of Wellington w r as emphasised in this column some months ago in an analysis of the electoral rolls of the city constituencies for 1911 and 1914. which showed a decline of 3,793 in the six city constituencies. Mr Fraser makes the decline for that period 4,087, so that the results, probably reached by quite different methods approximate very closely. In the same analysis the population of the Auckland six citv constituencies showed an increase of 17,577 during the- three years, that of the Christchurch six constituencies an increase of 5,799, and that of the Dunedin five constituencies a decline of 685. Doubtless poor home accommodation and high rents are at the root of Wellington ’s trouble. Recruiting. The Minister of Defence was not unprepared for the mild slump in voluntary enlistment as a result of the passage of, the Military Service Act, which provides for th e compulsory registration of men of military age. Married man who are impelled by a strong sense wen who are impelled by a strong sense of duty to join the reinforcements while the monthly quota depended entirely upon voluntaryism now the Government has power to bring the single laggards in may very properly delay their sacrifice until it is really required. Then there are numbers of men ready to go into camp, but not anxious to leave their civil employment, who will be content tc wait their turn in the ordinary course. The Minister believes that the reinforcements still will be filled mainly by volunteers, and that, the men waiting for the ballot, perhaps for good reasons of tbeir own, when they realise what they have been missing all this time will make as good soldiers as any that have been sent away. The physical standard has been wonderfully

well maintained in the later reinforcements, and experience has enabled the training staff to produce better and better results, till the Camp Commandant’s eulogies, which at one time seemed a little effusive in pronouncing each succeeding draft the best on record, appear to be well deserved. One indication of the good spirit prevailing among the men is the fact that while there are still hardships to be endured at all the camps, grumbling is much less prevalent than it was in the early days of our soldier making.