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Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43218, 22 August 1907, Page 1

catchphrases, u meat.” and “ elimination of pri*-<ji yate gain,” by thrusting into || notice one aspect of a very com- ' plicated question, are in' my ; opinion threatening to impose upon this country a form of the ;|| regulation of the liquor traffic § the adoption of which would he ij a great calamity. THE SCAN DIN AVIAN PLAN*

Those who support the public | management of the liquor traffic are accustomed to justify their X§ proposals by the alleged success i of the Gothenburg system. Wifli/fl j regard to this I make, without. A 'hesitation, the following state-J| 1 ments :—(1) The great improve[ment which has taken place, in ’i ! Scandinavia is mainly due-to • the Temperance propaganda, bv ;; -means -of which the iiationa;l/f ! sentiment with respect to the! I use of intoxicating liquors has I been completely changed. . (2)1 I That the chief legislative instru-f| ment of the change has been the , placing of large areas of thej | country under Direct Yetoby/ [Local Option. (3) That during! ! the period since the introduction |of the system of compauy man agement in the larger towns, tke/i improvement which has takem| place in those towns cannot ,be;| regarded as any considerable : reform, and that now the npm-Y her of convictions for drunken-.-ness is quite equal to that off! similar towns in the Uni <d: Kingdom, if not greater. (IJf That such improvement as hasf been effected in those towns isf : due to a number of contributory'! factors, among which I wouldf mention regulations for earl\*Y closing, for closing during tho| workmen’s dinner-hour, for pro-;; , hibiting the use of seats in drink [ shops, and other similar restrict- I lions which are in some places itt .■ ! force, and which have nothing I | to do with the essential principle I j of the system, and might be as*B | sociated with any licence systeuifß in a. community-ripe far therufß (5) That, the Got lie ub u rgtfy stem .B ■ only regulates the sahrof 'gpirit sfß and that there has-been a great* [iui&fease in- the sale'of Xbeer incidiug with the’djßcrease/in the B j consumption of 'Spirits, arising* ; from a chaagOcjof the* taste- of* I the people, uihd that;si good putt* ; of the diminution in the sale of I '• c i'bhb i.o?t bo set down to this* , cause, not to the in \\ t,-rrrr^fnVrb* system-. (0) That whenjlje im-M j provemont in the towns under B } the company system is divided* jup amongst the several ennlri * butory causes, the amount which ■ Jean be put down to the one* • element of the/ elimination r.f* [ private gain is very small indeed* if any. (7) That the company* system lias not done much, if* anything, for the promotion of* r Temperance in Scandinavia,* : and that it has wrought no little* . mischief in the corruption of the* municipalities and in other*

ways. : (To b^'co^liLued.)