The Licensing Bill.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 211, 10 September 1904, Page 2

The Licensing Bill.

SECOND READING CARRIED IN THE HOUSE.

(Per Frets AmiooUiUn), WELLINGTON, September 9, In tho House at 3.5 p.m. the Speaker called on the first order ol the day, which wub the resumption of the debute on the motion for tin second reading 01 the Licensing Act Amendment Hill.

No member row to speak, and the Speaker put the motion, the second reading being agreed to on the voices. PROTEST FROM CHKISTCHUHOH. CHRISTCHLIROH, September 9. The Ckristchurch Prohibition League to-night carried the following resolution :—" This league regards the Licensing Hill as totally opposed to t|ae temperance sentiment of, the people of the colony, as expressed at the last local option poll, and urges members of the House to oppose its passing bj every possible means. It is also of opinion that in order to prevent a recurrence di the Newtown and Hruce scandals, there is urgent necessity for the passing of a local elections amendment bill." A NELSON RESOLUTION. NELSON, September 9. A largely attended meeting was held to-night, conducted toy advocates of State control, there being ion the pl a tform PreMbiytcrian, Congregational and Catholic clergy. A resolution, "That this meeting believes State control to lie the true remedy for the drink evil, and earnestly requests Parliament to place ;l a u»e 24 on the Statute Book," was declared carried toy a large majority.

WHAT IS THE USE OF LOCAL NO-LICENSE?" (To the Editor.) Sir,—The above is a «|ucstion hundixxls of people have asked me. They say " What is the use of it when, as in. the case of Port Chalmers l , licenses are only a few miles off up the railway 1" My answer is always twofold, (1) It enables all who wish to reform to do so, by removing llu. •temptation from their immediate path. A very large proportion 01 heavy drinkers wisft to reform, those who do not cannot be helped; those, on the other han'd, who have not contracted the appetite, will not put themselves to any considerable trouble to obtain liqaor. This reduction of consumption among tin careless, who thus drift into alcoholism, is pei haps the most valuable feature of no-license. We could hen quote Dr. Forel as reported in the Temperance Record of April :—'-'Suppose that toy a magic power we could cause all the drunkands in tho country to disappear, they would be completely replaced in a few years. But, suppose we could transform all the moderate drinkers in the country into total abstainers, in a vory little while there would not be any drunkards in tho land. Thut the moderate drinkers are tho founders of alcoholism." (2) It reduces crime—it kills the shouting system, and it is the only means that will effectually destroy the present awful pollitical power of '•' Tho Trade." (Truly the trade that fattens and flourishes upon the destruction, both physical and moral, of many of its customers, and yet oaa serenely and coafidently look for others to take the places of the ruinod ones). To prove that no-Licens.- does reduce crime, oven when under unfavourable conditions, i.e. proximity to licensed area, I append a comparison of diunkennes, and 13 different sorts of crimo in Port Chalmers for the twelve months immediately preceding- no-license, and the twelve months immediately following. The figures are for the periods July Ist, 02-03 (license), and July Ist, 03-04 (no-license) respectively :- Drunkenness 194, 80 ; assault, etc. 28, 4• : rciJisMiiig police 9, 1 ; prohiibiition orders 16, 0 ; theft 13, 2 ; obscene language 9, 5; damaging property *. 1 ; no visible means of supp ort 0 rt <i, 0 ; indecent assault, etc. 11 4 • ombezKlcment 3, 1; imuig|g,,ing' l' 10 ; attempted suicide 2, 1 ; vagrancy 0, 1 ; totals, 293, 100 ; truancy prosecutions 61, 34. The no-license year only produced twenty cases o< serious crime compared with 99 under license. The above leaves out ol the reckoning all trivial oases such as bye-laws, trespass, etc., which if included, making the comparison of much less value. Truancy was included because it might be affected' toy the drinking of parents. Similai improvement in truancy w a s no ticeatolo at Kaitangat a in their yeai of no-license. For a place so near to Dunodin the above is little short of marvellous. It was especially encouraging to me to find the improvement a sort of crescendo. Crime in tho Port is getting less and lest, every month.—l am, etc., G. BERNARD NICHOLLS, °tago agent N.Z. Alliance, Dunodin.