OAMARU UNDER NO-LICENSE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81916, 15 January 1907, Page 4

OAMARU UNDER NO-LICENSE.

(North Otago Times). Mr (m.'o. .Maunder ask-? us to insert 1 lie folowiug:— \\"Ji;itovor may have l»c en th- 1 ell'eet of no liCiMis;; on business Oamaru. there cannot lie the sbghte.-t doubt as to the ellieacy of the new state ot things on soda! Oamaru. in an abnormal year, sueii as the past one. it is a very diil'icnlt matter to arrive ai a just estimate of tlie. true and real eU'ecU of the abirilion of II:;- public bars 011 the volume uiid value of business done, and a longer tv.il n rieces siry bet'oro it would be >ale to express an authoritative opinion on Iha I point. Turning to l.ii.A s.ocia<! sid". however, a eomp:iii;-ou of the Poiic.' Court 'returns, for Oamaru during the last two years makes very int'ivstmg and startling reading. 01' course one looks at once to see what effect tin oji'-ra.tion of no-license here has had in reducing the number of "drunks/'" In 1!)03 tliere were ISS. in ]!)IK> 10J only; and of tic Jailer H<" ocurred during the first six mouths of Ktvns? and only .1 during the operation of no license! This very signiiiuant indeed. The total number of oll'enees at Oamaru during ]!)(•."> was 2!H). in thelast year 11>7, and out of the 1(57 no less than IMS eome under the lirst half of the year, when bars were open. 01 course, as no-license lias only been in opera I ion for six inoiillis, the above comparison (bus not expre-s the real difference in crime under the two systems. Separation of the two ha i years (if 1 •)()!» r,-veals the fact that by lar the javater part of the oiTenees occurred up to -Mine With. We give the figures for what they are worth.