THE USE OF ALCOHOLICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81918, 5 March 1907, Page 2

THE USE OF ALCOHOLICS.

i-l ollibitiOji is oil its trial in New Zealand, and one hardly knows yet whether it lias proved the great success it intended to prove in those places whore the people have thrown drink out. Opinions are nineh divided. There is no divided opinion tliat a community Jiat voluntarily resigned tlie fascinations ot' alcohol and did not at anv time or under any circumstances hanker after it would hj:» verv nearly an ideal coimmmity, seeing Unit most' persons in authority put down three parts of the crime and djscouu'oit and d'egradation the liuinan family suffers to illeohol. In New Xeaiaiul where, of course. it m indisputable that the majority ol people are sober, -ceing that they have no i.me to lie otherwise, it seems that (he diminution aj lie-ea-sed area does not ill any way diminish the quantify of alcohol liquor cersumt'd, as witness the Imoicargiii figures, published on Silturday. The population grows certainly, hut very much more slowly in proportion to Hie growing ot the alcohol b I!. AHhou-rh it is apparent Hint those areas wheiv ihere is no I'eense are gra:illy unsoher (liau (hose area's where license still reigns, it is actually true 1 hat the whole of the people in New Zealand lake more alcohol per held than they have previously done. Now the ideal end and ami of prohibition is to reduce, and ill time wipe out, the beer hill and every other bill eon Heeled with alcoholic l'quors. The indisputable fact that prohibition has not reduced the number of gallons of beer Ihe people drink per head per year—the present figures are ten galions per < head per annum—shows that prohibition is having no real clVect except in isolated spots. Kven in these area. l ! if is possible to obtain a wholesale private supply, and it is still one of the prohibitionist's planks that a citizen shall have private drinking rights" but not, public ones. It is a very remarkable fact that the New SCen lander drinks more per head under prohibition than he did before there was any talk of prohibition in the eolonv. Why?