DRINK IN THE STATES.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 February 1920, Page 12

DRINK IN THE STATES.

EFFECTS OF PROHIBITION. CONDITIONS IN BRITAIN. DR, GILRUTH'S IMPRESSIONS. Conditions in America and at Home were referred to by Dr. Gilruth, who spent -a few daye in Auckland after a visit to the United States and the Old Country and France, in an interview with a representative of the Star recently. Asked as to how he thought prohibition was being received in the States, Mr. Gilruth said prohibition was an actual fact in America, and the people were settling down to the new order of things without a great deal of demur. He had been told by a friend in NewYork that following on prohibition whisky was being sold at from 20 to 00 dollars per bottle, and poor quality at that. Wine was unprocurable; in fact, the decree was being carried into effect rigorously, and it was practically impossible to procure a drop of liquor. In New Orleans just before he arrived there had been a case in the Courts in which the State judge had held that the decree was ultra vires. The hotels opened for about two days, and then, acting on legal advice, apparently, cbsed down again. During the two days on which they were open the amount of drinking that went on was enormous. As an instance of the quality of the iiquor that was sold Dr. Gilruth illustrated the case of a man who was going to South America. This man said he had had two drinks and knew nothing more till he found himself in the Police Court. He was a well-educated man, holding a good position, and lie lost his money and everything lie had, in addition to missing his passage.

NO SLY GROG. Is there any sly-grog, selling? In Washington, which was a'military centre, they had prohibition before the general prohibition came into force, but right through the States there appeared to be no question of sly grog-selling so far as he could ascertain. Liquor was simply not obtainable, and the people had settled down and were satisfied. He was crossing the Atlantic with one man who said that he had spent 10,0(10 dollars in trying to .stop prohibition. Since he had seen it in operation he said he would be prepared to upend flO,000 dollars to prevent a return to the old order of things, holding that most of the accidents that occurred were caused by someone who had had a drop too much. Accidents, he said, had practically ceased in factories where machinery was used, for the reason that the employees could not now. get any liquor, and consequently had their wits about them. How is the regulation of the drink traffic being received in England? Very well. In England they had relative prohibition; that was to say, it was not possible to get drink till 12 o'clock, the hotels closing again at 2.30 p.m., while in Scotland they closed at 2 p.m. Then they opened again from 6 p.m. till 10 p.m. in England, and from 0 p.m. till 0 p.m. in Scotland. At anyother than those hours it was not possible to get drink. Further, only a certain quantity was available even during the hours in wliich it was allowed to be sold, as all the hotels Were rationed- It was a frequent thing to find that they had sold out of liquor a quarter of an hour after they had opened. He had spoken to the head of a !>ig firm of exporters in Glasgow and had expected to find him annoyed, but on the contrary he regarded the conditions as satisfactory, stating that even with the high prices charged for liquor the wages paid enabled the people to spend a great deal of money in drink, and he felt that there would have been so much drinking in Glasgow that prohibition would have been hastened had the partial prohibition not been brought in. It had to be noted, too, Dr. Gilruth said, that the whisky sold was 30 per cent, under proof, and sometimes even 45 per cent- under proof. A very small nip cost Sd, but this was so small that most ( people took a double nip. which.meant Is 4d, while what would be called a good drink in New Zealand would cost 2s. Notwithstanding the partial prohibition, the breweries were doing remarkably well; and in one huge concern shares had risen to an unprecedented extent. Referring to America again he stated that while there he had inquired as to the effect of the prohibition on the wine industry, and had been informed that it made little or no difference, as the grape juiee was now being used in the manufacture of "soft-drinks," of which large quantities were consumed. .ECONOMIC" CONDITIONS. And what of cost in living in Britain, Doctor? As to butter, Great Britain's requirements were about, 240,000 tons of butter per year, and that the people tlere were still rationed, both in regard to butter and sugar. The farmers both in England and Scotland had been doing exceptionally well during the war, and many of them had been able to purchase the frcohold of their farms. The gr?ater portion of the produce from these farms was taken by the Government at a fixed price, £U> per ton being paid for potatoes last year and £S the previous year. The farm worker is doing very well, is he not ? The position of the farm 'aborer at Home had also improved, and he was receiving now about £BO for six months' work, a sum which probably would take

a man four or five years to earn in prewar days. In addition, their hours wer« shorter, and they received a half-holiday every Saturday afternoon. The people who had been really hit were those of the middle class, who were faced with, large increases in the price of food, clothing, taxation, and practically all the necessaries of life. They had been "hit to leg." Questioned with regard to the Northern Territory of Australia, of which he 'was Administrator for several years, Dr. Gilruth refused to make a statement about the inquiry which is being held into the administration of the affairs of the Territory.