“HERE’S TO THE BRIDE!”

Taranaki Daily News, 2 November 1922, Page 2

“HERE’S TO THE BRIDE!”

Under this heading the liquor traffic is recommending intoxicants for weddings. Liquor touts are cadging from door to door in N-JZ. and tempting any young folks they find to ‘sample’ wines. Well—“ Here’s to the Bride,” may she never experience the ghastly hell of a drunkard’s home. But you never can tell. For instance, how about these who were once bright, trustful, hopeful brides:— In a divorce case the wife stated: “Respondent struck her on the face in front of the hotel and cut her face open. He always struck her on the face. Each week he would get hopelessly drunk.” Another wife said: “He threw plates and dishes at her, and threatened to cut his throat.” These cases were reported in the public press. “Here’s to the Bride,” —In April this year the press reported the case of a young man who shot himself in the presence of his wife. He had been drinking and she refused to give him more—so he shot himself. Ahother case:—A young man, after taking liquor, went to the house where his wife was, from whom he was separated, attacked her, and then cut his throat. Do you study these arguments for prohibition that appear in the news? The above are just samples of the liquor traffic’s weekly output. Won’t you make the prospect for future brides more safe, certain, and cheery, by voting out the traffic that blasts the brightest homes and ruins the lives of thousands? One of those brides who suffer may, otherwise, be your daughter, one of those husbands, your boy. It is worth the sacrifice of the social glass to remove the cause of these tragedies. Here’s to tbe happier brides of the future —and Strike out the Two Top Lines.

OVER £3,700,000 PROFIT PER ANNUM ON WHISKY. The liquor traffic is at present fighting for profits. It does not care a fig for real liberty. But it wants to live another three years to get its plunder. Just see what a big profit there is on whisky. The following is a reasonable estimate. If the liquor traffic does not agree that it is l fair, let them tell us how much they do make. They say the people of New Zealand can be “trusted.” We say so, too, and we add, all right, “trust” them with a truthful statement of liquor profits. Whisky imported 1921, 719,000 gallons. Take it. at 700,000 gallons. There are more than seven bottles to the gallon, and the Moderate League says 26 nips are got out of the bottley which, at 9d. per nip, gives near enough to £1 per bottle, or £7 a gallon. Whisky cost the traffic in 1921, 365. 3d. a gallon, which is made up of invoice price, duty and primage.

76,000 gallons whisky sold at 12s. Gd. bottle’, say 326,*250 175,000 gallons bulk at “nip” or 20s. bottle, say 1,225,000 150,000 gallons bulk, sold at 12s. 6d. bottle, say. 652,500 300,000 gallons sold at “nip” or £7 per gallon 2,100,000 112,500 gallons added water, i.e. 25 per cent, added to bulk spirits, ' costing nothing yields 688,125 Total received, for 700,000 gallons imported 4,991,875 Cost price, including duty at 18s. gallon, at 30s. 3d. per gallon. 14268,750 Total gross profit on year’s import 3,723,125 The “N.Z. Times stated on January sth, 1922, that 18 months’ supplies of spirit had been taken out at old rate of duty. Although it had not paid it, the Trade charged the customer the increased duty, and on above basis this would yield 1,125,000 The total profit trade stands to gain is £4,848,125 NOTE—The Trade was charging 15s. per bottle from January Ist to June 20th, 1'922; the above estimate is based on 12s. 6d. per bottle only. More than 26 nips are got out of a bottle, , The Moderate League says one-third water is added to proof spirit,—we have added only one-quarter. The estimate is not, therefore, exaggerated. No wonder the traffic has money for big profits and big advertising in order to secure another three years in which to plunder drinkers.

ASK THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC THIS. According to Police Reports for 1921, there were over SB<H) convictions for drunkenness in New Zealand. Ask the liquor traffic what made these cases ‘drunks’ and where did they get it? Ask the liquor traffic if the arrests and convictions represent all the drunkenness in New Zealand? Ask the liquor traffic if it is true that every habitual drunkard and every casual drunkard began as a moderate? Ask the liquor traffic if intoxicating drink is sold any. where in New Zealand without drunkenness 'being there too? Ask the liquor traffic if a prohibition order taken out by a man himself or on a relative’s request is ever broken? Ask the liquor traffic if a prohibition order has a chance of being obeyed whilst an organised trade is pushing temptation before a man at every opportunity Ask the liquor traffic who pays wnen a husband and father spends most or all of his money on drink? In the U.S.A, under prohibition drunkenness has 'been reduced 60 per cent. Ask yourself if it is not true that Prohibition is just Common-sense? (Published by arrangement,)