DRINKING.

Temuka Leader, Issue 803, 20 December 1881, Page 3

DRINKING.

Recent writers on the subject of drunkenness favor the opinion that the evil is diminishing, a result which they attribute partly to a favorable change in that respect in the habits of the higher orders of people, and to the more general use by classes of tea, coffee, and other non-intoxicating beverages. It is very probable that the number of ''incapable and disorderly" drunkards has decreased of late years. It is Decerning quite a rarity in some of our Courts for a charge ot this kind to be preferred against a man, but this may be attributed to the more rigorous enforcementof the law, men even in their cups become wiser. It was quite a common thing at one time for the police to pass an inebriate in the street and allow him to go home, and it was only when the drunkard was exceedingly disorderly or thoroughly incapable of walking that he was ushered iDto the lock-up. The practice has. however, undergone a change during the past few years ; if a man does hut reel about suspiciously, he is scon laid hold of by a constate, and given a few hours lodging at Government expense. But even this is not the only cause, as both the Good Templar eiement and the hot»slkeepers themselves Lave to be credited with some of the improvements. Besides being a punishable offence to serve a drunken man with liquor, the publican who has been any length of time at his business has learned by sad experience that drunkards are injurious to the trade, driving good customers away, and giving the House a bad repute, and he, in consequence, gives them encouragement. There are. of course some public houses where the drunkard will find a refuge even under the present stringent licensing laws, butsuca houses are gradually being swept away. As a rule the hotelkeeper who is wise in his generation would rather his customers would abstain rrom getting quite drunk. On the whole it must be admitted that drunkenness is abating in this colony, but nf'vertheless it is quite evident that liquor will be drunk despite the efforts of Parliamentary Acts or Good Templanstic endeavors to sweep it off the

face of the earth. The custom of '• liqUnririL' up" on every occasion will no doubt fail iato disuse. Men, it, i> said, can neither he made religions or virtuous, or sober by Act of Parliament The New Zealand Parliament has done a great deal towards restraining people from drinking, but society has done more by regarding tippling as a degradation. When we look back to a f< w vears ago we can note the vast'improvement that has taken place.