"PERAMBULATING PUBS."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9025, 11 January 1908, Page 3

"PERAMBULATING PUBS."

SLY GROG-SELLING IN SYDNEY. POISONING BY MEMYLATED SPIRITS. The Sydney correspondent of the Auckland "Herald" writes:- Since the new Liquor Act came into operation sly grog-s«lling has increased to an alarming extent, as shown by the recent numeruos prosecutions. Not only have sly grog shops in the suburbs gained in numbers, but dozens of men and women carry on a trade in backyards and untenanted houses, or even in the public streets and parks. The latter class are said to conduct ''perambulating pubs." Their method, as set forth by one of the dailies, is to get in a stock of ale on the Saturday, and store it in a building to which they have easy and private access. On the Sunday morning they issue forth looking for thirsty ones who are willing and able to pay excessive prices for liquor. They usually find plenty of these, and a very lucrative trade is the result. In this manner the sly grog-sellers thrive, and recently | the business has increased enormously. It is not exactly that tha Sunday selling of liquor has become more prevalent, but, whereas, the lower class} jNIs used to do the trade, it is now t'one more in private houses or, as pointed out, in streets or other public places. A conversation with some of the constables whose business it is to hunt down these offenders shows that the difficulties in obtaining a prosecution are many. "You see," said one, "they get very cunning, and many will not sell the liquor unless they know who their customer is, and we cannot get them without proving the sale." To prove the sale the police generally employ a man. This, man puts on an old suit of clothes and a thirsty appearance, and, sauntering up to the person suspected of selling the liquor, asks him if there is any chance of a drink. Very often the people are suspicious, and prelend never to have heard of such a thing, or that they have not seen one for six months. When this is the case the police and their hirelings have to look elsewhere. If, however, the illicit dealer is deceived, they buy a bottle, for which they pay with a marked coin. They then seizeall the bottled evidence they can, and march the offender to the nearest police station, where he is charged with selling fermented liquor without holding a license or being the servant of a license-holder. Another, person, whom the Jlavv cannot touch at present, but who is a much greater offender against society, is the one who retails methylated spirits in small doses about the parks and other public places on Sundays. Many people do not think that methylated spirit is used as an>intoxicant, but, since the new Act has made it difficult for the poorer classes to obtain genuine alcoholic beverages, they have unfortunately taken to imbibing large quantities of, it. The effect is terrible, often sending those who tak*> it temporarily mad or making them dangerously ill. Few Sundays pass when one or more methylated spirit poisoning cases are not treated at the public hospitals, and many persons are locked up at the police stations on charges of drunkenness through drinknig the powerful spirit. When asked how this latter evil could be combated, one of the leading inspectors in the metropolitan division stated that either something further would have to be introduced into the spirit to make it undrinkable, now that methylation had failed, or the sale would have to be controlled.