TEMPERANCE ITEMS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 4983, 23 March 1895, Page 3

TEMPERANCE ITEMS.

Tho amount of capital engaged in Amweries is now nearly, if not quite, as that of the shareholders in joint, stock banks. This, at least, is the statement of the Brewers' Journal, which gives particulars concerning some of the largest companies. Mr Labouchere apologises for having said that the two Protestant cathedrals in Dublin owed their' restoration to the beer and whisky trades respectively; he was mistaken, the Guinness firm brewed only porter! No wonder that so many people find themselves amongst the unemployed. Drink takes the daily bread out of their mouths, and it is kept out after ttat, by the loss of character that follows. Mr A, J, Mott, in the Bracers' Almanack, calculates the alcoholic consumption of Great Britian as about 4 gallons of proof spirit per head of the population; that of France at about C gallons ; that of Germany at about ai gallons; that of Austria-Hungary at about 4 galjm; that of Italy at about 4} galthat of Spain at about 5 gallons; and that of Belguim at about 6 gallons, A Cental News telegram from St. Petersburg says The Russian Government is introducing a State monopoly of spirituous liquors, including vodka, The idea prompting the measure is that drunkennesss will be directly diminished, and the revenues of the Empire directly increased, Up to the present private people could distil vodka by paying Excise duty, and retail it by paying for a license. The income from vodka lias hitherto been the largest item of Imperial revenue.

A certain Suffolk Parish Council has to deal with a very curious point. An opinion has been taken as to what is to be done with a member who came to its first meeting the worse for drink, and did nothing but interrupt the proceedings from beginning to end, making use of filthy language all the time, and paying Attention to calls to order on the part of tho chairman. The answer is that the difficulty was never contemplitedby the framcrs of the Statute under which the Parish Council system is organised, but that there is probably a remedy at common law. The chairman of the Council proposes to send the offending member a letter, telling liim not to repeat his conduct.—Alliance Nm.