ADELAIDE ON PEACE DAY.

White Ribbon, Volume 24, Issue 283, 18 January 1919, Page 4

ADELAIDE ON PEACE DAY.

A Commercial Traveller’s Evidence. A commercial traveller, of thirty years’ experience, writes: —“1 was an eye-witness to the following on Thursday, Peace Day, November 14th: About five o’clock 1 was in the Central Market, when I saw a large crowd of people outside a well-known hotel; amongst them were a number of men drunk, three or four men fighting, when one of these fell in a drunken fit. After trying for some time to bring him round, they had to carry him away bodily to some house nearby. After this I was in Hindley Street, when I saw another crowd of about 200 people or more. Several men were drunk ; even soldiers in the King’s uniform were amongst them. The scene here was most disgraceful, howling and hooting like a lot of wild savages. This was outside the Wondergraph Theatre. The police were there, true, but they either didn’t try or didn’t want to make any arrests. Perhaps they were wise, as it might have made matters worse. After this I saw other drunks in other parts of the city. Talking to a business lady, an old resident in Hindley Street, this lady told me that she had never seen anything like it before. In fact, whilst I was talking to her there were two drunken sots trying to walk towards us, when we immediately parted so as to avoid them. I left for my home, feeding sad at what I had seen, and was led to cry, “Oh, God, Oh God, how long is this to last?’’ I could scarcely believe that I was living in a Christian city of e hurc hes. The following day a resident of Franklin Street told me that men trying to get home were rolling into the porch of his door, drunk. Tn my whole* thirty years as a resident of this city T have never seen anything so had. You are at liberty to make use of the above information.” Contrasted With Prohibition. On the Tuesday previous Adelaide was wild with excitement at the glorious news, and the popular demonstrations were much more pronounced than on the Thursday, yet there was almost an entire absence of unseemly conduct. Why? Because hoo/e was kept out of the way. Tuesday was a short experience of Prohibition; Thursday was a never-to-he forgotten experience of the open bar.

The liquor trade has sought to belittle the amount of drunkenness by quoting police figures, which showed practically no difference for the two days. The fact was that the police were not attempting to make any arrests, and they probably acted wisely, as further riots would surely have taken place. Everybody Closed Up But the Booze Shops. The situation on the holiday was considerably aggravated by the fact that all other places of business were closed up even to the cafes and cool drink shops—while the pubs stood with open doors. The rioters were insistent upon the* amusement places closing or giving free shows, and that the refreshment places should he closed; hut they let the booze dispensaries go scot free. —“Patriot.”