NEWS ITEMS OF NOTE

White Ribbon, Volume 20, Issue 3, 1 April 1948, Page 9

NEWS ITEMS OF NOTE

DUNEDIN CENTRAL In the course of the opening of Dunedin Central Union for 1948 a musical and elocutionary programme interspersed with “News Items." Here are some of them: 1. Britain’s Drink Bill for 1946, £680,000,(XX). Roughly speaking, the nation spent just over a fifth of its income on food, one-eleventh on intoxicants, and one-twelfth on tobacco. For every pound spent on food in 1946, 15/6 was spent on drink and tobacco, the proportion being 8/3 on drink and 7/3 on tobacco. 2. Public opinion in many parts of America is alarmed at the present state of affairs, and there, is every indication that the Dry vote is steadily rising. The numbers of districts that have gone dry under Local Option laws shows a steady and persistent increase. Already some of the more moderate elements in the liquor trade are warning their fellow-tradesmen that unless some of the abuses connected with the trade are remedied the return of Prohibition in America may happen in the not too distant future. 3. Mr. Stakesby Lewis, well-known Temperan Advocate in the Union of South Africa, has cabled the British Prime Minister, Mr. Attlee, “Greetings. In view of desperate food position and wastage of enormous quantities of grain in production of beer and other alcoholic liquor, and consequent loss efficiency, labour and other disastrous results, 1 respectfully implore you and colleagues for the sake oi Britain and the Commonwealth, to use your unique God-given powers to avoid such wanton waste in production of liquor.” Mr. Lewis followed up this cable with a letter saying that his con- \ ictions were shared by his partners in business. “The whole world is growing tired of the wasting of food stuffs,” he says, and expresses the earnest hope that the British nation will not be misled by the liquor interests. 4. “Iceland has no jail, penitentiary, or court, and only one policeman. The population is 78,000. The Public School system is said to be practically perfect, everv child of ten years being able to reaef. X T o liquor is allowed to be imported.”