"Guardian" Office.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 8444, 11 August 1911, Page 6

"Guardian" Office.

August 11, 1911. Interesting statistics in connection with drinking and drunkenness : in the Dominion have been laid before Parliament, and they are such as to afford food for reflection and material for .discussion. It is not our intention to invite controversy, but rather to state the facts and figures in such a way as to induce readers to think and apply the obvious lessons. During the year ended March 31 last, 1001 more persons were arrested in the Dominion for drunkenness than during the previous year, the figures being : In 1909, 9875 males and 782 females; and in 1910, 10,898 males and 820 females. These figures prove the increase of drunkenness and the need for a moral crusade in the cause of temperance. Southward the star of temperance takes its way, for Auckland and Wellington show large increases of arrests for

drunkenness, while Christchurch had

■ only an increase of 17/ and Dunedi.n t, shows adecrease of 38 cases'. It,is

significant, however, that white Dune;

diii had only 808 arrests" in the year, Invercargill had 253, which is a much

larger number than was to be expected

from the size of the town and the fact that it is under No-license. As com-

pared with Australia, New Zealand is the soberer country. The arrests for drunkenness per 10,000 of the population were in 1909 (the latest statistics available for comparison): New Zealand, 110.1; Australia, 119.1. It is not much, but it is something to be thankful for.