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Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 105, 2 May 1908, Page 7

(To the Editor.} your issue of the 29th instant your correspondent Air F. Johnson especially refers to myself, and 1 shall be glad of an opportunity for brief reply. I may my 1 atii not prepared to Avnste time in di.*rusE.ing the question as to .whether the licensee. "has a privilege" or otherwise, except just to say thait the Chairmau of the Brewers', Association of England stated the other day that the value of the "privilege" was some iirie' hundred and fifty millions sterling. The question at issue is A much deeper one than mere finance; it is a. question of our bamee, mi boys, »or giris; ye*, am

very existence as a nation, and we hive < tried 'strict supervision" for a loag time, -with the results that we all know '. are so dirciul TEe present Premier of. England stated the other day that same- i thing must he done in the interests of the homes of England, as against this traffic. Mr Johnson brings itfe to tas|c •for using the word "admittedly" /ivhen writing abbu>,. crime being largely due to but I think, Sir, that-the following testimonies justify ihe in using tbo ! word. Mr justice Richmbnd says that 60 per cent, of crime is due to drink. Lord Chisf Justice Hawkins says 75. per cent.; statistics for the Kingdom of Denmark 76 per cent.; Lord Chief Baron Kelly says 66 per cent.; keeper of our own Wellington gaol, 80 per cent.; In-spector-General of Prisons, Belgium, 80 per cent.;' Lord Chief Justice Coleridge, oi England, says—"lt is = the principal cause of crime." Lord Brougham says —"Drink is the mother <of .want aud the nurse of.crime , '; and our own No-license districts ere emphasising the same fact, for in Oaroaru the coavictions fell in the first year of No-license 62 per cent.; in, Port Chalmers for two years 65 per cent.; in Ashbiirton for the first year, 64 per cent.; in Balelutha for ten years, 56 per cent. I contend, Sir, that the woTd "ad- , tnittedly" whs a correct -one. We are not ' so insane .as to contend that all crime is caused by drink, but we do say that if any other business caused the acknowledged percentage that ithe business we •are discussing causes we should unhesi- , tatingly sweep it in our indignation from existence.—l ani, etc., THOS. WEBB.