LIQUOR SALES IN NEW ZEALAND

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27408, 22 July 1954, Page 3

LIQUOR SALES IN NEW ZEALAND

“Situation Getting Out Of Hand”

GOVERNMENT BLAMED BY ALLIANCE

(New Zealand Press Association! WELLINGTON, July 21.

“The Government is deliberately letting the liquor situation get out of hand, and that is putting it mildly,” said the general superintendent of the New Zealand Alliance (Mr H. W. Milner) today at the annual meeting of the alliance. He said that the police could not possibly control the liquor trade.

“The amazing thing is that our politicians are falling over each other to widen the opportunities for consumption of alcoholic liquor in New Zealand,” Mr Milner told about 75 delegates. '

For a number of years, he said, the Dominion executive of the alliance had been urging the Government to check the serious drift winesellers and agencies were creating. In 1945 wholesalers, winesellers, and unlicensed agents totalled 233. Now there were 582. The number of sub-agents was probably great, he said. In spite of repeated requests that the hands of the police be strengthened to make it possible for them to hold the liquor to law-break-ers in check, the Government had done absolutely nothing, he said. Mr Milner said that 25 per cent, of the electors believed in prohibition. They naturally resented “the Government’s efforts over the last 50 . years at Te Kauwhata being concentrated practically wholly -on alcoholic liquor research and liquor advocacy.” The alliance naturally protested against officers of this department being propagandists for increased liquor consumption in New Zealand, he said. “Why are Government departmental officers allowed to carry out this propaganda for more production and for increased consumption?” “Most Retrograde” Extra consumption was the main objective, he said. “They want grocers and other retailers to be able to sell by the bottle and the right to sell their wines in restaurants,” said Mr Milner. The recent National Party conference had approved a remit that New Zealand wines be permitted in restaurants. This would be one of the most retrograte steps possible. “It is an attempt to plant and deliberately cultivate in New Zealand the unscientific and outdated habits and practices of the dark Middle Ages The parrot cry is. ‘Give us the Continental system,’ but what ,has this system done, and what is it doing still for and to those countries?” To answer that question Mr Milner gave statistics of the incidence of alcoholism in France and Switzerland.

A particularly dangerous phase of the Continental philosophy of drinking was that children were allowed and taught to drink wine, he said. This was also advocated by wine makers in New Zealand. Mr Milner quoted from a letter which he said was circulated by a wine manufacturers’ organisation. The letter said in part: “A child should be given access to alcoholic drink, and, indeed, it is the best connoisseur of alcohol, and can develop antibodies, and is protected from -the effect of alcohol throughout his life.”