THE LICENSING QUESTION.

Clutha Leader, Volume XLI, Issue 41, 4 December 1914, Page 6

THE LICENSING QUESTION.

MR BEDFORD'S ADDRESS AT BALCLUTHA. Mr Bedford', M.A., L.L.M., gave au address in the Oddfellows' Hall, Balclutlia, on Tuesday night. Mr E. J. Boyd (Mayor) presided and introduced the speaker. Mr Bedford dealt solely with the economic aspect of the question. He said that was one of the strongest arguments of the Trade—that if liquor was abolished there would be increased unemployment of labour, and financial, industrial, and commercial arrangements would be impaired. The moderate party supported this argument. So strong was the case in favour of prohibition he had offered to meet any champion of the trade on this aspect of the question only. So far no response had been made to his offer, simply because they could not .meet the arguments. Instead of injury to existing conditions, the abolition of drink would promote industrial prosperity of the country, increase employment * and lessen the bi;/ revenue. The country's wealth di(i not mean what amount of moiky w;'s in it. We would not be one whit better off if there was twice the gold in the Dominion that there now is. The country s wealth consisted of the presence of the commodities of life which were the products of the labour existing in a country, and which could be exchanged for the gold. Taking into account the recorded convictions for drunkenness and the greater number who were guilty of intemperance but escaped the court,_ there were something like 60,000 excessive drinkers in New Zealand. These men represented all manner of employment, and drink made them incompetent for their work. Taking Ashburton as a concrete case where several men who were on the "prohibited persons" list in the hotels had now reformed and were sober citizens, and contributed to the material prosperity of the country, he asked, what a great effect would it 'have on the community if the 60,000 could be reformed? The trade did not give employment to labour; it took employment from labour. For every one now employed by the trade three would be employed if the liquor traffic were abolished. " In Great Britain the Board of Trade report that for every £IOO worth of coal at the. pit mouth £55 went in wages to men, but for every £IOO worth of beer as it was sold by the brewer only £7 10s went in wages to men in the brewery. In New Zealand for £IOO of the products of any industrv £3O to £4O .was paid in wages, ; but in the case of the breweiv the figure was less than £l4. £4 a head of the population was spent in New Zealand annually, and as children did not drink, many women didn't, and some men, the amount spent bv the drinker must be about £l2. Mr Bedford showed how the spending of this sum once the hotels were closed—would provide more employment than it would have done had it been spent in drink. The business originally given to hotels "would be transferred to three times the number of shops. The trade alwavs spoke ol itself as a payer' of revenue. He clearly pointed out that the publican was not a revenue payer. He was a revenue payer, but also a revenue collector. The consumer paid the revenue. The trade never did pay any revenue, and it never would. He summed up the position in this way : Why didn't the Government advertise for a revenue collector who would collect four million yearly, keep 50 per cent.' to himself as profit and pay one million into the revenue Why should the trade have this monopoly. He also pointed out that 75 per cent, of our crime was due to intemperance, and the cost of administration of justice m respect thereto, the cost of maintenance of inebriates' homes, etc. was a set-off against the drink traffic! in our asylums one out of every three inmates was there through intemperance , on the part of either the individual or" his ancestors. Over £1,000,000 a year j was spent to repair the evil ' wrought by the trade. If the , cost was due to the trade only then T> S ji U k} no '' ie y bear these expenses. jj • detailed the movements which ended m the emancipation of women and children from slavery in the coal mines of Great Britain, but said the evils of drink were much worse than the evils of | the slavery in the coal mines referred to. He asked one and all to combine and : support those who 21 years ago had begun to crusade, and to which so much success had already attended. By driving drink trom the land they would give increased employment and add to the revenues of the country rather than impair them, j On Mr John Sandiland's motion, a • vote ot thanks was accorded the lecj turer, and a similar compliment was tendered to the chair.