THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 113, 5 February 1908, Page 11

THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE.

■ L NOTJiIS: AND COMMENTS. [Tho matter in this column is supplied by 1 • representative, of the Now Zealand Alliance, and The Dominion is 111 no way responsible ior tlie opinions expressed therein.] NEW, ZEALAND'S DRINK EXPENDITURE From Customs and Exciso- roturns tho> R«Ti . Walker, has for a number of ■ yfcurs ' past calculated and . . published the annual drink bill of Now Prior thereto' Mr. C. M. .Gray, of .Christchurch, did so,-and is quoted in tho late Mr. J. \V. Jigo's admirabl© pamphlet (published in 1887) on '.'Tho)' Economics oi Drink," which is still' dosorving of oitcnsive circulation. 3ir. (JrjiT calculated that tho drink expcndi- . ttire of too Dominion,, as determined by tho Caatorns 1 :; and Jiioiso returns, averaged Xi2,69D.5?i3 Dtr annum for tho 10 years from 1870 tovlSSTi' (inclusive), which gives a total • of the 15 :y«ars- to 1884' ;(inclufiivc-). . ! nio'' fr,llowing- are tho-annual ex* ponditurßsior, the 22 years which havo since clitpswl. '''.'3W«stn»atcd population prior to . .ISOCi v/as -o:ccli]sivo.:of.vthei.'Maoris, but m 18% - arid onward 1 has heen , inclusive of them. ; JfoT..IBBT ; -and,-oinrard ; the,yoar'svcx|H!nditurO' , Mircckoiicd. fur thp, 12 months from January 1 to) Decernbw 31'(inclusive)',' but for the year : 1896' for the 12- months : from ■ March 30, ■ . 1896 to i March '30,-1897, and - similarly for Uio years prior.theroto

Total for last 22 years 54,294,636 1)V previous 15 years 38,993,295 ■ Total lor -37, years, 187U to IIXJ6 (inclusive) ' 93,287,931 Estimate for 30 years ' from the fduiula- • tion of Welhnton, January, 1840, to:- ■•'••• Dccernbor 1869 (in- . . elusive),,, say ... 20,000,000 - . 1 Totnl . , ,£113,287,931 v or certainly : :x-^v-i'K ■,['■ yover £100,000,000'■ v- 'This- estimate is made upon: the basis of . thp'whole being purchased by tbo gallon at per gallon i rates (spirits and. wraeß at. £2, imported' hoor at 6s; and other>beer at 45.). . The'-,actual. cost' to the consumers, is really Diflca:greater; -thanf tho;'figures, set out, as much ot the. liijuor .is not purchased )by;>.tho : gallon;'-nor-at;per gallon, but over the bar :. by.'tKe glass at' a much greater cost,- -■ boing-'ihcreased-by dilution and adulteration, v and seri'edyat lqss than full measure, to say nothing of illicit , manufacture from I 'essences ■ t or.- otheiTrase! excise frauds, etc. ..;I£;evory---thing •:could ;.boiexactly estimated > and,-yn-ciud«l,f probably the annual drint ,expeiTdiiture would.,(include .another, couple ot- millions', and tho-rate beMmoro : than half as, much more; than vitv; appears.- The 11S millions as the total drink expenditure represents a,real'drink expenditure.''of, moYetlian 150 - i millions, and tho ■ wreckage of life,- character, ; fortune, and public , well-being it. -represents : is incalcul- ' able. .

.last. local -'option polls .upwards of ■ 198.768 .persons voted .No-License,-of' whom probably■■ many thousands are abstainers, besides■: tho many thousands of children, tno expenditure per head, of the: actual drink consumers,' or per family, of th-o:,'drink-consuming households, iniist'. be ~<inVi ivery ■ large, and thriftless. scale.' The .increased espenditure. 111. spito of all: tho.teinperance propaganda and the NoL'.oense area, is ■ doubtless. due to the deplorable idogroo in which it is publicly ovident that young men aro ; takmg to- drinking, . ahd - tno. continued prosperity >of the .country,, by which "many of those'who drink spends more ,on liquor than thoy ooukl to.'so.spend in harder, times. From the groat rise and fall of tho drink bill with altornating pros{»ero.ua_ ahd i depressed times in tho eaTly days,: it is evident that the expansion of. tho drink, bill in the present prosperous times would : havo been enormously greater but for. the temperance'propaganda.

■l SATURDAY NIGHT IN, DRIGHTON PUBLICHOUSES In tho courso of his address at the men's , oonfoi unco ■. at Nortolk Road .Wesleyan Church; ■ Brighton (Eng.), recently, the Rev. Stanloy Parker, said cnat since he camo to Brighton liA-hftd spent practically every Saturday night in various, publiohouses in tho town, and that on Saturday ho visited a numbor with a friend, of. his, a converted prize-lighter from . 'Woohmh. Ho (the rev., gentleman) was not . dressed as lie usually was, but put on '"a >(ry ; rßd. tKj" and other things which ho did n6t usually wear, i They found men and

women jn all stages of intoxication, and in the last.i publichouse thoy went into, there wcro in an upper 'room, 50 young men and W()m6n. "And the {sights : we saw and wiiat .■ we heard:. I should-'noc. care to; repeat or de- ■ scinbo this ;a,{ternoori/ J 'Neither should! 1 care tD say;very much about the overtures made •to us iby .women;in some of tho ; publichouses. It made my heart bleed to see young women • of ;15, :16, . l/j,>nd' 18 being dragged-down . into ; the i deepost , depths, of i degradation in' these.xplocos: ..wej.--yislted ' last' night.!' His frietad said that in. all.-his experience he had never,isoen.; anything. ;to ''equal ,in iniquity *hat thoy saw then; -and although he (the rer. gentleman) had -visited many tpwns and hundreds of publi<jhbusbs;v he knew no* place excopt! London whero; vice;: flaunted itself : so brazenly , and nnblushingly, 'and where evil was so insistent and almost demanded com.hi .Brighton.,- "There -are 1 things going :i on in: this town: beneath the silont stars 'which ; would sicken men if they knew ii'i it 5 enough to make the angels Weep."

. /Estimated Cost ..Cost i; y \ Estimated of .Liqvior, per,. Head ; XeMj , ' i > 6pnlation.;- - Consumed.' Population. 18S5 '•. -..Gobjooo , £2,289,514 ' £3 16 0 1866 , . 600,656 ' ■ -2,154,855 : ; 3 11 9 1687 - V '603,361'' 2,093,430 3 9 5 ' 1S3S . • ••••607,380 ' . 2,035,162.; - 3 8 8 1889 620,279 :• 1,9L1,78S. 3 1 8 1890 • ' 025,503 ; 2,111,498 3 7 6 • 1891 i ••634,053 - - 2,083,893 3 . 5 , 9 ~ : 1892 • S "• 650,433 X .2,169,166 ,'/ 3 6 ' 8 185$: 672,265 V 2,198,335 3 5 5 1894 . 686,128 . 2,099,552 3 1 1 1895, 703,360 2,129,119 3 0 5 ISiKi ' • 757,503 2,265,900 2 19 8} , 1897 762,079. - 2,371,738 3 2' 2-i 1898 776,288 2,158,998 3 3 4 1890 . 790,387. 2,557,96S • 3 4 9 1900 803,333 2,7+7,170 3 8 4£ 1901 822,779 2,922,982 3 11 0* ■; 1902' 840,031 ■' 2,953,298 3 10 : 3J * 1908 ' 865,560 : 3,056,590 , 3 10 H ,l«li '/-V 839,776 ; 3,lo2,849 V3 10 10J. 190C 915,060' 3,120,705 3 8--2J-1906 ' 944,490 '3,360,121 3 11 l*f