THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 131, 26 February 1908, Page 4

THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE.

' HOW NO-LICENSE WORKS OUT,

A'' REMARKABLE, COMPARISON. . (From tho "Southlahd Daily News.") ;Eactly what No-licenso has brought, about since it was . established horo on July.l, 1906, is shown by tho. following, statistics, supplied by tlio police:—;.' | ' The number of'cases of drunkenness which came beforo tho Court during the eighteen months ending Juno -30,' 1906, compares strikingly jwith the number in the following eighteen months, during which No-lice'nse was in forco: j " Before No-liconso... 209' , During No-license ... ... 149' ' Taking theso convictions for. drunkenness during . tlio ..eighteen . .months,, pnded.. on December. 31 last, the police found that tho liquor had; been obtained from tho-following places:—; I-

In all tlio cases credited to BhilT, Woodlands, Winton, Riverton, Otautau, Orepuki, Gore, Lumsden, Queonstown, Wyndhain, and Fairfax, and a . proportion of . the. Wallacetown cases, ; - tho arrests wero made either -in tho railway station, .as soon as tho . trains arrived, .or • shortly after' the delinquents had left tho railway premises. These cases are really the result of drinking in the trains. • 'In . the case of Wallacoto'wn moro particularly, tho liquor has bcon brought >in for tlio ( most part .in bottles, and no discredit is cast upon-: the Walla'cotown •Very ■ noarly; half of tho casei wero due to keg-tfrinking, although 61 arrests in' eighteen months cannot bo regarded as ling.; The evidonco" of drinking from kegs obtained at tho'depots", is gradually becoming' smaller and' smaller ;• ,tho ■ novelty, has worn off -soraewhat. ' .v '. . /Only four cases canie under tlio■ notice pf tho .police in- which drunkenness was caused in Invercargill, as it might havo boon iii a liconsed district. Ono man was unwise at a wedding, another stole a flask from his wife, and the remaining two wero mates who "partook ; of-a bottlo. ,

EFFECTS .OF ALCOHOL ,ON. NURSiNff! In the tables I havo been ablo to.see'.Professor Biingo concerns himself only '.with! tho father ; of_ the nursing mother. Tho-effect of the, drinking mother upon tho daughter's nursiifl* capacity is,' of, course, disastrous. But liore is ono of the tables.of tho result, of the father's drinking habits on, tlio daughter's ability to nurse:—

Tho father consumes Daughter alcohol. able.to nurse.' Not habitually ... 91.5 per cent. Habitually,- but ipodorat'ely "88 „ Habitually, immoderatoly ...: 31.4 „ Inebriate ... '' .... 10 |>, ; I give this table because it has a distinct bearing upon the problem of infant mortality in connection with tho two battle-cries that-must be raised by those who enlist under the children's [ bannor— I ''Out of tho Dram Shop!" and "Jiack to-'the Broastl"; The first' great'thiiig to do. is to. keop infants out of tho public-houscs, and tomako it an offence for alcohol to bo givon to little children. Wo cannot'help tho mischief that has happonod to the parents, but' wo can save the.-children.' At least, wo can givo them a fair'chance. -\< .. . If the mothers • and fathers of tho future become habitual frequenters of the publichouse ;in their infancy and young childhood, the habit willigrow with them. The mothers and 'fathers' of to-day are made. The mothers and fathers of • the future aro in the making. • Keep the babies aid the ichildren out of the public-bouse, and the manufacture of fathers and mothers who: will rob the children of the future' of tho one food upon which thsy thrive' and come to. healthy, maturity will at once receive a powerful check. ' , •- It is, useless to raise the cry "Back to the Breass!" if: wo do nothing to check the evil to which we owe the rapid increase of women unable to suckle their children. V . —G. R. Sims.

Depots'- i , ... • 61 cases , Bluff' ... 32 „ . Wallacotowiv ... 27 ., Woodlands . . ... 8 ,, -Invcrcargill ...4 i, AVinton ... .... 4 „ Itivortori; ... 3. - Ofcautau ... ... 3 )( Orcpuki ... 2 „ \ Goro .,. ... ' ; 1 - „ . .. i Luinsdon ... ... 1 (iueensfcown ... 1 Wyndham ... 1 ,, Fairfax ... ...-• .1 ,, , Total ... ... 149 cases ,