TEMPERANCE COLUMN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 196, 13 May 1908, Page 11

TEMPERANCE COLUMN.

[The.mattor in this column is supplied by a represontativo of the Now Zealand Alliance, and Tire Domixioh is in. no ; way -responsible for the,) opinions expressed therein.] ' TWO AND TWO MAKE FIVE! ..The: opposition to. tho . Licensing ■ Bill in England < is. as; amnsinglv; self-dostruotive as much of the Liquor advocacy in New Zealand. " Prohibition doesn't prohibit"'' '! There's more 1 liquor drunk m areas than before.tho hotels wore closed! " The asser-, tions ;jire,.ropoatedly mad?. ' "But, curiously enough, the .men who make ( !them go. on .to -bemoan.; the.* cruel -loss and'-.confiscatipn inflicted on .tho Trado' ; by the p carrying of No.License. Just sol Two and two make five. And' the • brqwors t in' England areitrying; to palm off the same curious.,arithmetic. Mr. Asquith's Bill will rum them if it becomes ■ law,'and yet in the same breath', they dcclaro , that .no less beer will be drunk.. ' . Burton-on-Trent is to" be absolutely , ruined " by- the . Bill,Tand'7the town> lashed itself into a fine frenzy over.tho But ,the curious thing lsthav the; measure which.is to do this dreadful thing- will;'not' conduce to Temper- ■ ahce:'. wil}:not,lesseiii^ ! the;r'quantity of" beer drunk.v .-V'For':' these >two ■ distine-' • ' tive reas'oVs ,l ßnfton ■ opposes'tho 'Bill:' " ; ;I.' ; .be : able to ; get b'eor.' _: i.2i Temperanco; people will •* drink as mucSj beor as ever. • -'.•••Funny. 1-i-IsnJt.j.it Surely. Burton's beer ;has;muddled),its "brain.:, But this is a fair sample'of-li(pior .logic -heard in .other placc3 ■ besides Burton;. "> , • ' GREAT 'MONOPOLY. That'thS Trado'should bo - up in arms ' against ■Mr: f - Asquith is not to be wondered at.'. ' His'-moasure. touches them in a most vulnerable £oint. It will lessen .their profits. And : thbjj- profits aro .tremendous. According to a Hotfsq of Commons Blue Book issued by tho Chancellor oflithe Exchequer, tho liquor trade per-million of capital invested gives employment to' fewer .-hion than any other trade. Here ire'the figures: Out-of every £100 of - value .jjiroduqed the proportion of-wages paid is: r „> ■ Coal mining . j ... . 55.0 ; ■ Shipbuilding .... • ... 40.8' . , Docks, and harbours ... .34.7 / -Railways '... 31.0 •Agriculture ■-• .... "... 27.9 Cott6n .. •... ... • ... 27.5. ■■ ." Iron and steel ■ ... • ... 23.3 Woollon ... ... ... 21.9 ■ Browing, ..; • ... .v.. 7.5 It may-be said that things have altered since then, and that,the browing industry has been • hardrhii., .. If..it .has been/ it is becauso'of ov'er-capitdlisation. and a too . greedy competition among them for "tied" houses. The fact remains that' from' the. workers' point of industry is the worst : possible/;- --Its wages bill 1 proportionately - is; always .lowest. ..' . PROHIBITION,.STATES AND CITIES INAMEIIICA The following ■ are the: States in America now'."under/ prohibition, with' their respective populations:— . •>•■ •••_ 'v H.:-Population. ' ■Alabama"'. ... • ... 2,250,000 Georgia ■ -■■ - 2,000,000 • ~• Kansas •: ■ ..." ... ... 1,680,000 ; Maine-".' .;. ;.. 731,000 North Dakota ■ ... ... ; 475,000 ' ■ Oklahoma. ■■■ ,1,408,060 ; .••.•.•-•Mississippi.'.': ■ 1,750,000 ; • Besides these States there, are 23 Mother States :whero-a local option law is m opera- 1 tion. under-jwhich vory large rural areas have ■■ gone " dry;" To these: rurpl areas must. be. ' added. 80 cities in. 17. States with a population ' aggregating,ove'r-2,200,000, and ranging from 160,000 down to: 3300, which are under NoLicenSe.:/Of these'Bo:citiesr33 gamed No-' License /during atesfcqjroaft. all this is plaiff;'". ""'All 'these' places -can^et- ■ liquor back-by a.bare majority, but they donft' do : 'it.- 'Insfeadj' other places j'imitato' them!" .. Arc ,thO"Yankees";so ~th;at :thoy" don't bnow 'a.good thirig.'from a bad one?, . v' CHARiraBLE: AID'AND -.NO - LICENSE." Mr.'.'A.;.- Bain, who for the last-ten; years. ha&" held the office. of chairman of the Southland Aid .Board) litid who is also a well-known: builder .and prominent in .laboiiry;circleL;in'lnvercargill,lately spoke as . follows ; Just the. election' I : declared_'at _a ''meeting in.lnvercargill where' riearly'-2poo. people were present: .' .' that fully 80i per! cent, of -the.- claims for cWitabld aid . that-, came. before- our., Board could . be traced to liquor as a main cause.' . . . . ■ That, statement .has ;never been challenged: Nowj ,aftor ! nearly, two years': expenenco of the -results of No-License in Invorcargill, I am able;, to speak more emphatically, than , ever, ~and-.to Gay that, in-, my opinionj> '.-If the,'whole ; of Southland., wore , under /.NoLicense, s the estimate.l made of 80 per cent. r of . our charitable aid work being. duo to - drink would be more than" borne out by tho DECREASE m the cases that would come before ÜBj'/'._A'decrease of more than 80 per cent, in aid eases would indeed' be a matter of just pride for the Southland folk, and would be a proud achievement for ■ any; Community;;■* ■ AN OFFICJAL'' DECLARATION. , •,The Hon. C; W.,Trickett, Assistant At-. , State of Kansas, recentjy issued iian v: iniportant statement coucermng the results of Prohibition' in'' that. city..;. Amongst things, he says — " The charitable institutions; report that :tho.' demands 'for help : havo diminished ' twothirds.',,.Prior, to ,the closing'of tho saloons,' the. 'Juyenild ; ;Court iha.d>eafcji ~month from eight',to , : 88 'childr'en before it wlio needed , , help; ..thorc have only, been two such - during '. the last_ eight'months. . ' Duririg tlie' past twelve months two young men have been sent. to as against 15. to 25 for previqus*:years;? ■ for, prosecuting ■ crimihals^ha,ve , ' : dollars a. ■ year, .andi the'cost' of the 'police force has v been,rredticed as much, more. For the first time in'2s;'ye'ars the Court of .Common Pleas of the; country;opened the term the first' Monday in May • without one criminal case. What would be called in England County Courts— ; for the.collection of small debts,"rents, etc.' —which ''used to : work full , time every day, have now practically no "work, because people ; pay - their- bills instead of being sued. In viow.'P.f ;these;facts, it is not'surprising that Kansas; 1 thoiigh it has twice" had the issue - bofore if since the saloons were closed, has each ".time endorsed the' 'enforcement of the law. ' •. . . VERSUS .LABOUR, i H." G. iCreelj-President, Associated Labour Press, Chicago, writes -/ —' The great-bodj''of labour realises, not only thatjit has; hbthirig in common with alcoholic stimulants,; but that it is" diametrically opposed to tliem.' '/ , Fiht; and; foremost, organised labour: is opi posed;.tq.;:qppression;! and Drink has proved itself■ the: most tyrannical master the world has: ever known. ' . , ' ' 1 Organised 'labour is opposed to child labour. ;. Drink/so,:demoralises the father that tbe 'children are forced into .the class of the bread-winaers.' ■' Organised labour is opposed to illiteracy, and favours compulsory education. Drink , creates one, and opposes tho other.' Organised labour domands of its applicants, for membership that' they, attain and maintain a specified -degree, of -proficiency. Drink: prevents, retards, and. destroys competenoy; .... ~. \ :■ ... , - £)rgatiised _ labour is opposed to convict labour. Drink is responsible: for the great majority of inmates_ of State prisons. . Organisod labour is ! opposed to sweat-shops. Drinki.is as frequently responsible for the sweat-shops as is greed. Trad6. : Unionism has set its' seal.of disapprovrtl on intoxicating liquors as a beverage,'and yie time is surely coming when tho holdo'r 'of'ii Union card must;bo a man free ' from, the demoralising and degrading habit of drinking. • ■■■■' ■" ■