"ACUTE ALCOHOLISM."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 331, 19 October 1908, Page 5

"ACUTE ALCOHOLISM."

Sir, —The sad story told at the inquest on the death of Samuel Bolton ought to assist in opening the eyes of the public to the enormity of the drink evil that'is continually with us. By the salo of some property Bolton, it seems, became possessed of £235, and the use he made of it was to drink himself to death. It has been known for some time i past _ that the man was doing himself serious injury by heavy winking, and yet he had no difficuit.v whatever in getting as much liquor as ho was able to pay for. We are asked to believe that the liquor trado is respectably conducted, but a case liko that of Samuel Bolton's death leads us to wonder whero the respectability comes in. Gisborne has recently had the sensation of a most shocking case of "lambing-down." A station hand camo to town, placed £43 in the hands of a publican, was drunk every day for ten days,' found his way to a police cell, and was left to pawn his vest and shirt to pay his coach faro back to where he came from. There is naturally a great outcry of indignation against the publican who could act jn such a fashion as that. How much higher is the moral grado of those who have taken Bolton's money in full view of the fact that the drink was killing him? The jury's verdict of "Death by chronic alcoholism" is a grave impeachment of those who were aiders and abettors in this man's destruction. As-everybody knows, Bolton's case is simply_ one of a large number ■of a _ 'similar type, and the wonder will bo before we are much older why it was that such things should have been permitted sc' long in a community that claimed to be sane and human. —I am, etc., WM. JAS. WILLIAMS. October 1, 1908.