THE DRINK PROBLEM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 940, 6 October 1910, Page 5

THE DRINK PROBLEM.

LICENSE V. NO-LICENSE AREAS. OPINIONS OF POLICE INSPECTORS , SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS.

Some interesting details in reference to the temptations to drink in No-License 'areas.'were; placed before tho Legislative Council yosterday by . the Hon. Dr. Eindlay .in replying to the following question put by tho Hon. Geo. Jones: "Whether or not statements now beiijg made in New "South Wales—in view of the local option vote impending in that. State, and based on'utterances from the-Bench ;by Jlr, ; Day, stipendiary : magistrate, \ that 'there are more temptations to drink in No-Liconse'districts than in districts having license;, that liquor is kopt in every house, and that dipsomaniacs thus have many opportunities for secret drinking'— are justified by the experience of the polico inspectors; in the. No-License districts of the Dominion?". V ' In. putting the question the Hon. -Mr. Jones said that Whether, or not Mr. Day meant ; exactly what he had said the posi-' •tion. was ; the same. He (the speaker) did not expect tho police reports to be altogether, satisfactory. . They all knew there wore leakages, and. that ; lockers and so .on we're found in No-License districts,, and he did not think there could be perfection until'.wo. had total prohibition.- .■ Whatever tho defects, however, ho did not think any district that had experienced. the benefits of No-License would go back to license.

Attorney-General's Position. i Dr. Findlay , said the question he was ■asked-to apswer. was coined to' the police; inspectors in, the N,o-License districts. In his reply ho desired to avoid offoring any . opinion, of his own, and m readirig the opinions: of the inspectors he did- not make himself-responsible in . any way' either for the' accuracy' of the opinions or the ; assumptions on. which they 'were based. He had sent, a telegram to the : ,various .inspectors as under:—

;."Statement publicly made that there are' m'oro temptations to.idrink in NoLicense districts than in license. dis-tricts;.-.I would be glad fo have your views;. on thesubject and to Know, whether' your experience of No-License districts' -confirms; that statement: or not." ' i;.---..

• The' first reply, said Dr. Findlay,' was from Inspector Kiely who, it was only fait- to' say, had been stationed'in .his present' district .: for, only a' short- time. This : was the-district in. and with respect toi which ' the -statement.'was made .by tho S.M.

Closes the Bars and Opens Grog-Shops.

. "My experience of. prohibited districts," says' the inspector, "is, limited : to;Ohine- • muri, which was'' under, my charge under JN'o-Licensa. for:, just over twelve months —an order'-of /things brought , about by the. .miners■'.'of:--.Waihij who,i:in. a .bbdy, /disputed" the 'charges': made; for liquor, by the publicans, 'and because the ; publicans■would hot lower theprices; • prohibition was. carried. -Since that time- it seems to be the ruling thought in the minds of, most men in Waihi, when, where, and how. liquor can.be obtained. It is a. fact that .' the ' women . have/.bitter .cause of complaint in that' their husbands drink in sly, grog-shops, :or in: the shanttes : of their - mates, : . where - large : quantities;'-.df liquor are . consumed /without any /re-' striction. It is:also -a fact, that liquor is how"' kept; in" private : houses amongst .families, - where 'liquor *, was never .known. to /have : been:: kept: .Under -licenses.-;., The: police records will show that an -increase in .fines ': and .costs has . taken place .under No-License.) 1 long ago,.- came to -thfl' conclusion that "prohibition ; in- its present form isa, failure.,/ It closes the public bar and opens • the sly grog-shop. Whether -the temptation, to drink is greater, :in. a .public-house, or . in a. shanty.: or sly grog-shop, is a: matter upon.', which .it.,is' very; hard/to express ;an/,opinion. ;lt!.' : depehasi entirely .-upon >the... individual, himself.";-J.;V.v

Inspector Ellison's Views, . "I am; quite certain: there are; hot 'morei temptations " to: drink in ■■ NorLicen'so ; than in licensed, districts," says Ellison,, referring -to : the Wellington,, police, district. . There are, he'„ says, .more.temptations to lying, "perjury,,,.aM' deceit in. No-Liceris'e' areas; amongst those who, desire" to obtain' liquor tb provide liquor for.: others - .'.than one is :, accustomed to find elsewhere. . ;

The Temptations Few. ; Cullen,/ of ; Auokland,; in his 'reply, said the temptations,- to drink ;in • No-License districts were-few compared vthose in licensed , districts./'. In • his opinion, one / licensed , house. would /dispose of-/nloro.i liquor in /one .week than tiity' sly grog-shops 'would: do: in •. tho same period. 'Sly grog-selling '-was very.: inter-, mittent. '•'■• ' ■ f^yf'y.yyt;..} 1 .': / /■ ■ A Dunedin Opinion,. "Cannot endorse any statement that there are more . temptations, to'., drink in Noiicense than/ in- licensed.:/districts," telegraphed Inspector /O'Brien,,'of Dunedin. . Occasionally, he adds,'-he heard of men taking too 1 , much liquor in ;the first-, named; districts, but the ; sanie. men and many others would get drunk -in . a licensed iihotel if thelicensee, would permit it. /; : :: - v .'.. //.;• -' y' "Shouting" and Attractive Barmaids. Inspector Mitchell, of Invercargill, gave it as his 'opinion that the open .bar in-a licensed' district was /the/ strongest of all/temptations to drink, the: vicious custom of shouting, ■ and tho : presence of the. attractive barmaid being: largely responsible, for it./' Residents in : No-License districts had to seek, their supplies from outside such area,; thereby causing them, .some / inconvenience;': and' additional expense. This induced !. 'some persons to purchase liquor in fairly ..large - quantities,, and keep it/in. their: rooms, result-: ing, it 'was. said, in an increased consumption, .and the placing oi' temptation within the' reach of ■ many females' and others who had not been previously, subjected to/it.{ lit. was. very ; difficult to verify or disprove such'': a general statement." Others two ; and five-. : gallon kegs. • of: beer from - breweries, and sometimes- in . groups, two, three, or more, made themselves''objectionable' by .drinking to excess in- the reserves and other, public , places. Indulgence in this , prac-: tice, however, was principally: confined to the inveterate .toperj and, that class of young man: who could furnish ample evidenceof a fondness for drink oven if in a licensed ;district. : There was. a tendency with a section of . tho communityto - exaggorate ' the, extent; of this evil. "At. tho same time," says the inspector, "1 believe bhe increasing of the minimum quantity.for sale from two to ten-gallons would considerably diminish the nuisance. A third class joined /unchartered clubs, wherein' the locker ; system prevails— a' system productive of much drinking,- and one, as at present' carried, on,, which was without much doubt/, an. evasion of tho law, though it/ was> very difficult to /objtain the . necessary . evidence ;to : warran't proceedings.:...-A'vast improvement in the order of the streets had resulted from No-License, but at tho same time it. was questionable if license', with .'shouting' made illegal,. and the barmaid abolished, would not provo more satisfactory than local No-License, with breweries in NoLicense areas, and the other existing facilities to legitimately obtain liquor." It was generally admitted that in Southland No-License had not received a fair trial.

The Consumption of Liquor. ' The figurfe given below are compiled for the Attorney-General from statistics preparedly the clerks of courts in nolicense districts, and are for the year ended June 30, 1910. The first table gives the quantities in respect of those liquors which are in most goneral use (fractions omitted):— ■ J? •& . £3 •" g % ' , n£ £ « £ Gals. Gals. Gnls. Gals. Ashburton 16,085 . 4,457 166 382 Bruce * 13,122 2,539 176 29G Clutha 9)238 53 65 82 Eden — 10,018 5G2 . 24 253 Grey Lynn 5,657 199 15 53 Invercargill 72,733 4,530 163 511 Masterton 22,013 3,803 161 348 Ohinerauvi 30,496 2,561 89 341 Wellington S. ... 13,914 393 75 272 Do Suburbs 11,233 4CB 43 371 Mataura (gal.) ... 37,942 1,718 12 40 *Do. (bottles) .... — 12,589 310 494 Oaraaru (gal). ... 1G.750 3,021 271 13G *Do. (bottles) .... 10.419 13,354 217 742.

A remarkable feature of the figures is tho fact that. Mataura and Oauiaru are tho only districts where battled beer and spirits li.ive been entered for consumption in accordauco with tho requirements of the statute."

Gross Importations. The following figures give the total of all classes of liquor imported into nolicense areas (fractious omitted): — Gals. Bottles. Cases. Asliburton 22,291 — — Bruce-.... 16,325 — — Clutha ........... 12,479 .— — Eden 10,935 — — Grey Lynn 5,916 — — . Invercargill ......... .78,283 — — Masterton 26,547 — — Mataura .... 39,723 13,692 224 Oarnaru 20,260 25.20G 336 .Ohinemuri 33,658 — — Wellington South 14,697 — — Do. Suburbs ......... 12,170 — .—'

The Hon. Geo. Jones gave notice of his to ask. the Attorney-General the following further question"Whether be will furnish a statement showing the consumption 1 of alcoholic liquors per .bead in license and 110-license districts during the years 1908 and 1909."