A SLANDER EXPOSED.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1262, 18 October 1911, Page 8

A SLANDER EXPOSED.

ARE WE A SOBER PEOPLE f SOME UNASSAILABLE FIGURES. To traduce ono man is punishable* malign a nation, and you escape. Indeed, if you aro a prohibitionist you may libe! tlio people of New Zealand by calling them "a drunken and besotted crowd" and bo cheered to tho echo by your fellow patriots, so-called. It matters not that the facts are all against tho patriotic (?) prohibitionist. If ho is confronted with the facts, ho simply says: "I do not care for the facts: I know what I am talking about," and proceeds to denounce his countrymen in a waterspout of vituperation. It is matter for regret that eg many aro being led astray by these selfstyled reformers, who, by attempting to villify their neighbours, hope, cuttle-fisli. like, to escapo themselves, and so it is necessary to show how far from tho truth, tho observation is that tint people of this Dominion aro "a drunken and besotted crowd." Look at tho consumption of alcoholic beverages by tho nations, nnd seo where New Zealand stands. In a qiiinqucnuia.l return issued in July of this yea-r— l9ll—by tho British Board of Trade office, tho consumption per head is given us under:—

Gallons. Gallons. Gallons, Beer. Spirits. Wino. France S.O I.M 31.5 Italy - 0.13 25.S United Kingdom 27.4 O.SG 0.27' Switzerland 15.5 -■ 15.1 Austria 15.2 I.U 1.6 Germany _ 23.7 1.4S 1.19 Australia 11.0 0.82 I.U Helgium 45.6 ' 1.08 1.01 New Zealand ... 9.S 0.77 O.U In some respects ivo are as bad as ouf neighbours among tho nations, but notwithstanding what prohibitionists mar tell you we staud as tho smallest con* suiucrs of alcoholic beverages, and it is a gross, vulgar slander upon us for the prohibitionists to say wo aro "a drunken and besotted crowd." Now Zoalandors practically lead the- world in sobriety and good living, and (he calm, modcralo-niind-cd man and woman wonders—"Why all this pother about prohibition and JCoLiconse: wo do not need either of them?" Yet because* the Prohibitionists have ehosen'to regard Uiis country as inhabited by a "drunken and Uiottcd" people-, they arc sotting out to try and mako us bclicv* this ebullition of their pcriervid imaginations. It is a sorry spectacle to seo men and women, otherwise reasonable, m intoxicated with prohibition as to bo utterly irresponsible on tho liquor question. Physiologists te.ll us that neurotio londuieicis aro nliko pronounced in extremeisi's bo they drunkards or pruhibitiouisra. Uxmovcr, tho outstanding truth in all this is that New Zealand is, by comparison, a very cobor country, and the iigurcs quoted hiivo not been compiled ly tho licensed victuallers, hut by the British Board of Trade, and Ihcrel'ort jabove suspicion of leaning to ono side or tho other, llftvinc regard to this fact, tk>n, it is surely unnocosHiry to invoke the aid of prohibition nnd We are doinp vory well as wo arts, and wo will show tlu Prohibitionists that by striking out tho bottom lines wo aro determined to maintain our freedom to continue to use, alcoholic beverages, and withal livo soberly. It is high limo moil-e-rato men and women asserted themsolvc* and giivu No-Licenso and prohibition their ojiiclu*. *