NEW SOUTH WALES DRINK BILL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1275, 2 November 1911, Page 5

NEW SOUTH WALES DRINK BILL.

INCREASED CONSUMPTION. Br Telceraph—Press Association—Oopyrieht Sydney, November 1. Archdeacon Boyce's estimate of tho drink bill of Now South Wales for 1910 is .C 0,721,981, or .£3 105. Gd. per head of tho population, as against w£3 6s. 9d. per head in 1909. Tho increase is attributed by the Archdeacon to tho wonderfully prosperous year and the continued enlargements of tho spending power of tho people. Last year tihe State benefited only to a small extent from tho reduction of licenses by the local option poll. A majority voted out the hotels which were still open, but many private immoral bars and bogus clubs had been closed. Tho bars wero now shut on election days, and Sunday closing was fairly complete. Convictions for drunkenness on Sunday had decreased from 1350 to 32G. Local option had already done much to keep down tho drink bill.

A remarkable feature was the growth of the consumption of colonial beer, which was tho workers' beverage. One million and seventy-seven thousand . gallons more had been drunk than in tho previous year, while tho consumption of spirits had increased by 128,470 gallons.

ABSTEMIOUS M.P.'e. Melbourne, November 1. The drink bill of the Federal Parliament, including consumption of liquor by visitors and at functions, was less by a penny per member per day during tho present session than in the previous one.