"THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3146, 26 July 1917, Page 6

"THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC"

Sir,—Now when this trade is the subject of such keen controversy I will be pleased if you will grant me space to express my opinions on the question. I will first explain why I think they may be worthy of some little consideration. I am well over seventy years of age, the father of a large, family. My occupation in life brought mo into contact with a class that indulged in liquor pretty freely, and at one time thought it necessary in connection with their business. I have been a moderate drinker all my life., and am not an abstainer now. I lived for some years in the largest Prohibition town in New Zealand, about twenty years ago when the local option poll was first taken, and all the arguments for and against, most of which are the same to-day. ft took rae a long time to decide which side had the best of the argument. At last I decided that fhe Prohibitionists had the best of it, and I have consequently voted for total prohibition ever since, and I conscientiously believe that it would be a better and happier world if the trade was entirely abolished. Now for one or two of the arguments brought forward in defence of the trade', one being that Prohibition does not prohibit, and that there is more drinking, and'a worse class of drinkers in Prohibition districts than in licensed districts. This I may say is altogether contrary to my experience, and I now refer to may experience in the prohibited district I lived in. After the first six months of Prohibition my opinion was that there was a very marked improvement in the sobriety of the people, and any person under the influence of drink was rarely to bo seen; and if Prohibition does not prohibit how is it that this does not apply to any other thing but liquor? If this is sound doctrine, wily do we. lock up ou.r goods to prevent a thief taking them, or ! why do we put (lie thief in gaol for having stolen, or. on the other hand, if •we wish to increase the sale of any article, do we not increase the places, where that artictle is to be obtained, and at the same time increase the facilities to obtain it? Another argument used in defence of the trade is the larrre revenue it produces. As the population of New Zealand is roughly over one million, and J think the total expenditure nn liquor is~ somewhere about M per head therefore the liquor trade will produce about .£1.000.000. 'as I believe it i»"ly costs ]mlf of this sum to produce the liquor, the other half being the dot. i"= and licenses paid to the Government. Therefore, if the Government was to collect this ,£2.000,000 from the neonV <" some other wav, which could be easily done, the people would have the other two millions to spend on something else'. .■"."' would at the same time be better without the drink than with it. One »«Ar» 1 nwnW liVo to r»fo« tn '

Many that I meet have no decided viewtf on this question, as they think they are not directly interested in it; hut sorno of them being fathers of families, as I am, I ask them, "If your sons were to ask you for your advice to them in ing an occupation or profession, would! you advise them to become distiller's, "brewers, or publicans?" I have never yet got the reply that they would, but all replied they would not. Now, in my journey through life (which must now be getting near an end) I have been most intimately acquainted with many publicans, and have found some of them, as we fi7id in any other walk of life, very estimable men in private and confidential conversation. I have never yet met one who-would recommend his owii occupation to his own sons, or one that wished his son to succeed him in his own, business, and they all regretted ever taking to the "Business themselvesNow. sir, I have finished, and must apologise for occupying so much of your space. All that I'have written, could, have been said very much better and in must less space, therefore I hope others more capablo will take the subject up.— 1 am ' 6tC " A N.Z.JPBJECT.