Six O’clock Closing

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 273, 13 August 1932, Page 13

Six O’clock Closing

Sir,—Your correspondent “Nothing in Excess” says that “six o’clock closing and Sunday closing is merely a concession to prohibitionists, and does not help to solve the problem of drunkenness. The only available test of value is the test of convictions for drunkenness. In 1915 the convictions for drunkenness in New Zealand were 13,384. There came certain efforts at restriction, culminating in six o’clock closing, which became effective in December, 1917. In 1918 the convictions for drunkenness fell to 7296. In 1930 they were 7782, only 58 per cent, of what they were before six o’clock closing. A reduction of 42 per cent, in convictions indicates at least some progress towards improving the position. As £>r Sunday closing, the Glasgow police have for years watched this matter closely, and the chief constables report for 1930 gave an analysis showing the percentage for each day of the week of the arrests for drunkenness in proportion to the total arrests. Saturdays provided 32.39 per cent, of the total arrests. On Sundays, when the bars are closed, the percentage was only 1.02. In other words, out of a total of 6725 arrests only 69 were made on Sunday, when the bars were Your correspondent argues that if abolition of alcoholic liquor is right, then abolition of tea and other liquors not necessarv for health Is also right. When Nothing in Excess” can show me an individual who has brutally ill-used wife or chii.i. committed some crime or offence, or killert somebody while driving a motor-car as the result of an extra cup of tea, lemonade or other non-alcoholic liquor, we shall hare a ground for reasonable discussion. —I am, etC ” J. MALTON MURRAY. General Secretary, N.Z. Alliance. Wellington, August 12.