THE DRINK BILL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 76, 31 March 1914, Page 4

THE DRINK BILL

TO THE BDITOJI. Sir,— No one believes for. a moment that the ppople of No- License atea3 %re drinking any tho less because licencb^ has been discontinued. No License js in vogue in the New Hebrides, and this is tho Eev. Mr. Paton's testimony, published 'n The Post in the same issue S3 Mr William H. Hinton's letter : ' Any man who says that no grog is sold in the New Hebrides (No-License area) or that illegal recruiting is finished does not know the group (area) or is a fool "' Mr. Hinton pins his faith to a set of figures that have been exploded long p.go, and doubtless similar figures wtlJ be presented again, and again exposed. According to Mr. Hinton's figm<r, the consumption of liquo>- in No-Liceiae areas is 18s 6d per head ; in Licensing areas. £4 5s Id : and in tbe whole Dominion, £3 ISs per head of the population. This 18s 6d is arrived at by a devious method of circumlocution. Jirit^ to use the language of tbe JRev. Mr. Paton, the Presbyterian missionary to the New Hebrides : Any man who says that no grog is sold in No-License areas does not know the areas, or is a fool. Amen. — I am, etc. SEPTIMUS G.