THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC'S RESPITE.

Evening Star, Issue 12881, 2 August 1906, Page 8

THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC'S RESPITE.

, TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—During the anti-liquor campaign of Last year the No-liconso platform was “that under -whatever system alcoholic, drinks were licensed to be sold they would produce the same evil effects, in the ruin, degradation, and death of -its victims.’’' Against this the Liquor party’s contention was “that if alcoholic drinks were sold by the most respectable of men, and sold in strict accordance with the conditions of the Licensing Acts, then the evil results of drink would be infinitesimal, and the public generally would have no grounds of complaint against the licensed sale of liquor.” Moved by the constant and pathetic 1 appeals of the liquor traffic representatives, a large number of electors pat off voting for the abolition of licenses for another - three years at least, and decided to test ' the effect of the sale of alcohol under the | most favorable conditions towards reduc- j ing its evil effects. The great test for the I present three years, therefore, is not “Are those who hold licenses men of unimpeachable character? or do they carry out their business in strict accordance with the conditions of the Licensing Act ?”—these two facts are admitted; but the real test is “ Are the evils which have ever accrued to the community from the licensed sale of alcohol eliminated and removed by the new conditions under which it is sold and used ?" ' This is the crux of the whole question. Now, I submit that if the evils resultant from, the sale of liquor are the same in Dunedin to-day as in times past-—if there is no appreciable difference in the effects of the drink sold upon the community—then the new and present conditions of sale spell absolute failure, and there can be no possible escape from the abolition of all licenses in the near future. ■ As one interested in this great public question I have watched closely, intently, and with eyes wide open the liquor. traffic’s now experiment during the last twelve months, and so far as can be judged, alcohol to-day is producing the same sad procession of' results as it has done in former years. I have watched men who previously were drinking to excess, wasting their means, stinting their families, and ruining their lives. I find that these men under the new conditions arc doing precisely the same thing. I have watched other men during tire past twelve months fast acquiring the drink disease and drifting into alcoholic wrecks; the convictions of first offenders at the police courts demonstrate this. I have watched the streets, and compared the effects of drink with that of former years. I have intoxicated - women very often, and I have seen largo numbers of very young men in a similar state. Last Saturday night was just about as bad as I have ever seen it in this resPect. I have watched the accounts of the casualties happening in our own dis- ‘ trict; I find , that men and women are still meeting with nil manner of accidents, several bring killed while under the influence of alcohol. In these cases , drink is still reaping the same direful harvest. How long, I ask. will it be before nrn open: their ey>3 to the fact that it Is not the seller of drink who does the injury,. but the thing licensed to be sold-ri‘alco-

hoi ” ? So long as our laws allow the drug alcohol to come into contact with human appetite, then so long will these results obtain.— l am, etc., • Fern Leaf. July 51.