REVENUE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 31 October 1928, Page 7

REVENUE.

In 1927, drinker? -, in .NcwlyZealamd spent £5,831,531. oh liquor. The liquor traffic does- not produce wealth. , It merely coHecis money,, some-of which passes' to the. Government. If the liquor traffic did not collect it, the -people • would' use it in other-ways, and the Government would collect its.proportion, without increasing taxation! -. Because the liquor traffic' is legalised , in New Zealand, we lose already produced wealth amounting .to more than. £2,000,000 per year; or in three years 1 more than £6,000.000. - Wealth that .is produced and then destroyed or lost, can never be recovered. It is a dead loss, just as if we had built £6.000,000 of fine buildings ajnd public works, audi then,- destroyed them. To the above, loss we must add' expenditure incurred in dealing with, intoxicated persons, serious offences'. due to drink, charitable aid to drunkards ’ families, maintenance of drunkards ’ children, etc. We also lose wealth, through inefficiency, ' motor fatalities and accidents, bad. debts, shipping and other losses, due to drink. These represent a tremendous loss every year, aind the sober citizen pays -heavily directly and indirectly- for them. About £1,000,000 per annum is sent, overseas to- pay for imported liquors. Wealth will increase when liquor losses cease. "There is no wealth but life. Life, including all its powers, of love,, of joy, ■ and of admiration-. That country ,is richest which nourishes the greatest number of noble and happy human beings; that mam is richest who, having perfected the functions of has own life to the .utmost, has also the. widest helpful influence, both personal and by means of his possessions over the lives - of others.”—Buskin.* " “