Page 3 Advertisements Column 4

Hutt News, Volume 17, Issue 17, 22 September 1943, Page 3

WHO IS RIGHT? Natuftjlly-'tliere are various ideas and opinions on both the political and moral issues before the people for decision next Saturday. On the l licensing issue it is being said that Prohibition has failed everywhere, ftut against this it cannot be overlooked that over twenty million Americans are living under Prohibition conditions carried by popular vote since repeal. There have been 12,400 refe'rendums in counties and towns since repeal and 9,550 have been dry victories. Prohibition ; is coining back fast in Ameirca. WHY REPEALED Many reasons why prohibition was repealed in U.S.A. may be given. In the first place Prohibition was imposed as a war measure, not by popular referendum, and when repeal was finally voted 110 less than 15 million favoured repeal out of over sixty million entitled to vote. Repeal was carried by default, only 10 million prohibtionists voted, 40 million stayed at home. Another big factor was the widespread liquor propaganda carried out extensively and supported by big nioneyed interests including many millionaires. According to sworn evidence before a Congressional Com mittee, one of them, Irenee du Pont, declared that if beer could be brought back and the worker taxed as he was in Britain, he could shift £2,000,000 of corporation taxation from his concerns on the workers. COST OF PROHIBITION Propaganda asserts that Prohibition cost billions of. dollars. The true facts are, as by the U.S.A. Department of Justice, December, 1933:—Fines and Property Realisations, £59,927,994; |prohlbition Enforcement Cost, £25,762,058; Saved in 14 years, £34,165,936. U.S.A. Taxation was reduced uh« der Prohibition by £2,000*000,000 during 1920 to 1828, and ftgain in 1929 and I'JZO. Such a tiding was never known before Prohibition and has never happened since.: After repeal taxation jumped 65fper cent in a few years. By 1932 the slump had its deadly grip on th| nation, and a deficit on the amounted to £280,000,000. Repe|lists pro mised to balance the budget out of liquor revenue. After the first year of repeal the deficit had sprung "to £800,000,000. The public debt in the last year of Prohibition was 156 dollars per capita but!by 1939 it was 308 dollars. JuSt before repeal there were 11 million unemployed, but by 1935 there Ivere 19,000,000 so repeal did not jsolve the economic problem as promised. REVENUE I ■ U.S.A. Alcohol Revenues the first year of repeal was 43 million dollars and by 19.39 It had jfimped : to 587 million dollars. Alcehol consumption was 1.69 gals, per capita in 1933 and it jumped |o 14 in 193 9 and 16 gal in 194$f Liquor revenue did not balance tge budget because in 1933 relief expenditure 'amounted to a billion dollars,' and by 19 39 it had amountedito three billion dollars. It was discovered that liquor revenue obviously did not pay for the damage it did, let alone catch, up on any biidget deficit. i BENEFITS OF PROHIBITION The fact that in the fir§t year of repeal the per capita consumption was only .014 wine, .048 spirits and 1.63 beer, proves that prohibition had produced a comparatively sober nation. That this was particularly so with young people l is born out by; the brewers' statement published in their own paper: "Not one-tenth of one per cent of the youth of America know the taste of real beer." Young people were far better off iti der Probihition as shown in the incicased attendances aij college, which doubled as compared with pre prohibition days, and unjier repeal thi spectacular Prohibition growth of public School attendance dropped 98 per cent., while increased college attendance dropped to onequarter the Prohibition l&vel. i THE REFERENDUM Wet conditions are and a dry vote is and overdue. Jew "people realise that we -hn" e, in New Zealand, |tad majorities in favour of Prohibition on four d.lfcrent occasions, rangi&g from 18 thoutvud to 55 thousai^l. War conditions demand that we lace up to the serious problem of dealing with the liquor jjevils. To cut liquor out is llot much to ask and certainly it is $j more reasonable proposition thafi buying it out for millions at peak! prices. STRIKE OUT THE TOP LINES a y —Advt.

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