DRINK AT DANCES

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 3374, 6 October 1931, Page 2

DRINK AT DANCES

DIVERSITY OF OPINION IN SYDNEY. Sydney, September 27. “Dances in Sydney are becomingnothing but drunken orgies. The women are as bad, if not worse, than the men.” Mrs. Maclurcan, manageress of the Wentworth Hotel, made the foregoing attack on a certain class of Sydney dance hall habitues to-day. The controversy' concerning girls becoming intoxicated at dances was started by Mr. Hugh Hudson, city organiser of the Citizens’ League at Adelaide, who was reported to have said: “Intoxicated girls are commo'n at charity dances in Adelaide.” He added that some people at these dances made animals of themselves. Mrs. Maclurcan, in making a comparison with Sydney, said that a certain type in Sydney - brought a “terrible lot” of drink to dances.

“It is the same at all places here,” she went o'n. “They bring a liquor called ‘pinkie,’ which I am told, is made of methylated spirits and wine. They get drunk within half an hour. We can’t stop them. They are allowed to bring the drink.” Other opinions differed from that of Mrs. Maclurcan. Miss Enid Baumbery said: “All the girls I know that go to dances don’t drink at all. I have never seen drinking at high-class functions. The girls keep off it very well. In fact, they don’t like it.”

Miss Dorise Hill, of the Pickwick Club, said: “Definitely, no! I’ve not seen any girl intoxicated at the better class functions. The girl of today could have a drink and not show it.

“She may have one to brighten things up, but it stops there. It is only the poor little fool who mixes her drinks, and becomes intoxicated. Girls at dances want to preserve their looks and they realise that drink is the first thing that ravages their beauty. My experience has been that an intoxicated girl at a dance is a very rare sight.”