GINGER WINE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 10483, 22 October 1894, Page 3

GINGER WINE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib,—lu the Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday last several grocers were fined for selling ginger wine in single bottles, the' magistrates apparently being guided by the statement of Professor Biekerton, who made the analysis, that these bottles contained 11 per cent of alcohol, and were, therefore, intoxicating. The Professor, in course of examination, allowed that ginger beer, lemonade and hop beer all contained alcohol, but, in his opinion, not sufficient to intoxicate. Now, it would be very gratifying to know what amount of alcohol a beverage can carry without being intoxicating m the Professor’s opinion. The manufacturer, a citizen of this town, has been selling to grocers for- over fifteen years, and his drinks were said to contain 9 per cent of alcohol. His business is now ruined as far as the grocers are concerned. Henceforth you can only obtain a single bottle by going to the public-house for it. And, what is worse, he has nothing definite to guide him in trying to produce an article that would ‘be saleable under the law. He can only learn this by being again summoned for producing a beverage of less alcoholic strength until he brings it within the limits of the Professor’s ideas. Now, the ideas of experts differ not only upon what is and what is not intoxicating, bat even upon the results of an analysis now and then. It seems most unaccountable that the law should not definitely state the amount of alcohol which it will allow, as at present not only is the production of the colonial article crippled, but the administration of the law depends in Christchurch upon what in Professor Biokerton’s opinion may or may not be intoxicating.—l am, &c., • COLONIAL.