EFFECT-OF NO-LICENSE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16491, 5 March 1914, Page 8

EFFECT-OF NO-LICENSE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Y'our correspondent in jester*' day’s paper signing himself “ SfOder- 1 ate” is obviously the 6ame old paid sta- , tistician of. the trade whose statements \ and mis-statements have' been refuted J so often. His libel upon the no-license I towns'of the dominion shows an utter' ignorance of facts. i Visitors from Christchurch to Invercargill are impressed with the cleanness, briskness and prosperity of the town, and the absence of hotel loafers and undesirable characters, who thrive in the atmosphere of the bar-room, j The sly-groggeries, secret home-drink-;l ing, etc,,' referred to;; by. your corres-j pondent are the products of the license ■ system, and when national prohibition is carried into effect will very soon disappear. From a business point of view Invercargill is one of the soundest town;; in New Zealand, as anyone doing business there will testify. I have beforo me. 1 the Invercargill Municipal Year Book for 1913-1914, which shows a large and i steady increase in town values, as follows: ■ , 1910 1911 1912 1913 £ £ £ ■£ ' Rateable value of borough .12,583 61,605 147,026 161,792 Building permits value . 67,226 100,000 128,200 Municipal era- ■ ployeea . . 135 2SO > Your correspondent gives the population of Invercargill in 1911 as 14.170 v whereas the Invercargill Year . Book shows a population of over 16,000 in. 1913. Anyone interested may procure one of these handbooks by writing to the town clerk of Invercargill. ' 1 Apart from all the sophistries of the Trade’s emissaries, your readers l ave object-lessons of the evil effects, of. drunkenness in this city, which are most convincing, and those who. have the Welfare of the community at heartwill be glad to see national prbhibtn.i * carried this year.—l am. etc., j ' EX-IN VERC ARGILLITE. Christchurch,. March 4. .