PROHIBITION V. THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9286, 23 August 1893, Page 3

PROHIBITION V. THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

DEBATE AT THE CITY HALL. A public debate upon " Prohibition v. the Liquor Traffic," took place at the City Hall, last night, in the presence of an immense gathering of ladies and gentlemen, all parts of the largo building being excessively crowded, many having to content themselves with ' standing room. The Mayor of Auckland, Mr. W. Crowther, presided. Dr. Bakewell undertook to give reasons, from a medical point of view, why the liquor traffic should not be prohibited, and Mr. Ninian Melville, M.L.A., New South Wales, set himself to show from the same point of view, that prohibition was advisable.

Dr. Bakewell appeared in his robes of Doctor of Medicine, explaining that he did so partly to show tint he had a righb to speak upon these matters, and partly as a protest againsb the common practice of calling every medical man a doctor of medicine. The use of the term alcohol was, he said, simply conventional; but he would define it to mean, a3 far as his remaVks were concerned, us drinks containing alcohol. He understood prohibition to mean the closing of all places for the retail sale of such drinks, at the will of the majority of the voters. This was, of course, a serious interference with the liberty of the subject, but it was sought to justify this on the ground of an imaginary danger in allowing the retail traffic to continue. That danger, he contended, did nob exist, and he further contended that drinking was necessary and desirable for the well being of the public at largo. He had nothing whatever bo say against the prohibitionists as a body. He admitted that the excessive drinking of alcohol tended to destroy the physical and mental powers of any individual indulging in it. There could be alcoholic excess withoub drunkenness. Men by continually nipping, by exceeding the physiological bounds, dreadfully injured their nervous systems, their lungs, livers, and other organs, without ever being actually intoxicated. Suchexcess would be shown by an increased amount of disease, and an increased death rate. Ho would apply two tests to New Zaelarul: (1) 'Had there been an increase in the general mortality ? (2) had there been an increase in the infantile mortality ? In New Zealand public drinking had been continually on the decrease, and he quoted letters from Drs. C. Purchas, Hope Lewis, Lindsay, C. 11. Haines, and a number of Southern doctors to show that disease arising from excessive drinking was on the decrease in the colony. Statistics showed that the consumption of spirits in Now Zealand was on the decrease. In 1572 150,000 gallons of spirits were imported or distilled in the colony, the population being 272,000. In 18S2, .with a population of 509,000, the quantity imported or distilled was 178,000 gallons. In IS9I, with a population of 034,000, the quantity imported was 108,000 gallons. The quantity of spirits per head had decreased in a most extraordinary degree. In 1882 the quantity of beer consumed per head, exclusive of Maoris, was 10£ gallons, and in 1891 the quantity was 7-.V gallons, a fall of about one-fourth. In ISS2 the spirits consumed per head was 1.153 gallons, which fell in 1891 to '699. Then as to the death rate : In 1572 the rate was 11.71 per 1000; in 1882 it was 11.19 per 1000 ; and in 1891 it fell to 10.35 per 1000. The mortality of tho whole population has decidedly decreased. The statistics relating to tho deaths from alcoholism were quite unreliable. The doctors generally returned such cases under some other name. The infant mortality had also decreased very considerably, bub had always been very low in this colony. Hayter's Victorian Year-book showed that the infant mortality in New Zealand was the lowest of the Australasian colonies. Tho adoption of prohibition would greatly embarrass medical men in their treatment of disease. The medical profession could not do without alcoholic stimulants, and people who wanted to bo treated without them would have to got someone else. There were times in typhoid fover cases where a doctor who refused to give stimulants doserved to bo hanged. Dr. Bakewell referred to the degeneration of Mahominedan countries as an example of tho effects of prohibition, and said that ho placed no reliance upon reports from America. In conclusion ho argued that tho alcoholdrinking nations were tho progressive nations.

Mr. Melville stated that ho had before him one of the easiest tasks ever presented to a human/being, for they had it on tho authority of a duly qualified medical man that alcohol was only required in cases whereanmn was bleeding to death. Dr. Bakewell also told thoin that the drinking customs wero ceasing, and yet the infants wero not dying. This was a compliment to tho ladies who had never tasted liquor; bub he forgot to tell them that the other colonies did not possess the fine climate that New Zealand had. It might) bo that less beer was drunk in 1891 than in 18S2, but then those who did nob drink at all should be struck out. The seven gallons of beer put down to each of these was swallowed by someone else. He would bring the doctor face to face with the recent discoveries of science. The microscope had provod thab alcohol was composed of living animals, and decomposition was necessary in order to producc beer. Ho referred in support of this to the works of other eminent chemists. Tho doctor had produced no certificates to show thab anyone had died from tea drinking. Mr. Melville proceeded to quote an opinion expressed by Dr. lvnighb against the prescription of alcohol in any form except in a very few cases. Dr. Knight considered thab much more alcohol was usod than was really necessary. Ho also quoted passages from the Lancet advising doctors to be extremely careful in prescribing alcohol. At tho Thames hospital 195 patients had been ! treated at a cost of £1583, £4 17s being spent in liquors. At the Greymouth hospital IG4 patients had been treated at a cost of £'2450, and £80 had been spent in grog. Of six cases of . nervous diseases treated at the Thames one had died, and of 10 treated at Greymouth six had died. With regard to casos of cliesb diseases, three out of 22 died at the Thames, and five out of 20 at Greymouth. So that tliero was a less proportion of deaths where alcohol was not used than where it was used. As to typhoid fever, in the London Temperance Hospital only six out of 53 cases died, while in St. George's Hospital 09 wero lost out of 2SI patients. He was sorry that Dr. Bakewell would not discuss tho composition of alcohol, and quoted further authorities to show thab it was composed of little insects. His authorities were equal to those brought forward by Dr. Bakewell. His friend, Dr. Bakewell, had admitted that many a i moderate drinker was walking aboub in I New Zealand quite diseased and did nob ; know it. The doctor had endeavoured to ! show that drinking was decreasing, bub was crime decreasing? He said no! If it were decreasing the doctor would have brought his budget to show that ib was. Dr. 1 Bakewell had admitted that tho statistics as to persons who had died of alcoholism wore unreliable. Was ib nob a terrible thing that the medical faculty, to whom they looked for truth, should thus make out false certificates? Theßo persons pub down as dying from alcohol must have been poor unfortunate persons who had 110 rich friends to pay a guinea for a certificate for them, and therefore the doctors told the truth in their cases. What was the use of quoting statistics when the admission had been made that they were not to be relied upon? The doctor had referred to polygamous countries as examples of prohibition, bub surely he was nob going to attribute polygamy to prohibition. He refused to accept the statements of American governors and judges, bub went instead to poor old Turkey. Air. Melville went on to refer to the advantages offered by insurance companies to total abstainers, and to the testimony of American statesmen to the great benefits which had followed upon the heels of prohibition. Both of the speakers were frequently applauded, the audience being very evenly divided. Mr. Melville was subjected to a few interruptions, but considering the immense gathering present the meeting was an extremely orderly one. The proceeds will amount to about £25, which will go to the Ladies' Benevolent Society.