TEMPERANCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 764, 22 October 1886, Page 6

TEMPERANCE.

ITEMS. (Temperance News.) A firm of aerated water manufacturers in Belfast, Ireland, sold last year. 3,384,000 bottles, or 2937 tons weiglit. According to the Lancet, since the abolition of licensing in France in 18S0 drinkingshops have enormously increased. M. Pasteur says that men who habitually use intoxicating spirits are more difficult to cure if bitten by a mad dog than temperate men. Recently complete statistics show that while England’s 27,000 breweries produce 990,000,000 gallons of beer in a year, the Germans, with 2000 fewer breweries, make 900,000,000 gallons. . The last report of the London Drinkingfountain and Cattle-trough Association states that they have now at work 633 troughs for animals, and 594 fountains for human beings, at wf iich they estimate there are 250,000,000 drinkers in a year. The Rev. G.M. Murphy has completed thirty years’ work in London. At a recent meeting it was mentioned that he had attended over 20,000 meetings, besides visiting at houses, hospitals, and schools, distributed about 1,500,000 tracts, and, with the aid of the Temperance Society’s friends, taken 50,000 temperance pledges. According to the Reformer, the fishermen on the east coast of Fife are iu the habit of taking one bottle of whisky with them to the fishing in case it may be required for medicinal purposes. It is kept carefully corked, and is not opened unless every man on board agrees. It is said the same bottle goes out voyage after voyage, and lasts for years. The last book by Mr Froude, Oceana,’ states that, in sailing away from New Zealand, he went on board an American vessel. He noticed that the crew was of a very motley character, and he said to the American captain, ‘ None of your crew appear to be English-speaking people.’ The captain answered, ‘No;.I make it ail absolute.rule never to take in my ship any American, or Englishman, or Irishman, or Scotchman ; all my crew are composed of Swede 3, Norweigans, and Germans, because they do not drink when they go on shore ; or if they do, they do it in such moderation that they give me, at any rate, no trouble.’ i Some time ago the Midland Railway Company erected a coffee tavern at their Derby station for the use of their employes, the working of the concern being entrusted to a small limited liability company, composed exclusively of Midland servants. The success of the cafd having far exceeded the hopes of its promoters, the railway company have decided to extend its sphere of usefulness by enlarging the existing structure very considerably. A dividend of 40 per cent, is understood to have been declared out of the profits on the last half-year, after deducting an amount for donations to railway institutions. At the railway cafd a railway servant can obtain a hot dinner for 6Jrd, and a half pint cap of tea or coffee for a halfpenny.