INVER-KEG-ILL INIQUITIES

NZ Truth, Issue 474, 18 July 1914, Page 12

INVER-KEG-ILL INIQUITIES

Savoury Scene Shifters. The Blessings of No-License. A President's Protest. (From "Truth's" Dunedin Rep.) Invercargill is the great no-pub city,, and, at the same time, one of tlie most boozy holes m the Dominion. It may, perhaps, be correctly dubbed thY "Wowsers' Paradise," but if it is it contains more wasters, debauchers and , hypocrites than its very big drinking ! neighbor on the merry Clutha stream. Some time ago, "Truth" chronicled the tragic death of a young fellow at th. hands of an aged Chow m the same town, and dealt pretty' strongly with the wilful wasters who constituted the turbulent push that indirectly caused the unfortunate lad's death. SLY GROG WAS AT THE BOTTOM of that melee, and the amount of liquor so easily obtainable and consumed by the mob was simply astounding. Every push m the iniquitous city have their, kegs— tiny things/that never run dry — and of nights m certain, streets the amount of beer imbibed" "would," m . the -words of a prominent' Invercargill man, "readily float Joe's bottleship." Of the many pushes m the no-pub centre,' the scene-shifters appear to hold the palm as beer-chewers of a very strange brand. Herd' are the pious soßriquets some of the fancy members of the sanctimonious union are pleased to -recognise: — "Snakey," "Droopie,"' "Guesser," and "Hugger." There are a few others, which we'll produce later. The above toffs are very well known to everybody m iniquitous Invercargill, and constitute quite the KNUTS OF THE TOWN. The ways of the scene-shifters, according to the opinions 'of that useful and talented body, the Invercargill Competitions' Society, are something i to write home about. The executive of the body met last week, and a warm discussion ensued ast'o the immediate i necessity of instituting reform of a stringent nature among * -the- sancti- \ ■'■•■■ ■■"'-' .'■ ■> ■< .-.

1 monious sccnc-sliiftors. The president, Air. C. 8. I^onguct, said that t-e ixtraordinary amount of drinking' that went on at the buck of the theatre was a torrlblo disgrace. The place recked with liquor. Kugs were even taken up into the wings, und all sorts of inaccessible places. "Two of them* wasters," remarked Mr. L.onRuet. "were missing: a few days ago. A search was instituted, and tiiey were at length located m THE LADIES' "DRESSING -HOOM fPSTAIUS, One was lying on the floor with a keg, and the floor was covered with vomit. The other was In a helpless condition." • The Society had, unfortunately, to employ theso men, as they were members of the pious union. The Council was asked to take stops In the matter, j The two wasters found m the ladles' drosKlnjj-room had turned the place Into a veritable plfffircry. When the enivtnkcr found them, one \vu« comfortably reposing on a nice soft odoriferous spot, whilst the other was colled up In th<- corner lik« a boa constrictor, his own right leg round his dirty n<'ck. and a Queen Anne gown utilised a.s a blanket. The threegallon keg looked Impassively on. They were compelled to oleun up the .show at the caretaker's dictation, and that ended the mutter till the Competition Society got hold of It. "Truth" now f hows up the whole demnitlon buslni'sa and presents it to the public m j the Interest of .sly-.-groi? ugainal the j Suite-regulated system of selling liquor In licensed premises.