DRUNKENNESS AMONG THE SOLDIERS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLI, Issue 12821, 13 April 1916, Page 5

DRUNKENNESS AMONG THE SOLDIERS.

Per Press Association* Wellington, April 12. ••Statistics tliat have been placed before me convince me that there is less drunkenness among soldiers than among ordinary civilians, in spite -of the special temptations that are plac•ed in the. way of soldiers'," : said the Minister of Defence to-night. '.'Since the inauguration of the camps only three men hare been dismissed from the forces for drunkenness. I have had a return prepared, showing the charges of drunkenness heard by the military authorities during the months of December, - January, and February. '£here were 143 cases in the Featherston camp out of some 7000 men, and :4 cases ■ jit Trentham out of 4500 men. Then there were 38 cases at the Narrow Neck camp, making a total of 265 cases in three months among some 12,000 men—most of them young. Ten men at Trentham and six men at Narrow Neck were charged with the offence on more than one occasion. I find that, during the same period, 633 males and 62 females were convicted of drunkenness by tlic civil courts in Wellington City, in addition to 106 soldiers. Previous convictions had been recorded against 68 of the male civilians, 27 of the females, and eight of the soldiers. The only conclusion I enn draw from these figures is that the amount of drunkenness among „oldiers is less than among civilians."