DRUNKENNESS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14357, 29 October 1908, Page 8

DRUNKENNESS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Sin. —This morning's Daily 'Times was a most important one to- me a«ul to all who are interested in t.b? drink problem. The. a-rtieJe witii the above headiiK* shows that, the drink bill in New Z;vilan<! is now getiin<: within a Few shillings of the uvorajro I of the British licpior bill, ours boing- £3 15s i ICd per head, and theirs l;cinj PA. amo-.tnt- ■ incr as it did in one year lo £180.000, 0jC— about one-third of the national debt. One of the mo?t deplorable facts is the recent 1 and jrrp.il in-.TSaso in jnvonMo drinking, j A foiv'.vNirs ago wo prided ourselves in : the common savin,;' that the young colonial w.-w too knowing to turn to drink. Now. we li'jve over 5000 firs-l oft'etulm every rear —a fact which turns our boasting to shame, This fact., which docs -nci come from Maine, has much to do wit-h our decreasing birth rate, and is an undoubted cau«o of poverty anil industrial discontent, for, instead of the young men saying then- wages

to get sections and put houses up ; n whieli to mala l home; ft-r themselves and our daughters, tJjoj' either do not. marry or I,hoy begin lifts as rent-payers iind spendthrifts, always grumbling at their environment for which I hey have themselves to ■blame. .Mr Thomson, who has almost maimed us with his statistics, did not give lis this one: that in this Slate of Maine 45 out of every 1000 own their houses, and that the Governor writc-s that less than one-fourth is spent ill liquor now under iio-lieense than was formerly the e,ise. The solemn question lor every man, woman, young man, and maiden is, What is to beoomo of our nation if wo continue to worship the god Bacchus.—l am, etc.. Tor Lined. ' 1 1 i ' , I ;