TRAFFIC IN LIQUOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17089, 22 August 1917, Page 8

TRAFFIC IN LIQUOR

CONSIGNMENTS TO NO-LICENSE AREAS. (From, Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, August 21. A return was laid on tho table of the Jlouso of Representatives this afternoon showing the quantity of liquor sent into each no-liconse district during the year ended March 31, 1915. 'The figures are as follow : — a li Gallons. Asnburton „ 27 349 £. ruc ,° "". '." Z 2V83 Uuthn 23,824 Eden ... ... „ 10 ,028 Urey Lynn 4,451 Invercargill 75,294 Masterton 26,516 Mataura .„ 3i ( 802 Oamaru ... ._ 30,115 Ohinemuri 21,307 Wellington South 11,280 Wellington suburbs and country districts _ 11,158 Total „ 296,009 The number of persons summarily convicted m Magistrate's Courts in no-license Districts during the year onded December 31, 1915, is as follows, the convictions for drunkenness being given in parentheses: — Ohinemuri, 274 (40); Masterton, 297 (68); Ashburton, 490 (119); Oamaru, 290 (56); B 2 l ; uoe ,'n-2° 5 (13 > ' Clutha, 174 (16) ; Mataura, £S, , { ?& ; ln > r (164);— total, <2091 (489). In thd course of the discussion tho member for Waii-au referred to the large amount of liquor taken into Invercargul, but Mr Hanan defended his town's good name by pointing out that Invercargill, as the chief town of tho district, was tho distributing centre for liquor, as for other commodities. Speaking on the presentation of. the return, Mr Isitt said a groat deal of nonsense was talked about the danger to tho com munity of closing the liquor bars—tho nameless mysterious evils that would come upon tho people. Masterton—a' no-license district—was progressing in a remarkable way, and there was nothing to support the statements so-promiscuously made that when a place went dry it was beset by poverty and many other evils. He read a list of the convictions for drunkenness in several license and no-license distriots/ His figures summarised were that in eight districts with a population of 101,246 there were 348 convictions for drunkenness, while in Palmerston North—a license district, with a population of : 16.135— there were 408 convictions—more than in all the no-license districts put together. Replying to Mr .Wilford, ho said he knew that more liquor was being consumed in New Zealand than beforo the days of no-license, but it ivas being consumed in the license districts. Less W ™ k?j ns drunk in tho no-licenso districts Mr Payne explained the Carterton record by saying that the Masterton people wont do Carterton to get drink. Mr Sykes admitted that when first Masterton became dry and the people were unaccustomed altogether to go without liquor, they took the opportunity of visiting Carterton upon occasion, but any unbiassed observer would admit now that the stream of motor cars referred to had reached tho vanishing point. _ Mr Sykes mentioned Masterton's efforts m connection with the war. . Mr Wilford: It is the wonder of New Zealand. Mr Wilford pointed out that thp number of conviotions for drunkenness did not represent the number of persons convicted as one persor might be convicted several times within the same year. Several other speakers contributed their quota to the debate,