ILLICIT WHISKY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20828, 21 September 1929, Page 9

ILLICIT WHISKY.

IMPUTATIONS AGAINST SOUTHLAND,

PRIME. MINISTER DEFENDS HIS PROVINCE.

(From Our parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, September 20. Sly grog-selling activities imputed To Southland brought the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) to his feet in the House to-day to declare that the extent of the activities had been exaggerated by Mr F. Waite (Reform member for Clutha). The subject was raised by Mr Waite during the discussion of the Estimates appertaining to the Department of Justice.

“ This is not a new industry in Southland,” said Mr Waite, It is not an industry in which I pretend to be an expert." Mr S. G. Smith (Chairman of Committees) : If the hon. member wants to discuss an industry he should do so under the Industries and Commerce Estimates. (Laughter.) I think the police should take more energetic measures,” continued Mr Waite. •‘A great many outlying plants have been cleared up, but there is reason to suppose that the principal distilleries Have not been discovered, and the work is still going on. It is said that whisky has been selling for £1 a bottle. Ido not think the police should get money for tracking down these distilleries.' I think the nlants ought to be run down as a matter of decency." Mr P. Fraser (Labour member for Wellington Central); And sport. Mr Waitel'am looking at the matter from the social point of view. In addition, the Government is losing revenue through the whisky being manufactured in Southland. It is a home industry, and I think should not be encouraged. “I represent a district in Southland which has no-license," said Sir Joseph Ward. “The member for Clutha does not represent a district ir Southland. I do not believe that he members of a Scottish cc/mmumty would pay £1 a bottle for immature whisky.— (Laughter.) They can get the bona fide article for leas money. That makes me think the member for Clutha must have had a portion of his own electorate in mind. People can import liquor regularly under the law. There has been a tremendous clearing up lately of any attempts at evasion of the law. If the member for Clutha had confined bis remarks to hia own electorate it Would have' been better.” '

Mr Waite: But it_ is made in your electorate, and comes into mine. Sir Joseph Ward: Then it shows bad taste on the part of your electors.— (Laughter.) In Southland the evasions of the law are not going on to anything like the extent that has been suggested. The people there are a law-abiding community, and I could not stand by and let an undeserved reflection be cast on them. The Minister of Justice (Mr T. M. Wilford) said he was satisfied that practically no sly-grog activities were now going on in Southland. As a 'result' of last year’s prosecutions ■ and the tremendous fines imposed on offenders, the bulk of the illicit trade had been stamped out. Constables .employed on the work of detecting sly grog were paid a reward because of the rotten nature of the job and the _ difficulty of detecting offenders. To describe Southland as a sly-grog manufacturing district was not a fair proposition.

Mr Waite returned to the subject later. He said the fact that there was £IOO on the Estimates for rewards and expenses for the suppression of'sly-grog sellin" and the introduction of. liquor into prohibited districts was surely sufficient evidence of the fact that, there wore slygrog cases to be met. , Mr Waite said he knew the districts about which he had spoken better than did the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister; Oh, no. Mr Waite: I probably come in personal touch with the people of South Otago and southland more than the Prime Minister does.

w 1 1/ c . le la p errelle .Minister of internal Affairs, who is member for Awarua) r What about the Minister' of Internal Affairs?

Mr Waite; He can talk later. What 1 want to say is that it is no use the Plime Minister or the Minister-of Justice trying to bluff the members of this House, they may be able to bluff the pubbut they cannot bluff the mem • for Clutha. The police. districts are very large in the south, and I object to constables being loaded with too much administrative work. I know quite well that in every no-license town in SouthrOUth , otago tasi are offered £1 f or a bottle of whisky tr.. v w e -\ Ifc be good whisky. Mi Waite: If they cannot get the recognised brands of whisky, they get the to 'Wo Jt is « uite common f»n-^ P ' e J ba, ’’ e , an honourable member thi kl prim b e U \f the f -° f whiß, V " said the i lime Minister, rising in' the first I n i fc u U, ’ ge , that more expeditious speed shoukl be made with the Estimates “No ■ swallowed tha ! lonollrab ’e member not fflt the vthisky in Hokonni or he has ltcn noWde( i ga W01 , ,] . d suggest that bottle To f n PP ‘r ng lumse,f to «ie DottJe. To talk about Southland bein<> f selbn S district is not to talk tn accordance with the facts.”