THE MAYOR’S APPEAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21985, 21 June 1933, Page 4

THE MAYOR’S APPEAL

TO THE EDITOR Sir, —Everyone sympathises with the decent men who ate unemployed through no fault of their own. There is another side that has not been mentioned. The Mayor talks of the undernourished wives and children and the dire poverty of their homes. This condition will never improve as long as the men spend all their money in drinking and smoking. Take, for instance, a young man who last week left his home at 10.30 a.m., and with a companion started the day drinking beer, gin, and sherry; had lunch and more beer; went to the sports and had whiskies in the interval; after the sports came into town and spent the rest of the day drinking in various hotels; went to a ‘dance, and arrived home after midnight. I wonder how much of hie money was left? By his own showing hi s young wife and two babies were alone for 15 hours, while the husband and father was drinking, dancing, eating, and smoking —and perhaps worse. . There were 50 or 60 men drinking in one bar at closing time. This is typical of every hotel in Dunedin. Multiply that number of men by the number of bars, and one will see dearly why there is, so much poverty in the midst of plenty, iue men drink the money instead i of taking it home. Wherever they get it, there is always plenty for drink and tobacco, but none for food and clothing. To my mind the publicans should be called upon to contribute £IOO each to the Mayor s Fund. That would be only a very small .part ot what they have taken. from their poor only time the publicans are in evidence is election time Then they urge men and women to vote for the trade and keep their “liberty,” even while they are bound, hand and foot, slaves to John Barleycorn and their own diseased, appetitles. God made man in His own image, and man, through drink, has turned himself into something lower than the beasts, for even the animals love and care tor their -young.—l am, etc., . i Dalmore, June 20, No Drink.