PROHIBITION IN THE CLUTHA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2363, 8 June 1899, Page 61

PROHIBITION IN THE CLUTHA.

(From the Prohibitionist.)

We give below a further mass of evidence, from most reliable witnesses living in the electorate, as to the good resulting from prohibition in the Clutha. Many of our friends believe there is no necessity for additional proof of the beneficial effects of prohibition in the district ; but we are anxious to render impossible any successful misrepresentation on the part of the Liquor interest : — Mr J. Smyth Fleming, proprietor of the Clutha Leade*, an old - resident, writes: — "All argument in favour of license is neutralised by the one fact that, since license was abolished in the Clutha, crime has gradually lessened, while it is now non-existent. Undsr license, Clutha recorded its fair share of crime; under no license it is having a clean sheet. . . . It is not true that since license was abolished private drinking has increased. If it were, where are the usual results? — where is the crime? There still exists one class of law-breaking in the Olutha. As before, it is connected' with the drink ; but there being no drunkards, the sellers fill up the record by defying" the law. They are now the only members of the criminal class in the Clutha. At the next local option -poll here, the issues should not be ' License ' or 'No License,' but ' Crime ' or 'No Crime.' "

Mr J. T. Burrkll, Mayoi of Tapanui: — " Closing the bare lias moat undoubtedly beneficially affected the sobriety and peace and quiet of the district. The volume of trade is greater. My own business has gradually increased, bad debts are less numerous, and business generally is on a sounder footing all through.

' The statement that closing the bars has produced a flood of domestic drinking and drunkenness, as is alleged by liquor men, is a libel on our district. Those that get drunk now are those who got drunk 'before 'no license' was carried. I do not know of one case where the habit has been formed since. INo license ' has, I- believe, come into the Clutha to stay."

Mr Alexander S. Malcolm, Schoolmaster, Kelso :

"I have been ten years in the Clutha\ nearly five of which have been spent under 'no license.' In spite of the fact that there is a police force, largely apathetio or worse, and a magistrate who is notoriously hostile to this law which he is expected to administer, the last five years have witnessed a great improvement. There were two hotels in Kelso, and there waa a 'great deal of -drunkenness. Now, to anyone whoso business does not take them often into or about tho sly grog premises, there is almost no appearance ol drinking or drunkenness. Ido not remember to have seen a man in any way the worse for liquor for the last two years. A number are muoh the better for prohibition. ' No license ' has been a splendid safeguard to the young. After repeated inquiries of those who do frequent and obtain liquor in the sly grog-3hops, as to whether any of the youths who had not learned to taste before' no license ' have since begun to take liquor, the invariable reply is, ' No.' Under ' license ' there was no need to ask. Some boys who had but just left school learnt the drinking habit, and in a year or two disgraced themselves with only too frequent drunkenness. 'No license,' when it came, was little help to these lads — they seemed to have already gone too far ; but it has prevented others from following in their steps. I have seen absolutely nothing to lead me to think there is any increase in the homedrinking habits of the people — it is the other way about. I have only heard of one family that did not keep liquor in tho house thai now- keeps it, and that case is doublful. 'No license' has certainly not been a failure in this respect, and I can recommend the experiment Olutha has mado to any other constituency, with the most perfect confidence. Prohibition has? been a benefit to us in every way. Though there still is some drinking, there is ever so much less drunkenness, and, one may say, no rowdyism or noisiness, and but one drink-caused accident in place of many. Business has been good, and the people aro better off. I wish those outside the Clutha could come and see the benefits of 'no license.' I have sworn to the truth. of many of the abovo statements in public court. ' '

Mr Geojige D-vbixett, J.P., Catlin's River : —

" I have been resident in the Owaka (Catlin's River) district, for over 20 years, the first of which were under ' license.' During that timo, drunkenness prevailed to an alarming extent, and it is no exaggeration to say that the greater part of the wages paid to working men in the district found its w^y into the pockets of the publican. The wives and children suffered severely; breaches of the peace were frequent, fights and brawls conptantly seen ; there was considerable immorality among the drinking portion of the population. Tho storekeepers found that in many cases they could only supply goods on being furnished with an order on their employers, although many of their customers were earning good \vage3. This stale of things continued up to the time when prohibition was carried in tho South Molynout Riding. So great were - tho benefits resulting from this step found to be that at the next poll (1893) prohibition was carried for the whole Clutha electorate, by a large majority. On comparing the lesults of the two systems of ' license ' and ' no license,' I believe the present system to have brought the following benefits — viz. : (1) Drunkenness, formerly a common thing, has practically ceased, and many of those formerly addicted to drink have comfortable homes and respectable families. (2) As far as the Catlinp district is concerned, crime has ceased, and brawling is a thing -unknown. (3) Business is in a healthier condition. The storekeepers do not now make one-fourth the number of bad debts that they did "under ' license.' Old scores have been paid up in many instances. Immorality has been reduced to a minimum. The general moral tone of the community is strictly good. This could never have been said witli_truth in the days of liquor."

Mr J. Wilson, Schoolmaster, 13 years Resident in Waiepa —

Pronounces the measure of prohibition attained in the Clutha an. undoubted success, its beneficial effect* being much in evidence in the youth of the- district. Ha rnnorts that.

formerly, young men made it a " u stom fi| visit Balclutha two or three- tin:"* a weekj usually returning in the early hout» OI th< morning, " pretty full." Now the;: ?.° on' business .only, and many of them can r what was impossible before — a bank account* Local business, people also find their accouii t9 settled with greater promptitude. Entertain* ments disgraced by liquor are things of thrf past, avid it- is a very uncommon thing to se«f anyone the worse of liquor. No doubt, there are many parts of the Clutha where the bene> ficial effects are not so marked as in Wareps, but in none can it be said that prohibition has been a failure.

LATEST FROM CLTJTHA. (Official Returns ) No Crime in 1898. INSTRUCTIVE. COMPARISONS. a — ■ il Convictions for 4£ years under License. No License, From Jan. 1, '90, From July 1, '94. tc June 30, '94. to D.cc. 31/98. 179 1 Convictions in 1898. Clutha. lAshburton. * 9814. * 8105. c w 7! „ a £ Drunkennest 179 8 2 60 Disorderly offence 3 (assault*, breaches of peace, obscenity, *c.) 92 38 3 13 Other offences 69 ' 48 6 38 2 60 ' 92 38 69 i 48 3 13 6 38 340 94 U 111 Breaches of Licensing Law and sly grogselling 2 32 8 0 340 94 11 111 __. 1 342 I 126 [1 19 | 111 N.B. — There was no ciime, as the law defines it, in dutha in 1898, and police* offences (exclusive of sly grog-selling) had fallen from 20 in 1897 to 11 in. 1898. .If.partial prohibition (for th^ere is still one wholesale and one publican's license in Clutha) produces such results, what would be effected by the suppression of all licenses ? 2 32 342 126 8 0 . 19 I 111 'i'