The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1910. NO-LICENSE AND CRIME.

Southland Times, Issue 14506, 26 August 1910, Page 4

The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1910. NO-L ICENSE AND CRIME.

[ Mr Austey rained an old eontro[versy when he said in the Legislative Council on Wednesday that, "while drunkenness had decreased in several districts where Xo-license had been carried, in many cases there' had been an alarming increase in the more serious classes of crime. ' The point is somewhat akin to the question whether or not No-license has been beneficial to business and public morality, but in the one .:::se we have only the evidence of individuals to guide us, while in the oti er we have the official figures, of the Police offices and Magistrate's Courts. Mr Anstey made his statements without having armed himself with authoritative figures. He could only refer to a newspaper extract some years old. The mime of the newspaper was not given, the date was no l ., given, and the disiricl referred to was not. given, li seems somewhat strange thai a member of the Council should enter upon a discussion on such a matter without carefully preparing his facts ri ;,,]. e especially as what is said in Parliament ol Xew Ze'.land is like!;. to he repeated in othei countries where liquor reform is under discussion. Such a. statement as that made by Mr Anstey, quoted with Mr Ansley's name, may be passed off as authoritative upon peoi h> who have no means ol' knowing thai Mr Ansle.v when eluillen.eed w es unable to substantiate his staleiu-'iii.; with reliable (hiails. The Journal:; ol the House cm tain oiiici;.! iviurn;-. Ironi which Air AiiSte.\ ciuild ea--il.v ha\r iiijiaiin d inl'oi niaiioii In ■arin;:. dir«-<-ll.\ upon t Inpoint he i', I:died to uriUc. 11l I'M)., ;i rt i urn w as made in Hi" 01 ,h-r of i lit - House upon Hit' million of Air iinwkins, j - i >. i: i j •. I in ■ n ti 111! i' ■ r and all <!•• I :i i!s ol eaS"S of th'Ulllo nil' ss nut! crime dealt wiih in the several Courts in Hie electoral districts of Mat aura. Chalmers, liruce and Ashbi'itun during the two years immediately preceding the introduction of Xo-license. and the two years immediately following. Xo-license was carried in these electorates at the poll of l'.i»2, and came into force nn the Ist .Inly, J fie:-!. The following figures, therefore, show the number of persons either convicted or committed for trial or sentence for the tw* years

ended ?.oth June, 1903, and for the two years immediately following that date: —

Last Session on the motion of Mr Finnan, a similar return with respect to Invercargill was made to the order of the House. No-license was carried in Invercargill at the local option poll in 190,"., and came into force, en Ist July, 190 G. The following figures, therefore, show the number of persons, either convicted or committed during the two years immediately preceding the 30th June, 1908, and the twe years immediately following:

1904-6 IAO6-S Invercargill 83!» 865 Taking the totals only it is clear that the figures do not bear out Mr A:istey's statement, but in the details there is evidence that supports them. In Invercargill, for instance, the number of cases of drunkenness in the two years immediately preceding Nolicense was 313; in the two following years the convictio'ns for drunkenness fell to IS9—a decrease of 12-1. If we omit drunkenness from the list, therefore, there is an increase in the number of convictions for all other classes of offences -of 150. To the increase the chief contributing classes of offence were by-law breaches 59, and theft 67. At our request Mr J. R. Colyer, Clerk of the Magistrate's Court, has furnished the following particulars showing the convictions in certain classes of offences for the year immediately preceding No-license and for each year since:—

In the figures relating to Ashburton, Chalmers, Bruce and Mataura we find that, comparing the two years preceding No-license with the two years immediately following, convictions for theft increased in Ashburton from 24 to 31. in Bruce from 9 to 12, and in Mataura from 15 to 18, and decreased in Chalmers of 24 to 4. Of course, it always has to be remembered that statistics such as these are just as liable to mislead as to instruct. With regard to Invercargill, for instance, Mr Hanan also obtained a return, showing where the offences that came before the Invercargill Court took place, and it was found that 213 of them were committed outside the prohibition area. Furthermore, apparently large increases may be capable of explanation, as in the case of the increase of theft in Invercargill. In a measure this increase was due to a number of cases in. which there was more than one accused, and, of course, charges were laid against one individual. Nevertheless, the criminal statistics of the no-license districts show that No-license does not appreciably diminish crime, apart from the offence of drunkenness, and that it has had little effect in this direction is proved by the increase in certain serious classes of offences, which followed upon the introduction of No-license in several electorates. It cannot be contended that these increases are due to No-license, for Nolicense is certainly not a cause of crime, but it is clearly not a preventive. It has no greater efficacy in preventing crime than it has in checking the consumption of liquor.

Uioi-:: mo:'.-". .Vsliburlon -((7 l'Ti: I'ljalrrifrs rim; Hruo* i-:!l :i1J .Muiaura -jot* :!.')-l

05-Ofi 0(5-07 07-0K Affiliation .. 12 13 20 Lunacy .... ir, IP 21 Thefi. J7 ■1.2 70 I rick .icy 1 2 4 Di'unkenness 145 113 &G