METHYLATED SPIRITS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 19, 20 May 1912, Page 4

METHYLATED SPIRITS.

The recently-made statements to the oficK't feat methylated spirits is us< :i in considerable quantities by d:ps.v maniacs arc surprising liut apparently quite true. In Christehurcii the la -to has grown so much that Mr ii. \V. Bishop, S.M. ami City Coroner, reports an enormous development of "t(ithabit wit'l'.u'n tiic last few yearn. "A 1 0113 time," he says, "il was very seldom heard of, but nor,- hardly a day passes liut I have some degenerate up before me who show? unmistakable signs of the fact that he is addicted to this insane indulgence. Its murderous effects are fairly well known, and it is unnecessary for me to go into them, but there is no doubt that it spells the ruin of anyone who take;; to it." in referring to the practice of'drinking methylated spirits as "an insane indulgence," the Christchurcli

Coroner appears to be quite supported by medical evidence, for in one of Die cases referred to, it was testified that "the habit causes fibrous degeneration and drives the subject mud." Enquiries made by the Christchurca "Star" confirm the opinion of Mr Bishop as to the wide and increasing prevalence of the evil. Auckland also appears to have its increasing share of victims to the habit, and we presume that in other places the evil thiing proceeds also. ' The question is, how to cheek the practice? Wellington "Post" points out one curious fact: it is that while the sale of methylated spirits is, of course, not governed by the Licensing Act, it is, strange to say, much less strictly regulated in New Zealand than in ,the United Kingdom, where a penalty of £IOO is provided for any person selling methylated spirits between 10 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. on the following Monday. The enactment of a similar clause here would relieve the Christchurcli chemists of a good deal of embarrassing pressure. The remedy proposed by the Minister of Customs

would be still more effective, as it would apply at all times. Methylated spirits are already supposed to be made unpalatable, but they are not sufficiently so to repel the man in whom the craving for alcohol has become an overmastering passion. By substituting pyridine for mineral naphtha as one of the ingredients, Mr Laurenson believes that even the most depraved taste will he scared off. The experiment is at any rate well worth trying.