TEMPTATIONS TO DRINK IN NO-LICENSE AREAS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 5920, 8 October 1910, Page 4

TEMPTATIONS TO DRINK IN NO-LICENSE AREAS.

MR DAY'S REMARKS DISCUSSED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. WELLINGTON, Oct. 5. In the Legislative Council this alter noon, lion. George Jones asia-d the Minister of Justice whether the experience of i. oliee Inspectors justiiied the r teal remarks by Mr Day, 5..-i., ... there are more temptations to vlrink ill no-lkeuse areas; that liquor is Kept in every house ; and that there ate niorQ opportunities i<jr secret drinking by dipsomaniacs. Mr Jones said he had no doubt Mr Day did not mean all he said. There were a good, many, schemes afoot to defeat the law in no-license districts, but whatever the 'defects of no-licenso might be, no district where it obtain ed desired to go back upon it. The Hon. J)r Eindlay said he had communicated with various police Inspectors, Inspector Keily, of Christchurch, thought that prohibition was a failure. Inspectors Ellison, of Wellington, O'Brien, of Dunedin, and Guillen, of A'ucKland, ttisagreed win m\ Day's remarks, and Inspector Mitchell of Invercargili, favoured the open bar, with abolition of shouting and barmaids. Dr Eindlay then read a stateme" sliow-iiny the amount of -liquor sent into no-license districts during the !»i«t year, the. totals being ':-Becr, 200,205 gallons : spirits, 23,271 galons, 35,94-4 bottles, and 020 cases. Invercargili consumed the greatest cfiianta-tdes both hi beer and sipirits the figures being 2,733 gallons of beer, ami 4530 gallons of whisky. ti r , • octl 6 ' _ tne ligurcs relating to the consuniptu.m. of 'ii llol ' in no-license areas, as ofiicially registered, which were o-iven ny Dr EmcllajV, m the Jjogj.sliutive Council yesterday, .have caused a good deal of comment. .No-license advocates in Parliament have been busy, and this afternoon Mr T. E. Taylor made a statement on the subjeci a reporter. He mentioned that tho

total population of the twelve nolicenso areas in New Zealand wan 114,281. The liquor consumed in them, according to JJr Tindiay's figures, amounted to 293,314 gallons annually, or an average consumption of two gallons per head, According to the. latest census returns the popu latum of the rest of New Zealand, twelve no-license areas, was 855,715, and the consumption per head (according to official figures was 12 gallons. Jt would .therefore, be.n seen that, the difference of consumption of liquor in licensed and no-licensed areas was about 10 .rations per head. "These figures," added Mr Taylor, "will-give a very good idea why the liquor interests are° so bitterly opposed to the extension of no-license, They furnish also a stiiking refutation of the repaitid &t: tcmcnt that more liquor Is ci r.= mrd m no-liconse districts than in tiis t cti under license. Suppose that twice the quantity of liquor wis e.m.r.inied in no-license areas, tUat is ' I "cially registered, then Ihe conbast \ (uld simply be gallons as against 12 gallons. In some iio-tuwasc at"?as ; not in contact with 'licenced '.,>.pfts, fu.h as for instance :S Clutha, the emsumption amounted i" <.'•'> about one gallon iper capita." Asked about the nii'.ii." this s?tornoon, the Eev. J. liowson, spc-rcviiy of Iho New Zealand A'l'ancr, Motcd that the no-license ww ■'•,;».■ t f« going exhaustively into the matter and would furnish full compa?: ■. J i"'e Pg'ies shortly.