WEST AUSTRALIA'S STATE HOTEL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13429, 21 March 1907, Page 3

WEST AUSTRALIA'S STATE HOTEL.

Senator Pearce, one of the Labour loaders of Australia, speaking on the subject of temperance reform, and in advocating the nationalisation of the liquor traffic, said he had stayed on a Saturday and Sunday at the Stateowned hotel of Gwalia. The manager of it was paid a good salary, and had no interest in adulterating liquors or in trading during prohibited hours. The hotel was for public convenience only, just like a railway station. There was! no more incentive to make a man drink beer than for a stationmaster to make people buy railway tickets. There was. no sign of drunkenness about the town, and when a man was inclined to drink more than he could afford, or than was good for him, all that was needed to keep him right was for his wife to speak to the manager of the hotel, and the barman then received instructions that So-and-so was to be served only with two long <beers a day — one going on his shift and one coming off. The men called this being' placed ' ' under the Dog Act.!* (Laughter.) The men I knew how it was done, but no one out- | side the complainant, the 1 manager, and j the barman, was informed of who were "on the listj" except by a proscribed one himself, when 1 he lectured others on their disgusting intemperance in calling fof more thaji two drinks a day. (Laughter.) Cards and billiards were played at this hotel without drinking and without gambling. On the Sunday he was there a football match attracted the whole population to the neighbourhood of the hotel, and not a single drink was asked for.

In conclusion, he said the Gwalia State Hotel kept a superior table, provided excellent bedroom accommodation, and the liquor, it supplied was pure. Its manager regarded himself as having been placed ,by the State as a guardian of the people who would not give them poison tor drink, nor allow them to abuse the privilege of obtain- 1 ing pure liquor. The ". boosing " industry was second in importance only to the goldmining one in Western Australia. In Kalgoorlie alone there were 32 hotels in one street, rented at from £10 to £40 per week. The Swan Brewery had paid 17$ per cent, dividends ever since its inception, and it contributed £100 to help in the fight against the Labour party. The Gwalia State Hotel, after paying all expenses, cleared a profit of £3000 per annum out of pure liquors. What, then, must private enterprise be making gut of adulturated liquors. He would like to see the liquor traffic abolished altogether, but as that was impossible at present it should be made the property of the people. (Hear, hear.)