NO-LICENSE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13797, 31 October 1908, Page 7

NO-LICENSE.

CRDIE IN ASHBURTON. Mil. BRUNTNELL IN REPLY. In his address last night Mr. Bruntnell rei erred to an advertisement published in the local papers (signed by "Absolute Facts") in which he was contradicted in his use of figures regarding Ashburton. The figures quoted by his opponent referred only to the period since no-license came into force there. It would have been interesting if his opponent had quoted figures referring to tho period prior to no-license. His opponent had written that he (Mr. Bruntnell) said there were 91 convictions for drunkenness in 1903. His opponent was a year out. He said 1902. In that year, too, there were also 26 convictions tor excessive drunkenness. Why had not "Absolute Facts " published the figures for the last five or six jcars before no-liceiibe was carried? He challenged the Liquor Party to produce the statistics for the last lew years under_ license without revealing to the public what a splendid decrease there had been in drunkenness. In the last year of license in Ashburton there were 446 convictions of all kinds ; in the first year ot no-license there were 272 — a decrease oi 174.