"WOWSER” PARADISE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 109, 12 May 1942, Page 4

"WOWSER” PARADISE

FUTURE CF NEW ZEALAND LOWER ALCOHOLIC BEER CONTENT Wellington. May 11. Apprehension about th? effect 1 upon the people of the lowering; of .he alcoholic content of the beer, • ' together with the increase in iS price, was expressed by the Hon. I'. G. Young (Auckland) in the Leg.s--1 j lative Council on Saturday afternoon. “I feel that the Government - i has gone too far in this matter,” he •aid, “and I am sorry to say it. but I do believe there will be serious ’ repercussions. "According lo some people the ob« ’ iecl of this war is lo mnk° New land a paradise for the 'wowser, said Mr. Young. “That seems to, be ' *heir sole objective." He said Hi t ’ New Zealand beer would definitely • ” the weakest in the world. The Hon. W. Perry (Wellington) ' agreed that consumers would resent ‘ th"' higher price and the lower alcnonWit of the beer. He sa 1 ‘ that investigations made in Englart and Wales during th n last war shn vi rd that these two factors were responsible for a lowering of the moral* 1 )f tht Mr. Perry and Mr. Young were replying to what the former as “a violent attack on the use of as a beverage and on th” licensed trade ns a whole” in a speech bv the Hon. J. K. Archer (Cantcr- ' burv). Mr. Archer con gm tula led the Government on what it had done about b°er Ho condemned the lifiuor industry for its high profits and for after-hour trndine. and snnke of th -1 snroad of drinking, both among civilians and soldiers. Tn ChF■•♦church, ho said, ho had seen hundreds of voung soldiers who wore becoming “victims nf this diabolical traffic.” Current advertising of th° licensed trade ho described as “hypocrisy, bumbug. and cant of the lowest possible type.” The occasion of the discussion was the introduction of the Customs A rt ls Amendment Bill, which was nut through ail stages and passed, as also the War Damage Amendment Bill.