No»lloense In Ashburton*;

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11645, 24 August 1905, Page 5

No»lloense In Ashburton*;

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — Re your leading, article of the 16th instant, in which you quote the Lytfcelton Times' special commissioner's report on no-license, I may say, as an. ex-Ashburton-.*, . ite, that it is a wrong and biassed report. The Commissioner states that 15,600 tbot^ ties have been collected by bottle-gatherers in the past five and a half months. What. do they prove? Nothing. They undoubtedly have been the accumulation of years, and it is absolutely impossible for anyone to prove that the contents of those marvellous and interesting bottles have been consumed in the five and 'a half -months referred to. The bottle story without that proof is worthless. Sir, I defy the' Lyttel-, ton Times reporter or anyone else to saythat there is more- drink sold in Ashbur-j ton' under no-license than license.' " The" Commissioner goes ■ on to say that trade has been unaffected by no-license. Sir, I say trade has been affected, for every business in Ashburton has increased by leaps and bounds. He goes on to say that- the'" town is free from drunkenness; and crime* has -diminished. I may say here that the ' Commissioner is forced in. this-case'pto''* give a true report, because' figures have beaten him. Can the Commissioner, under' this evidence say that No-license has dot' done Ashburton good; and how- canJie have, the nerve to say that more drink" "is scat-" tered over Ashburton now than before^ No-license 2 The Commissioner does "not"', give any proof that this is the- case, and' there are two very important facts 'which' show us that it is an untrue report.. Firstly, the above fact that drunkenness: has disappeared, and secondly, if it-is" true that more drink goes into Ashburton. now than under license why are the liquor traders straining every nerve to the utmost to prevent a similar state of affairs occurring elsewhere? Why are' the other." party employing three or four men., to,speak against No-license if No-license only adds to the volume of their trade? The Commissioner goes on to state that, there is a lot of sly-grog selling, going on. We know it is so, but how are the sly-grog ' shops conducted? He describes one as a. greasy room, conducted by a slatternly woman and a dirty man, and in another shop they had to draw the cork from. a. bottle by the light of a cigarette. -Sir, " - I ask you, would any decent man 1 go into t places like that. No, it is only the old >! - fellows who will frequent these filthy denß,>V and the younger people will know nothing about the drink evil- at all, for they would : not think of going to such a, place to disgrace themselves. — I am, etc, " , SAMUEL W. KERNdHAN. .T