Page 21 Advertisements Column 2

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 973, 29 October 1908, Page 21

[PUBLISHED BY ARRANGEMENT.] THE iSMUG FARCE OF PROHIBITION. (" Lyttelton Times,” 29/9/’O8.) In spite of the fairy tales glibly told by travelling Australians, who know little or nothing of the conditions prevailing in New .Zealand, and seem io. care less, so long as they are able to convey to the unthinking that no-license restrains the drinking habits of the people, it is a fact that not the slightest diminution in the drink bill is effected. The prohibition areas are doing then share, notwithstanding the feverish anxiety of the prohibition faction to oguise the obvious fact. A Government return, furnished to the order oi Mr. Arnold, M.P., shows that since no-license was carried in the several districts named, the declared quantities of liquor sent in and consumed were -as follows:— ASHBURTON.—IO2,9B7 gallons of beer; 18,131 gallons of spirits. 0AMARU.—29,196 gallons of beer and spirits; 37,766 bottles of beer and spirits; 8 barrels and 18 hogsheads of beer; 564 cases of spirits; 48 cases of beer and porter; 167 flasks of spirits. INVERCARGILL.—II4,672 gallons of beer; 7131 gallons of spirits (In two years). These are the quantities that were declared, fn all of these district hundreds of gallons of spirits and thousands of gallons of beer are brougk in by residents in small quantities that need not be declared, and vast quantities are smuggled in every day. No-license drives the trade underground, but does not curtail it. A MOTHER’S APPEAL. The following letter, which appeared In the “Ashburton Guardian" of September 19th, 1908, speaks for itself:— SUNDAY DRINKING. (To the Editor.) Sir, —Kindly give me space in your paper, and, with your permission, to answer the remarks of “ Silver Pen ” regarding Sunday drinking. When Mr. Davis said in the Court that there was a good deal of drinklxi e going on on Sundays, he spoke the truth. Now, sir, I will give you my experience of Sunday drinking. It was my son that was before the Court last Monday; that is the second time that the police have run my boy in on a Sunday. It is six years ago since my boy came into Ashburton from Tinwald. to learn his trade. He was then fourteen years old, and he had never tasted Intoxicating drink up to then. He is now twenty years old, and has been up before the Court twice for drunkeness. Once I sent for the police and had a sly grog shop raided on a Sunday, when my boy was there all day; and how many times he has been brought home to me drunk I could not tell you—numberless. And all this takes place in the No-license town of Ashburton. Now, Sir, I will give you my boy’s own words about the sly grog shops of Ashburton. When he came home on Monday I asked him if he would tell me where he gets the drink from. He said No; but he said he could get drink at forty places in Ashburton; and my boy is worse on Sundays than any day in the week. The No-license people will say far better twenty or thirty sly grog shops than one licensed bar. Shame on them. They have not been put to the test the same as I have, or they would not talk like that, for the sly grog shops are a curse to Ashburton. No doubt the No-license people think they are doing a grand thing for the young people, and I glory in their efforts, but they would be doing a far better thing if they would advocate “No License, No Liquor.’ I have been wishing that someone far sbler than lam would have taken this matter up. Thanking you kindly, T am, THE BOY’S MOTHER. [Mr. Davis is Mayor of Ashburton.]