THE EDITOR AND THE IMP.

White Ribbon, Volume 43, Issue 513, 18 July 1938, Page 1

THE EDITOR AND THE IMP.

“Good morning, my Editor, ><»u are late this momng, are you not? What have you l**en doing?" • Well, my Imp,l’ve ln*en studying the report of the activities of Dominion | ire vs cries for last year, as it is published in last night's paper, and I must say it was a most illuminating document." '‘Tell me what light you received from it , study? What impressed you most?" “In regard to the past I was impressed with the wonderful growth and success at ttie company since it was started eight years ago. Then 1 noted its wonderful organisation for the present and the enormous Increase of business during last year. lastly their taitli in future expansion, and their preparation f<»r it was an eye-opener as to what faith and preparation can do." “It’s rather a big programme. D*t's take it in parts. What of Its past growth?" “Well, in its own words, ‘from modest beginnings it has developed year h> year until it is in fact a Dominion organisation.’ It claims to serve the public in all the more populous parts of New Zealand with the best accommodation procurable, but it also promotes and maintains its large trade as brewers and wine and spirit merchants.” “And for the present How do they stand to-day?" “In every centre of note there is a Itominion Breweries house where the company's products are procurable in the company’s own hotels, or at hotels serviced by the company. The accounts for the year l>alance at a total of £180.767. compared with the previous year's total of £292,636. The gross profit earned was £148.192. The previous year the gross profit was only £97.618. The net profit earned was £11,257. Shareholders had received a dividend of 10%.’’ “My! Why don’t the (Jovernment stop that? I thought interest was to be reduced to 4 or 41%. E’eople will rush brewery shares with an interest of 10%. But what of the future?" “Like the fool told of by the Divine Master, they are building new breweries, otic Is nearing completion, and enlarging

their plant and expect to increase its present output by at least 4,000,000 gallons per annum." “(lee u hi7'/' the folks must drink mum Iteer!*’ ‘Take note of these figures. In 193.*) the Drink Bill was £6,187,943; in 1936 It was £7,545,731; and in 1937 it reached tho total of £8,702,553. And note also that the Government collects over £2,300 a DAY in beer duty, and out of this amount N.Z. Breweries contributed last year approximately £1,915 a day.’ “Oh; Isn't it a problem! We’ve got to fight capitalism really and truly if we wart to abolish the liquor trade." “We have. There are shareholders who are drawing their 10%, and naturally they won’t vote out a trade giving such Interest on their capital. Then there is the Government receiving enormous beer duty as well as customs duties on spirits (enormously increased) and they needing money badly are not anxious to close dowm such a gold mine." “Don’t you think the Government are not so much to blame? The people have a referendum and can vote the Trade out at any triennial poll.’’

“lad us look at the other side. We’vt seen the credit (financially), think ol the debit side (financial)) only), and realise our hospital rates mounting, Child Wefare, Justice and Pensions Department. and note that all authorities agree that drinking causes an enormous proportion of these costs." "Of course, and then there is the waste of life and ruin of manhood, national character our most valuahh asset deteriorated by alcohol." "Now you have said it. The license of the liquor liar means the license to sell a narcotic poison, alcohol, pronounced by the medical profession as the greatest source of deterioration of physique and character.’* “And they reckon 4,000,000 more gallons this year. Who is drinking it?" “Well, the daily papers tell that. First, men crowding hotel bars on Saturday morning, ami even after 6 p.m. Law broken and our Maori brothers and sisters supplied with poison. Much has been said of the drinking at dances, so 1 will not stress this. It has l**en pointed out how harmful this is to morality and how it degrades the young w ho are the parents of our future race. But the young men are drinking. Years ago, Sir Edgar Sanders said to brewers. ‘We must face the position that the majority of our customers an* middle-aged men. We must cultivate the drinking habit among thousands and millions of young men who have never known the taste of beer.’ “Judging by our papers with their court reports the> have succeeded in winning youth. And the Christian community looks on unmoved and votes for Continuance. That seems to be true. Take these few cases from the Dominion Press. “In Wellington, young men amused themselves by letting cars run down a hill and their lawyer said that they were crazy with drink. “Three young men were charged with discharging firearms. The report show - ed that they belonged to a country town and had lieen farewelling one of their number. Their GUEST went to the hotel after hours and got a demijohn of beer; when that was finished they got

another. As a wind-up to the party they repaired to the foreman’s home to give him a »care —and fired shots over his home. Result —police sent for, young men prosecuted a* was also the publican.” “This, my dear chief, is the beer, glorious l>eer —which they sing about over the radio?” “It is, and if young men continue to wallow in this glorious beer, then “lrabod" will Is* written over our history. The glory will depart from the I trttlsh Km pi re. “Hut listen. I’ve not finished yet. “Two youths in Christchurch stood to receive sentence fur robbery with violence. His Honour said: ‘You are in danger of flogging. This is a particularly grave crime; one of the gravest.' One of the hoys was 17 years old anti his lawyer said: 'They have l**en aide to gel drink with surprising facility. When arrested they had several liottles of whisk\ m tlie car. Hoys of such age. taking whisky, would probably get full of ‘hutch courage' and do things the> s do Sentenced to 1 torstui for not more than three years. “On tin* same day three young men stood together in the dock to receive sentence for breaking and entering a warehouse, and theft. “After drinking at an hotel they had gone to a brewery and stolen two crates of l»eer. " ‘What is the use of a prohibition order with publicans of this sort in the city?’ asked Mr. Justice Northcroft. •Two of these three prisoners are under 21, yet they were able to go into an hotel after hours, and . . . drink themselves stupid. Would publicans of that sort respect a prohibition order?’ “The three were placed on probation for three years, and ordered to take out prohibition orders for that period. “ ‘I cannot display any leniency. This and other courts will not tolerate conduct where drunken individuals are in charge of such dangerous machines as cars,’ said Mr. K. (' la*vvey, S.M., when sentencing a young man. aged 20, to imprisonment with hard labour for three months, and cancelling his driving license for five years. “The accused had been before the court in 1934. and 1b36, for intoxication in charge of a motor vehicle. ‘Two of this young man's companions, aged lit ani 20. were each fined £lO, in default thirty days’ imprisonment for conversion of a car “All three had previously i**en dealt with in tin .‘npreme Court, as indicated al*>ve.” “I ma> is* an Imp of evil, but 1 would not ha\e the conscience of a Dominion Brewery shareholder for the wealth of a Rothschild. Tney are proud of the advance in trade, more beer to be made and sold. I>o you think they are equally proud of the results of this increase?” “A solemn thought— whut will they say to the Saviour of men when he jioins to these youths and cries, ‘See. here the images ye have made of Me.’ ”