TEN O'CLOCK CLOSING ALSO HAS A "SWILL"

White Ribbon, Volume 31, Issue 3, 1 July 1959, Page 1

TEN O'CLOCK CLOSING ALSO HAS A "SWILL"

Increase In Associated Crime and Juvenile Delinqency Ernest H. J. Steed, of Sydney, noted writer and speaker, the Executive rctary oi the Australasian Temperance Society, whose activities extend to New Zealand, Executive secretary of the Society for the Prevention of Alcoholism, a member of the Australian Institute of Public Relations, is well as holding other official positions in Australia, recently addressed largi audiences in 'his country. Mr Steed is quoted as follows: "You nia> hear much and read mueh about the advantages <>t 10 o'clock closing in .Australia, l>ut I can assure you the roseate picture painted is far from the 'ruth. After an intensive survey over six weeks, i am satisfied that what you people, here, call the five t<> six "swill", has become the { ).M) t<> 10 p.m. "swill in Australia. "There has been a substantial increase in the number <>f y<»ung people drinking in hotels and in the number of women in hotels As a result of this, there has been a great increase in juvenile delinquency, a heavy increase in cases of drunkenness and crime associated with it. "1 have a letter from the city coroner in Sydney, Mr Letts, and in it, he >tate> unequivocally, that SEVEN out of every TEN DEATHS, which he i- called upon to investigate, are due in greater or lesser degree to ALO )1 [OL. M Dr Alan Stoller, Melbourne, definitely stated that alcohol is a major contributing factor, in the increasing number of cases of mental sickness and that Alcoholism ranks fourth in the contributary causes of ,i rapidly increasing health problem. Admittedly, there has been a decrease over recent months in the consumption of liquor, because the Australian Commonwealth Government imposed a sllti excise duty on it. If you curtail the availability of liquor, making it difficult to procure, then drinking must decrea Family Life Affected "We believe it i> important t<. make availability difficult, but we believe more strongly in educating against the insidious dangers in alcoholic liquor. Since we have had 10 o'clock closing—and I will challenge anyone to prove otherwise —there has been a noticeable breaking Up of home and family life and our young people are being led into a habit pregnant with appalling consequences. New Zealand is being ted a lot of propaganda on hotel hours and her people are being told of the potential of tourism. If tourists want to come here, they will come in any case, and I may assure you that many Australians come here to get away from the drunkenness m our streets late at night."