Candid Comments

White Ribbon, Volume 31, Issue 3, 1 July 1959, Page 6

Candid Comments

By Citiien

An interesting visitor to our country has been Mr E. H. J. Steed, the Secretary of the Australian Temperance Society, irllO gave us some valuable information on tlie results of 10 p.m. closing in W He Htyt that there has been a new race of drinkers, women and youth, and that in many suburban hotels, there are now two ills"—one uist before the tea break and the other just before closing for the night In one city Court, for all criminal cases in .. month, Alcohol played a part in 285 and no part in only 12. New Zealand's alcoholism figures were similar to those of Sydney, at present, so the country would be "in a fix" if it had 10 p.m closing Mr Steed considered there should be a greater education on the real effect of alcohol in Society This is something the VV C.T IV always advocating * ♦ ♦ The same newspaper that reported the fact of 27,000 alcoholics in N Z.. announced that wet canteens would be established in territorial camps ;ind also reported that a young Englishman, who had killed a policeman, when he had been incited by licni >r, was to be hanged. Who is to blame ? The young man, the friends who encouraged him to drink of celebrate his wedding anniversary, the retailer, the wholesaler of liquor, the Government that license- its sale, or the folk who are 100 apathetic to make a protest ; * * * The Anti-Vice Bill Pitted by the British House of Commons is interesting Regular prostitutes have been carrying on their trade with no greater risk than | fine of £2 I'nder this Bill, they may be fined up to £25 or be sent to prison for a maximum peiiod of 3 months, if convicted of soliciting on the streets for a third time It was said that in 1957, "lit 13,(X<) Convictions, 1.720 or \2\ per cent were against girls of 17 to 21. The persons who deserve heavy punishment arc thotC who trap young girls into this way of life, and who run houses of ill-fame and particular')-, the despicable men, who live on the earnin. these unfortunate girls. It is surprising to hear sometimes of women who should know better, arguing that there is a necessity for prostitutes and yet none of these women would want their run daughters to be the prostitutes. * * * BIGGEST CAUSE We learn that iICOhoJ is the biggest single cause of mental illness and that 40 per cent of men in mental hospitals are there because of alcohol. This is what srai Itid recently by Dl E C Dtflt, the Chairman of the Mental Hygiene Authority of Victoria, Australia, when being interviewed on i Melbourne Television programme

"God never does, nor suffers to l>e done, Rut, you, yourself, would do, If you could see The end of all events as well as He."

Iff J Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI ot America, has asked Hollywood to loft pedal on films glorifying crime He speaks of opportunistic elements in the motion picture industry, appearing >e dedicated to the pursuit of profits above all else Mr Hoover mentioned only one picture, "Bain Face Nelson", who was one of America's best known criminals The excuse is often made that such films have a deterrent effect, but the Opposite has been proved by court cases where young people have admitted the influence of film-

>peaking ot films, while we enjoyed "The Ten Commandments" as I magnificent spectacle, surely it should have been given another n.me! in a film H hours, then not time to read the 0 'tnmandinents in full. It would have been a good thing to have had them read slowly and distinctly, as so many people are quite hazy in regard to know e oi them. And why alter the Bible stor good story to film would be that of Joseph and ■is brethren, but the trouble would be, that a producer would make the part al>out Potiphar's wife the central part of the film'

\ weekly paper, which is pressing for liberalised liquor laws, contains weekly, many accounts of criminal ofiences in which alcohol has been a con tributing factor. Taken over a year, these make an appalling list and are evidence that liquor laws should b c tightened up and not liberalised The daily papers are in the same position In city ones, which are also pressing tor further drinking facilities, not a day passes without some olTence which has been caused through drink We might well wonder why papers, that publish such dej sing ttmeS, should want to increase opportunitie these offences, but then one remembers that liquor interests are bitf advertisers