BOOTLEG LIQUOR.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 284, 4 January 1930, Page 5

BOOTLEG LIQUOR.

H. W. MILNER.

(To the Editor.) . Sir, — "Yeritas," in his letter is pos■sibly referring to liqnor advertisements and cabled news when he says we have been led to understanrl thousands have lieen poisoned, and crirae, and drunkenness have been increased by prohibition. A fttatenient associated with Dr. Norris' name stated that there had been 1565 alcoholic deaths in New York, whereas the figure was 138. Tliis city is had enough without exception, as 69 per cent of the population is foreign, and these people, _ coming from European light wine drinking couutvies, f a 11 quick victims to whisky. Jti alcoholic insanity cases 77 per cent are this foreign stock and they fonn a large percentage of alcoholic deaths also. I repeat, sir, the bogey that added poisons are responsible for the death roll, has been scientifically and officially disproved. It is largely the alcohol in pure liquor that kills just the same as it killed 60.000 per year in lic'ense davs. The alcoholic death-rate has been halved in America, whereas under Gevernment control in Canada it has nearty doubled. xllcohol is itself a- piison which has a ver.v limited use in medical practise (of 152,692 registered mechcals in the TJnited States only 33,500 take out licenses to prescribe) and the beverage use has formed an age-long prohlem, the nearest and only practical solution to which as yet is proliibition. As to oonditions under prohibition naturally breaehes of the liquor laws have increased and violation of the drug laws even rnoro so, and imprisonment for hreaking the traffic law has increased 67 per cent., but in spite of this the total for all cvinie has been reduced 37-7 per cent. A few of the details are, intoxication 55.3 per cent., disorderlv conduct 51.5 per cent., vagrancy 52.8^ per cent., larceny 53.1 per cent.. Lnited States Census Bulletin S5503A. Church membership has increased hy 3,000,000, grade school attendance increased hy 10 pea- cent., high schools hy 50 per cent. and colleges 187 per cent. Alilk consumption increased 600,000,000 gallons, and all farin produce is hetter value, including the grape industry, which improved threefold. New iusurances improved 130 per cent., while ireal estate reported 751 new honies every day for the year 1926Sinc© prohibition taxation has been reduced £2,000.000,000, the May bill, 1928, reduction being £44,000,000, while two years ago the Government actually paid back money collected from taxpayers. Finally, in reference to hootlegging under prohibition and license, this is a crime, hut under the latter it was largely ignored. Under Government control in Canada hootlegging has tremendously increased, and in New Zealand, in Ohinemuri, it increased 770 per cent. during the first two years of return to license — I am,

etc.,

Napier, January 3, 193U.