NO-LICENSE DISTRICTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2348, 14 November 1908, Page 4

NO-LICENSE DISTRICTS.

RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION.

Mr. W. D. Lysnar and the Rev. F.* W. Chatterton'announce .the following results of the accountant* investigations: “In accordance with our agreement, we have submitted certain questions to- two accountants to investigate, and they are agreed on the following facts, which we have pleasure m certifying to as reliable and duly authenticated facts for the information ol this electorate: — (1) Rateable value of Ashburton Borough——£22,627, 1902 (year before no-license) Ashburton —.025,080, 1206 Gisborne £35,000, 1902 Gisborne —£50,590, 1902 ough only) Balclutha —£5470* 1894 (year be-

fore no-license) Balclutha —£5394 ; 1903 (Change of rating to unimproved values) Balclutha—£29,l69, 1904 . Balclutha—£29,2l6, 1906 -(Not from. Year Book) (2) Quantity of liquor lor the whom Dominion.: —

1902—8,109,354 gallons 1906—9,390,904 gallons (Increase of 1,281.550 gallons) ' Total no-license. vote" for whole Dominion, 1902 v ; 151,524 1905 f 198, 7 69 (Increase of 47,244 for no-license) (3) Gisborne Custom House and Harbour Board returns for year ending 30th June, 1908, for total liquor imported into and l brewed in Gisborne, 212,299 gallons. Invercargill Custom House returns only to June 30fchj 1908, for total liquor, 190,3944 gallons. (This includes beer manufactured at two local breweries).

Invercargill Custom House returns two years prior to no-license, 325,755 gallons. Do., for two years since nolicense, 366,496 gallons. Both sets of figures include * whut is manufactured within the areas. _ These figures do not include any colonial beer shipped to Invercargill from other parts of the colony, if any. Owing to the fact that according to section 147, subsection (!«') of the 1908 Licensing Act any resident of a no-license district can bring into such district one quart; of spirits or wine and one gallon of beer without notification, there is an unknown quantity brought in through this source. IVe attach hereto, marked “A,” the Parliamentary return showing the amount of liquor sent into the nolicense districts, and notified under section 5 of the- Act of 1904, covering the whole period since no-license was carried in the different electorates up to June, 1908. (4) Ashburton's No-liceuse Vote in 1902 wag ... 2870 Continuance ... ... 1734 Majority for Iso-license ... 1186 In 1905 Restoraton .- - 2663... No-license ... 245 S Majority for Restoration ... -M5 This shows that 671 voters changed from No-license to Continuance. (5) Unable to authenticate particulars of crime. (6) The percentage of New Zealand born convicted of drunkenness in 1900 was 17 per cent., and 83 per cent, was not New Zealand born. (7) Total conviction for first offenders for last year or the best five years, we have been unable to obtain any record of. (8) It is impossible to show how much of the a moun t of liquor included in the Invercargill Customs passes into the adjoining licensed electorates of Wallace, Wakatipu, and Avarua, in addition to Invercargill and the No_ license electorate of Mat aura. but Mr Chattsrton claims that Invercargill is the_ chief distributing centre for al these electorates. Similarly it is impossible to say what amount included in Gisborne returns supplies the electorates of Gisborne and Bay of Plenty. Dated at Gisborne this" 12th day of November, 190 S. W. DOUGLAS LYSNAR. F. W. CHATTERTON.

Attached statement A sets out Parliamentary return showing the amount of alcoholic liquor sent in (in accordance with section 5 of the Licensing Act Amendment Act 1804 to the Licensing districts of Invercargill, Oamara, and Ashburton since 110-license came into force in those district■:

Invercargill: Total beer and spirits. 123,925 2-3 gal. Ouraani: 29,196gaL 37,766 bottles. 8 barrels, 612 cases, 1 keg, 1 jar, 1.8 hogsheads, and 167 flasks. Ashburton : 102,982=} gallons. 3330 bottles, S7SS cases.—C. B. Jordan, Acting-llnder-Secretarv, Department Justice, Wellington, 2olk August, 1908.