DEALING WITH DRUNKS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3109, 4 January 1911, Page 2

DEALING WITH DRUNKS.

AMERICAN MAGISTRATE’S SCHEME.

Considerable attention lias been directed in New York lately to the reclamation of drunkards, as it is beginning to be realised that prohibition laws are quite useless for the purpose. The method adopted by Mr. Fred 1 Van Liew, a Police Court Magistrate at Des Moines, lowa, is wortny of mention. When a drunk is brought before him in his magisterial capacity, he inflicts a nominal fine on the first offender and hands the money over to the culprit’s wife, or in the case of a young unmarried man living at home, to bis patents. Mr. Van Liew inquires into every case with a human interest, and where he has to deal with the “regular”— the man who makes a practice of spending most or his week’s pay in the saloons as soon as he gets itU-he insists on a weekly report. Every Saturday afternoon the probationer has to report himself at the court, and in the magistrate’s presence lias to hand over his money to his wife. The offender has to sign an agreement to obey the judge’s instructions when lie is first charged. The penalty for attempting to regain possession of the wages from his wife, or any other breach of the magistrate’s regulations, is 30 days’ work street cleaning, Mr. Van Liew being of opinion that they are better employed oil useful municipal woi'k than consorting with criminals in a gaol.