H—3B

709. The screen advertising industry has represented to us that Regulation 18 (4), quoted above, prohibits the display in any theatre of any advertisement relating to intoxicating liquor, while Regulation 18 (1) permits newspaper advertisements relating to liquor, subject to certain provisions. The industry asks that screen advertising be placed on the same basis as newspaper publicity, and has no objection to restrictions which will secure that the nature of the publicity complies with the general purpose of the restrictions on liquor advertising (R. 6068). 710. The issue raised between those who wish to restrict or abolish liquor advertising and those who wish it to be free and unrestricted is of great importance. We have already pointed out (paras. 409 and 708, supra) how the large brewery companies are ready to encourage progressive sales policies. The question is whether alcoholic liquor is a commodity in respect of which the stimulation of demand should be freely permitted or restricted or abolished, as in the Invercargill Licensing District. CHAPTER 36.—SLY-GROG SELLING 711. Sly-grog selling comprises not only the sale of liquor without a license, but the sale of liquor outside the terms of a license. The latter offence seems to be rare, but we have evidence that during the war a wholesale firm was fined for selling one bottle of liquor, and subsequently had its license suspended for six months (R. 710, 2811, and 2859). The evidence of the police shows that they expect the sale of liquor without a license to occur at any time anywhere within the country (R. 900 and 1152). 712. The Commissioner of Police gave the following returns of convictions for the following offences (R. 338): —

713. The figures for 1939 to 1944 inclusive are for the war years. There were fewer servicemen in the country in 1944. The convictions for selling or exposing liquor for sale without a license in 1944 were only three-fifths of the number in 1943, but the convictions for supplying liquor to Natives in proclaimed districts in 1944 were half as many again as in 1943. 714. The sly-grog seller has many and easy sources of supply (R. 1152). He may buy legitimately from brewers, wholesale merchants, or publicans. He may send an order to any of these vendors in any part of New Zealand and receive a parcel of liquor addressed to himself, either through a carrier or through an " agency " or through the C.O.D. system of the New Zealand Railways. He may give such an order in his own name or in a fictitious name. He may give one order in his own name and other orders in a fictitious name or names. In this way he may double or treble his supply at any one time (R. 854 and 857). The sly-grogger may also obtain his supplies from home brew. There is police evidence that a great deal of sly-grog comes from home brew. 715 During the war steps were taken by the Customs Department to prevent wine-stills at Henderson from being used for the supply of illegal spirit (R. 2916). Some spirits for unlawful sale came from illicit stills in Auckland and Wellington, and one was also found in Christchurch in 1944 (R. 1316). 716. Various classes of the community engage in sly-grog selling. Mostly they are Europeans, but Maoris, Hindus, and Dalmatians also operate.

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— 1935. 1936. 1937. 1938. 1939. 1940. 1941. 1942. 1943. 1 1944. 1 (1) Selling or exposing liquor for sale 63 134 167 107 158 175 100 225 403 242 without a license (2) Supplying liquor to Natives in pro34 60 98 139 138 176 265 297 246 364 claimed districts