The Daily Alaska empire., 1927-11-17
ONTARIO'S EXPERIENCE UNDER
 NEW LAW.


 The net revenue from Governmental l.quor stores of Ontario in the five months of the r operations under the new law. are expected to total about s45O0000 or S1,000,0oo mere than Government statsticians had estimated for the period The gross revenue from June to October inclusive was between $11,000,00o and sl2,- 000000 Last year, under the old Government dispensary plan, sales for the entire year were approximately S1000000.
 ontario the wealthest and most populons oi the Canadian Provinces, after 10 years of pro hibition changed to the sale of liquor rom Government operated and controlled stores last May Permits are issued at S2 each to would he customers In the first five months of the new system more than 28o00o customers paid their fees: nevertheless the law is administered by officials who profess they would be better pleased if the Governments monopoly on the 1iouor business showed no financial profit. Tor onto judges and police es.cals report there mas been no increase in the number of arrests and convictions for drunkenness since the new law went into effect D. B. Hanna, Chairman of the Board of Liquor Control for the Province anu who is in position to know whereof ne speahs, is authority for the statement that one or the most noticeable results of the new system Ia been a reversal in the attitude toward the boot ,erger Those who, as customers, once con tributed to the booteggers support, are now ald- ing the Government to suppress the traffic. 
 Said MT. Hanna:
 Customers of bootleggers had q con
 tempt for the prohibition law and they
 did everything in their power to pro
 feet the sources of their liquor supply.
 Practically none of them would become
 informers. but on the contrary, they
 did all in their power to protect boot
 leggers. they violators or the law together. This state Of analrs ere
 ated a menace to the Government
 Tn those who are familiar with conditions in this country, who have watched the worKihss of prohibition machinery and enforcement iaii- ures and have with alarm the spread ol disresnect not only for the Prohibition law but other laws MT. Hannas words might have been spoken of Prohibition United States
 And in his further words can be recogh'Heu an old, old story:
 Many of the well meaning and gen
 erally sincere reformers constantly
 charged that the Government could en-
 force prohibition if it wanted 10, put
 did not want 1t enforced ihis' ol
 course was ridiculous; but many good
 people accepted it as true. on-
 fortunately these good people could not
 see the great and growing illicit nquor
 hnsness which was carried on surrepu-
 tiously and they refused to believe the
 conditions were so bad. Now, uhaer
 liouor control, the business is done III
 the open and some of these good people
 are shocked because they see It.
 Now persons once patrons of the illicit deal arg buy from the Government. They nave changed their viewpoint on the bootlegger evil MT Hanna depicts it in this manner
 We well know that the very great
 majority of people are lawabiding ana
 natriotic; but great element among
 the people, who were otherwise ia"apiu
 inr citizens had contempt Tor the
 nrohibtion law and the officers appoint
 ed to enforce it. Being law-abiding citi-
 vans for the most part. these same
 former customers of the bootieggers are
 now aiding us. in their acts anu eonoue''
 in enforcing the present law; they now
 refuse or most of them do, to pro
 tect the bootlegger and secret saloon or
 so-called drug stores" that had become
 rothinp hut saloons, in communities
 where public sentiment stood back or
 them Now am informed, that
 most of these drugstore saloons nave been dsmantled.
 ortario tried prohibition for 10 years and ~;,d r,s failure was not more pronounced a.t.r it has been in the United States It ls doubtfnl if Ontario ever in it's palmiest prohbi stion days knew anything like the speakeasie' which have become an established institution II Y <,nost of the larger cities i'll the United states Five months of Government control, While to' short period to entirely wipe out prohipiuoi conditions. have been sufficiently long to eradi cate some of the evils of illicit liquor trahl' without apparently. bringing about an era Q drunkenness Of course. the Anti-saoon Lessu' rcforners will not accept MT. Hannas testimon, ms being unbiased. But there are very iarg' number of Americans, disturbed over existing conditions brought about by the Prohibition laws who are watching Canadian Provinces in thei' {. f,oyernmeut control operations, and who if th' dvSfsn continues 10 prove succe1sful. will bs per a . 4 i