Evening star., 1928-09-16
Continued from Third Page.)

In wear the sales of beer in Quebec
increased 10000 gallons. That the
availability of beer. and strong beer, has
not lessened the demand for hard
liouor" is indicated by the report of the
British Columbia Liquor Board, show
ing an increase of SO per cent in the
| sales of whisky, spirits. etc, since the
onening of beer parlors. The Quebec
! Liquor Commission report for 1924-25
showed an increase of $4,000 gallons in
sales of hard spirits.
Increase in Hard Liquor.
In Saskatchewan the government
| lioucr board reported 33 per cent in
| crease in hard liquor" sales in two
years. In the same province arrests for
drunkenness increased 125 per cent in
eight months, and its liquor board re-
ported an increase of Ill per cent in
boctlegging The Alberta Liquor Board
stated that its greatest problem was
"moonshine" in the country districts,
and the British Columbia Liquor Board
gave as its opinion that as much liquor
! is sold by bootleggerS as is sold in the
government stores.
These statements of fact are made
without any ref1ention whatever on
either the policy of the Canadian gov
ernment or the honesty and efficiency
of Canadian officials.
The fact is that the administration
of law generally in Canada is on a
highly efficient basis. There is less of
judicial technicality and delay than in
the United States, and in criminal cases
the prosecutions are speedy and result
in a very high proportion of convictions.
There is nothing, therefore, in the
Canadian legal or judicial system which
would give any encouragement to the
violation of the laws placing the liquor
business under government manage
ment. In fact, the diSpenSary system
has had much more propitious circum-
stances for a fair trial in Canada than
it could have in the United States, with
our more cumbersome legal procedure
and with our 49 different systems of
jurisprudence.
Many Convictions.
Let US examine little more evidence
of the success" of Canadian govern
ment control o. ownership of the liquor
business. In 1925 in British Columbia.
with the province acting as liquor
dealer, there were 2,505 convictions for
liquor violations, compared with 1896
when the province was dry in 1870.
Quebec, with a government liquor board
illegal sales in one year, compared with
los cases under partial prohibition in
1920. In its report for the year 1924-25
the Quebec Liquor Commission reports
that there were nearly 5000 complaints
against bootleggers and their establish
ments. The official report states:
Even while we are convinced that
we are able to hinder to a great extent
the activities of bootleggers, as we'll as
of blind pigs or illicit resorts, it does
not appear possible to completely sup
press them. Notwithstanding
our efforts, we are we'll aware that
these illicit resorts still exist and that
we shall never succeed in permanently
c.osing up sucr places"
Such are the results of a system
recommended as model to our 48
States!
AS to Respect for Law.
Two sentences in the report of the
liquor control board of British Co.
lumbia for 1927 throw a dazzling light
on the question whether respect for
law is promoted by government sale
of intoxicants:
"The amending act of 1927 made
provision for stores being kept open in
the evening in cities with a population
approved by the Legislature to counter
act illegal activities where Illicit selling
takes place after the government stores
are closed"
The history of government regula-
tions and laws in Canada is an litter
est;ng record of the failure of reason
able regulation" of the liquor traffic.
The province of Ontario, for instance,
experimental with alcoholic content
just as it is now proposed that the Con-
gress of the United States and the State
Legislatures shall do. Ontario's expert
ment was "A per cent beer-and 1t sat
isfied no one. Now hard liquor" is sold
| under government board control. In
other provinces the alcoholic content of
beer has been increased from ISL per
cent to 6, 8, 10 and even IL per cent;
| wine from SOS per cent to IS per cent
| and more. Closing hours of government
| liquor stores have been extended from
to 10 pm, yet bootlegging sales after
| hours persist.
The testimony of Hon. w. E. Raney.
attorney general of the province of On
| tario from 1919 to 1923, before COM
mittee of the United States Senate,
brought out this Illuminating commen-
| tary on the effectiveness of government
| diSpensation of liquor:
"At the annual meeting Of the Lii
censed Victualers' Association of Mon
| treal it was decided to ask
| the Quebec liquor commission authori-
ties to solicit the help of the municipal
police in order to put stop to the
clandestine and illicit sale of intoxi-
cants in different parts of Montreal
Bootleggers Get Profits.
| Evidently bootleggerS were taking the
| profits out of legal sale of beer!
| The Border Cities Star, published in
Ontario, Canada, reports as recently as
June /, 1923, that check-up of gov
ernmental permits and sales OF liquor
showed falling off in business for the
government liquor stores, which was at
tributed to exceptionally large ship
ments of British Columbia liquor" COM
/ ing to Canadian border exporters oSten-
sibly for smuggling into the United
| States, but which was "Short-circuited
back into Canada without paying the
excise tax.
More than six months after govern
ment-controlleo beer parlors were
opened in British Columbia the Van
couver Sun stated editorially that boot
leggers are almost as thick in Van
couyer as corner candy stores.
How can sensible citizens expect high
standard of morality to obtain in
greater Vancouver when greater Van
couver is honeycombed with bootleggers
and road houses that specialize in an
all-night trade?"
Graft and Corruption.
Has government sale of liquor in
Canada eliminated graft and corrup-
ton? The cstimony of r. P. Sparks
head of the Canadian Commercial Pro-
tective Association, is that the customs
service of Canada has been demoralized
and corrupted. The men who in the
beginning merely bootlegged liquor from
Canada to the United States and vice
versa, and from one province to an
other of Canada, soon found additional
source for profit in smuggling silks and
other high-duty merchandise into Can