New Britain herald., 1930-01-23

He will find that at the present time, after taking into consideration the increased population, that ar rests for drunkenness are one-half of what they used to be; arrests for assault and breach of the peace are one-third what they were and ar rests for the crime of theft are a little over one-half.
 There is also a higher standard of public order and men are arrested today for offenses that would have passed unnoticcd in the old days.
 There has been a marvellous i'm provement of the public health of the city. There was no sign of a falling death rate during the 10 year period before prohibition, but with national prohibition there came q sudden drop of 25 per cent in his city and that low rate still remains. In other words, since 1921 death visits his circle of friends three times as compared with four times when his city had license. There has been a drop of more than one half in deaths from diseases related directly and indirectly to liquor drinking. More wholesome living conditions and q fuller pay envelope have also brought a lowered mortal lty. New Britain savings banks have twice as much money in them and twice as many depoSitorS. The city has four times as many auto mobiles as in the last year of the saloon.
 No recognized economist denies that these improved social condi- tions are due in large part 10 the increased productivity of men who do not drink and the diversion into more economic forms of spending of the money that was wasted on ! liquor.
 Cities like New Britain, made up Of working people, have received the larger share of the benefits from national prohibition, and it's mayor ought to rejoice in this welfare. Any | tendency to revert to the old condi- tions would mean ruin for the plain people of his city.
 1 MT. Paonessa is in serious error concerning the reason for the use of wood alcohol as q denaturant. A successful denaturant must have nearly the same specific gravity, boiling and freezing point and near ly the same chemical affinitics as ethyl alcohol. It must also be cheap. The chemical that most nearly meets these requirements is wood or mcthyl alcohol. It is used for that purpose by every civilized country.
 | Other chemicals are always added to make it nauseating to the taste and smell. No man in his senses Will drink such denatured alcohol. l Bootleggers have learned to redistill industrial alcohol and to partially remove the bad odor and the wool alcohol This alcohol is the basis of most of the gin" and Whisky" sold today.
 An appetite for liquor that is SO strong that mon will drink such q nauScous compound is in itself q suf | 1cient reason for ending the traffic. The mayor states that my testi- rnony IS prejudiCed because of my speclal interest in the liquor law enforcement problem in this state. and should therefore be thrown out Of court. l wonder if the mayor considers himself as being un-preju- diced after running for public of flee on a platform of hostility to- ward the liquor laws.
 1 would not quarrel with the may- or for being prcjudiced for unbias- ed oplnlons "n an issue as vital as ms one can rdly be found among
 .,d blooded citizens
 RALPH II. WHITE.
 Research secretary for the fact find -
 ing committee for law enforce ment in Connecticut.
 January 22, 1880.