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{1 | Liquor Control Proves Its Superiority | ¥ THE OSHAWA DAILY TIMES, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1929 PAGE ELEVEN ' Over the O.T.A. A ----. An Authoritative statement by Col. The Hon. W. H. Price, K.C., Attorney-General whose department is responsible for the administration of The Liquor Control Act. The Ontarie Temperance Act 1 think evesyons In the Province will agree that the On- tarlo Temperance Act came Into force under the very best suspleas and conditions, The citizens of this Province, en- gaged In the deadly struggle of the Great War, were bending all their energies towards improvement of conditions at home, #0 that they could put a united front to the enemy in Europe, It became & really moral Issue with them then they wanted to conserve thelr strength and thelr power; thelr own appe- tites were subserved with that In view, [ There had been a steady Improvement In 1914 and in 1915 and this Improvement continued after the O.T.A, came in until 1919, Gradually, however, the appetites of the people began to reassert themselves and the O.T.A, ceased to be as effective, until, in 1926, something over ten years after it came tute force, the people by thelr own votes superseded it and ve the Ferguson administration a mandate to put In » wor Control Act, The Liquer Contre! act After at least seven or eight years of gradual reaction, conditions throughout the Province were deplorable the gen. eral law itself was often held In contempt; vast numbers of people seemed to pride themselves in breaking the O.T.A. they resented the restraint of prohibition, the "spotting" anc all the other evils of this quasi prohibition measure, I do not think that any one will disagree with me when I say this was the condition that the Liquor Control Act had 0 remedy in 1927, It had not the privilege of coming in dur- ng the Great War, when the people were spiritually minded, rather did it have its existence at a time when there was great resentment against regulation after regulation, And I ay to the people of this Province the Liquor Control Act has a big job on its hands; it must not only improve normal con- ditions but It must improve abnormal conditions} conditions §oueed by the very law supported by the Prohibitionists of the rovinee, e people themselves, therefore, must have an lopportunity to get back to a proper frame of mind An far as general law enforcement Is concerned, condl- tions are very much better, The Liquor Control Act is Poe ng with reasonable success it {s an improvement on the T.A.1 it is oreating a better foundation for law observance Shan before) there is less unrest and less disposition to resent the enforeement of our laws, This is gradually giving the Government an opporunity to Improve law enforcement and to make it more effective, but it will take time, What the OTA, falled to do In ten years, beginning under better auspices, cannot be expected of the Liquor Control Act in two 'years, Ptatistios I have been very much amused at the way the Prohibis tion Press of the country are quoting statistics on accidents, drunks and other things. Its that, while they ask everyone else to he accurate, honest and above-board, their anxiety to prove that Ronibitiod {s better than Liquor Control leads them to forget o essential factors that obtain when figures are advanced to prove anything, You would think that the Province of Qns rio was standing still} that there has been no increase in pulation ; that there were the same number of motor tats ravelling on the highways; that na more tourists visited this country} that there was no more mileage in roads, I believe that the average man favouring any project wants to be hon. est, If that la so, then he should not be carried away by figures unless he puts them in the proper perspective, With the idea of clarifying this whole matter and givi -- facts to the public, i am submitting statements deal (1) The population increase in Ontario, (2) Domestic motor vehicles increase, (3) Foreign motor vehicles increase, (4) Gaseline sales in Ontario for automotive purposes, (5) Provincia! metalled roads increase. 1 am asking the people of this Province, when they con- sider the extent of crime, or the number of arrests for drunk- ening, to take into consideration these other factors which contre! to a great extent the increase or decrease, Any man taki these 1 res can work out for himself just the 'exact at 0 fe does he will find that, considering all ea t years of the VOTE improvement over the OTA, in quor Control Act. FRANK L. MA Automobile Fatalities Decrease The question of autemobile fatalities has engaged the attention of the Ontario Safety League, HM you will read its Annual Report for 1928, you will find on page 4 a statement [IMAL the aecldent records for the City of Toronto for sixteen years=1913 to 1928, which Is as follows: FATALITIES PER THOUSAND AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES 191 1010 mutants. 1/7 1028 nudes 03 191 1 1930 mimes '18 1926 -- 05 1 " p--_ 192] mens wmmane '1/1 1937 avian 08 9 - 1023 see asm 13 | 07 19] 191 A wen sre 193} rium 09 1924 Putting this In another way, It means that In 1913 there was one fatality for every 107 cars licensed, whereas hy 1928 the ratio had drop ed to one fatality for every 1429 cars, Mad the ratio of fatalities for 013 been continued, we would have had the following (Estimated) 1914 a 17.8 (Actual) 1014 1015 ---- 30 1015 1] Al.1 1916 -------- 1917 118.2 1917 aes 1918 vg LY 1918 , 1919 - 171.6 1919 1920 -- 2 1920 1021 . f 1921 1922 . . 1022 1024 ' 192% 1024 1924 1024 1025 19 19 1024 TOTAL - 3.0000 I think the general publlie will Ba surprised when they read this states ment, It shows an actual improve ment aver most of the O'I'A, years except 102, 1025 and 1920, when the OTA, was under the administra tion of the Verguson Government) they were the lowest years, Con sidering the tremendpus ingrease In foreign motor cars, to have kept this in 1928 te 0.7 Is a very wonder ful achievement, Motor Accident Record--All Ontario The Toronto Globe In Its issue of Sept, at, 1929, offers a criticism of the Liquor Control Aet, It quotes the motor car accident record as mmgmanen WIG So -------- rp ---- re -- follows 11 ene 1,307 accidents | wee 3912 accidents dnsuranee journals say, and there Is quite a Jot of truth In It, that nocidents generally are In propor tion to the number of motor cars operating on the highways, the number of miles of highways and the population of the country, Let us Just base {t for a moment on the increase in motor gars and see what the percentage of accidents ia to Heenses Nao. of Percentage of Motor Accidents Licenses No, of to Year, lasued, Accidents, to Ligehses 92% 45067) Savy 110 025 3900 30121 Ordinarily one would expect that, 1] \raffie on the highways inereas« ed, accidents would inerease directly in proportion to the number of cars in use, with an added ratio due to reater congestion, Yet here we fave a case where the percentage actually decreases, Let us compare the same years taking inte consideration also the forelgn motor cars eperading on our highways, The tremendous ine crease ii) the number of these cars must have some ofteat on accidents even if the foreign ear (s not in an aceldent ftaelf {t congets the highway and affects the traffic of our own domestls ears: Here are the olliclal figures applied to these two years YEAR Licenses Licenses 'Total No. of Accidents Ontario Foreign 192% $43,900 1821.27 165, 14¢ Fi} 1928, 489670 2763162 3251.83, 5 You will see, therefore, that when 8 take foreign the pereentage of aceldents to cars on the highways drops per ent to loss than 1/0 of 1 per cent, Read Mileage There has been A steady inereass in road mileage in the Province of Ontario, which the following tion Shows tee Total: Provinelal Total High wom Percentage to Licenses of accidents 1/5 of 1 percent 146 of 1 percept ator cars In, m 1/8 of | it YEAR oage 1920 \ J 1931 oR, 18 1922 A i) 1 \ Tiss 1924 \ 850.50 19% 1.087. 64 1926 ' IF ALEE 27 x 1476.22 on Ei ® 1929 \ hi Sept. 26h, 1929) a ring it CIN! with 1 Read Mileage Analysed : Tn 1025, we had only 1,087 miles of paved road in Ontarle, in 1928 1,008, & difference of 641 miles, Surely an increase of 00 per cent In road mileage would have something to do with the sceeldents, Even over 1920, the last year of the O/T,A, there was an Incresse of A60,78 miles, or over 30 per cent, If you take these figures you ean work It out for yourself, 1 am anxious 10 show thet someone Las been trying to prove something sud has signally failed, Number of Cars In Use I vou look at the table of domestic sutemobiles which Is as follows (= Percentage of Increase Passenger Cars, Commercials YEAR and Motorcycles 1920 177.561 1921 206,521 1022 239,296 102% 278,752 1924 $06,770 1025 142,174 1926 186,349 1027 433.504 1928 487,337 vou will find that In 1025 there were 342,174 motor vehicles on the highs ways in 1028-487 337, an Increase of 145,163 or 42 per cent, This cers tainly has something to do with the Increase In accldents; you would hardly expect aceldents to remain the same or be smaller with motor cars increasing to such an extent, When vou leak at the tabulation on tourlst ears, In the Provines of Ontarlo, which ls as follows No of Tourist Per- Year, Cam, Increase, centage. 1920 477 A74 1921 534,559 1922 842,926 192% OAK.A5) 1924 1,300,992 1925 1.521.277 1926 1,554,038 1027 2.41543) 1928 2,762,162 you will find that, whereas In 1926 we' had 1.554638 tourist cars enter Ontario, In 1027, we had 2415338 an increase of 861,195 or 50 per cent, As If this were not enough, the number grew in 1028 to 2,762,1 an increase of more than 77 per cant, as compared with 1926, How ean anyone say that thi" tromendous Inerease In foreign ears on our roads oes nat affect mecle dents! You cannot have this tours ist traffie from dhe American side , where, under prohibition, they have 60 per pent, more accidents per thousand ears than we have cond Into the Provinge of On- tare wit out here sing our acels dent list, an an He da come In here, bringing with tham drivi hahits that they have contra ed n States where the speed limits are much Meher than In \ than it Hes Al! in J duct ne to say that the Liguer Control Act I» 'to blame, Gasoline Sales for Autometive Purposes I am placiog bel 8 tate ment ne Bo por nl fg gasoline sold for automotive ' pugs poses in the Province of Ontario i= May 11-December 31, 192% 80,800,952 gals. an, 1-December 31, 1926 « 130, als. 134,257,565 gals, an, 1-Decomber 31; 1927 nnn 169,951,333 gals, an. 1-December 315 198 mmm You will see that whereas in 1926 we used 120,406,000 os of asoline, in 1928 we used 169,951 33) gallons, an increase of &, 3 per cent, This ratio has kept ahead for the year 1999 oo © in this fiscal year to date we have already passed the fiscal Bs November 1st, 1927, to 1928 and still have a couple of months aye. | much for motor cars and accidents, the factors that pro Crime Per Thousand of Population Let us see what the record Is for crime, I |] eo will agree that erime should Be figured out on a BL BL ha In the way \ y ire Rt out in the prohibition country to the th us, where there is sueh a tremendous increase that « a8 stopp: figuring, Why should it mot be estimated that way by ? ' , Ontario had tion of 293% th hi he £ 3 "I ag opens ha Statistics, was 3,229,000, an increase of around 300,000, N t hat the actual proportion of crime ls 1,000 of larg a ras ort Toe ret should not be to the SA Luor Act and the latter is the first full year of the The Toronte Globe in an editorial published Sep 1h, 1 says that rime " all ¢ oh » mounting apace", ™ on LX ott » try t an increase in the ae Numbers Sirs h Figuring i - per thowand of Sutial make camparison of foll to--- iba Si a 1m against the PERAOD mmmmmmesesemmen 14 Je ARANIL PIOPARY cman 113 against public MOPAIN O18 ween ¥ 1317] Law Enforcement There has been a continuous attempt on the part of prohfbitlonists show that law enforcement is not as good as x shold be, 1 think can say today without fear of contradiction that It Is better than It ever hus been, The records show it, This reflects the temper of the people, and the better opportunity that Is given the Department to get ts evidence properly before the Court. In other words, withesses con Rperate with Police Magistrates and other officials in 8 way that re= ects Itself In the proportion of convietions to arrests, In 1926 the qown were successful in only 78 per cent, of the cases brought up; In 927 und again in 1928 they were successful in #3 per cent, Any lawyer Practising n the Province would be delighted If he 'won 60 per cent, of #6 time © have won BS per cent, Is a very outstandin thie for the Law Enforcement Officers of the Crown Ying Sohlevament Presecution of Drunks Penalties under the Liquor Control Act, as compared with those that used to be In force under the Ontarle Temperance Act, clearly show which act Is the stronger, Vor the first offence, under the L.CA, the fine Is $1000; under the OTA, by municipal by-law, it was usually S00 and costs, For the second offence, under the LCA, it In & 00 fine or go to jail; under the OTA, the fine was much smaller, often being no more than that for the first offence, For the third of« fence, the L.CA. makes It jail without any option ' There ls no doubt but what the enforcement of the Liquor Control fet has cleaned up the situation of drunks pretty well in the Province t does put more people In jall, but at the same time It always gives visitors to this Province from abroad, and our own people, an opportuns Ity to say that they see fewer drunken people on the streets than they do on the American alde, or than they did under the Ontario Tempers ance Act, The Prohibitionist who would have pointed to such prosecus tion under the Ontario Temperance Act with pride, now trias to use it sgainst the Liquor Control Act, Tn this he must be fair in his criticism or fall, and I think on this account he has failed, Prehibition and Manufacture There ls one point arising out of the platform of the Prohibition Unlon that calls for comment, One notices that in their platform there Is » plank favouring the Province passing an act to rohibit the mange facture of liguoars, Any able constitutional lawyer will tell you that this uestion has heen settled for u great number of years, and that since the time of Sir Oliver Mowat the Dominion has had control of manu« facture in the Province, Now there Is an attempt to make this an Issue by saying that we should pass such an act and then have It referred to the Privy Councll for consideration, One wonders, if this is good law now, why It was not good law when the Drumy Government were In power for four years and its able Prohibitionist Attorney Genera! had an opportunity to do just what the Prohibition Union now demands of the Ferguson Administration, Government Control in Other Provinces One might very well ask the tlonist today wh seven out of nine Provinces in Cnada voted for a shan e from bition to Liquor Control during the past decade? This 1) interesting because none of the Western Provinces had Conservative Govermments in power at the time, nother question that might very well be asked gn again A why do Pro- Ibitlonists contre thelr campa st the Liq Con et in ntarlo, when almost every Province, except New mk, has a wor Control Act In force under Liberal and nment, The Toronto Star, In an editorial on January 30th, 1029, sald in t *With all its faults the Ontario lguor contro tem Is th t of kind in Canada, Its most diatingulshing featu Hog og brid bile consumption of liquor and its ban | dvertising" Ben It beings Admitied that Ontario fa the bag ontrol Att, "a y reserve the frontal attack for this Province! O ~ ects that as here 0 hah " now A Conrsrvalive Government in Brita m A " i 3 LR) eNEOUA Attack made ere on th rament 1) - fe such Ag ood Liquor Control Act i. on the Statute that thousand of ulation, Stimes fhe the Thi Show the Tao seven youn from 1,15 ta Li4; Grimes fr pe rants Irom 108 to "1 hd other 8 ' -- ey An considering e above perc wages it will nen that in three out of four cases a Jarsenthied Me bo v in 1928 than in 1921; there has been actually an tion of Affairs under the Liquor Cantrol Act. It must be remembered also that, including the Wa States he | Sve by rail or eamep al well an \ ntario a touris popula yy ad increased (0 rey Jail Recorde--Drunk and Dicerderly re been a steady effort on the part of these opposed RY to leave od impression nt there are more committd to Jall for being drunk than ever be have eant returns and find that there has been a ston t condition, Comparison of the years 193, 1927 and itted for being drunk bu Rem rh rR "9 of Sentences No.Gonmited Nosh i ve ee In 1926 the number committed for being drunk was Thy went up in 1937 to 6,25), which year waa § months \ op A months of Liquor Control. Hut in 1928 it got Baek to or 1,117 lea commitials than under the last full year of when we turn to the number of people who actual "way the jal find that in 1938 this was Tl | 927, S198, but it an darebly senallee Agere nam LY - CONSERVATIVE FOR SOUTH ONTARIO SON; \ Liberal Conmervaive Astochition of Ona, Peden Bly, Pasoons