PROHIBITION IN AMERICA.
(To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") Sia,—May I suggest that the figures sent by Mr. W. H. Griffith Thomas, Germanstown, Philadelphia, to prove that the Pro. hibition Act is vindicating itself are not of much value in view of the fact that he gives no statistics for the year 1921. Through its own correspondents the New York World made a national survey to ascertain to what degree the Prohibition Law had become effective, and the replies were published on January 15th, 1922. The following extracts may be interesting by reason of the fact that some of them refer to cities mentioned by Mr. W. H. Griffith Thomas:— "In Philadelphia crime has increased, and child wayward- ness, much of which the police trace to liquor, is increasing. Four thousand children less than 16 years old, and 9,000 persons from 16 to 21, were arrested in 1921. In Minneapolis the municipal court estimates that drunkenness has increased ' 66 per cent. over 1920. New Orleans shows an increase in drunkenness from 3,250 in 1920 to 6,616 in 1921. The annual report of the municipal courts of Chicago proves that drunken- ness increased last year, 51,300 persons being arraigned for intoxication in 1921 as against 32,305 in 1921. At a meeting of the Milwaukee City Council, Alderman John Koener, in supporting a measure to legalize the sale of wines and beer, stated that the records of the Sheriff's Office showed 1,698 arrests for drunken. ness in Milwaukee county for the year 1920 and 3,105 for the first ten months of 192L"
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