heap liquor means

ore problems for auru's new drinkers

From a Nauru correspondent After several years of

moeuvring by the Administra

m and the elected Nauruan

iders, each trying to get die

ier to accept the responsibility,

2 Nauruans finally took the ini tive earlier this year and put

new liquor ordinance through

5 Legislative Council. It

olished the long-standing pro

fition on drinking by Nauruans

d by what the law is pleased call “other Pacific Islanders”. t had been the privilege of Euro ms to drink within the bounds ;rated by their employers (i.e., ier the British Phosphate Com ssioners or the Administration), inese are allowed a weekly ration two bottles of beer.

But many Nauruans had a decided [e for drinks with a “kick”, and re was an active market for drinks i illegaly by some of those who I access to them, and for illegally wed concoctions of all sorts.

Phe only methylated spirit avail e in Nauru was dyed a sickly de of purple to discourage its use a beverage, but despite frequent ests and severe fines, the unlawful Je flourished, and contributed to ack of respect for the law itself, was certainly time for a change.

New laws

fhe old ordinance was repealed, I now sale and consumption of lor is regulated by a Liquor ensing Board. The board has ver to grant licences to retailers, bs, restaurants and taverns, and set the conditions of each licence. \t first the liquor trade was mainly the hands of the two main stores, Nauruan Co-operative Society 1 the BPC Trade Store. But this 5 only because they were readv to idle it. Subsequently, some small uruan stores have been granted :nces, a restaurant is licenced, and er premises are being built which apparently intended to become erns or beer gardens. >o far the bulk of sales have been m the stores. “Bulk” is certainly word, as the common unit of pur ise is the carton of beer containing ) dozen cans. Some people hope

; competition spurred by the new pending licences may introduce ore pleasant and less urgent mode purchase to Nauru, ears were expressed before the law was introduced that there ild be much abuse of liquor when became freely available. There already more than enough drunk ess under prohibition. After :ral months of freedom, there is yet any diminution in drunken to be seen by the casual observer, on the other hand there is not much more as the worst fears saged there would be. here has been a slight increase the number of road accidents living drunken driving, and there £ been several fatalities. The imon and unsteady pastime > take home a carton, or several ons, and sit round with friends Irink the supply dry. he black-market, formerly ated with considerable profit by amber of Chinese, is not entirely 1. Only a pale shadow of its aer self, it finds a profit in chill the beer at home and selling or 20 cents a can, after hours, :o minors. rinking in Nauru is complicated a ready supply of money and a ip supply of liquor. Due to the inal rate of duty on liquor im s, the usual price of beer is cents a can, and whisky ranges a $1.45 to $2.10 a bottle, he result is that the only brake y people have on their alcohol ;umption is that imposed by ■ own commonsense and self ect. Most people have the re ed qualities, but what society vhere can afford to allow those have not to indulge themselves ly?

The future

he tiny Nauru prison has been ly filled in recent times. Many he inmates are on short terms liquor-involved offences. While e remains a happy-go-lucky ;rnity of the bottle, composed of ig men (and some women) lack economic incentive to work, and thus occupy themselves con ctively, there is likely to con e a regular clientele for the major problem for social action 'fauna is boredom, and at present hoi is one of the inadequate vers to its challenge, fauna took a forward step in :ing it a matter of personal choice ther to drink or not, but it still to educate a portion of its imunity in making its final choice hse one.