Drink and the Lancashire Press p136

Abstract

The UK Alliance, the organisation set up to campaign for legal restrictions on drink, presented this digest of Lancashire press reports where drink was involved, for the last six months of 1929. It gives some fascinating insights into behaviour, and attitudes to this, in the late nineteen twenties.

8. Twenty-five year old girl on visit to Blackpool from Huddersfield drunk and incapable.
9. Man of 40 drunk in charge of child aged one year and nine months.
10. A miner drunk carrying a young child.
11. A man drunk in Manchester. It was stated that his occupation was doing a whistling turn at public-houses for 5s. and a drink or two.
12. A Wigan man drunk though out of work. Stated he had pawned his clothes to get the money.
13. Accrington woman hawker drunk. Stated that she had been given drink in a public-house where she had been selling lavender.
14. Young man of 19 – fourth conviction for drunkenness.
15. Rochdale youth of 17 drunk, shouting and using obscene language.
16. Woman drunk who won a bottle of run with a 4d. ticket in a raffle.
17. Drunken stone mason at Slaidburn who insisted that he had committed the Ilkley murder.
18. Wigan girl of 22 – fifth appearance on charge of drunkenness.
19. Two drunken tramps holding a temperance meeting – on of them going round with a hat.
20. Blind man drunk and disorderly.
21. Colne man drunk after a wedding.
22. Cripple helplessly drunk in Blackburn.
23. Wigan youth drunk and fighting with his father.
24. Formby unemployed young man drunk in chare of a horse and cart which he stated he had borrowed from a general dealer.
25. Rag gatherer drunk in charge of a pony.
26. St. Helens boy of 16 staggering along the streets shouting and singing shortly before midnight.
27. Burnley boy of 16 – brickyard labourer earning 23s. a week, found drunk.
A number of cases of drunkenness in connection with Dance Halls, and comments by magistrates about the increase of this form of offence.

G. MISCELLANEOUS OCCURRENCES (75 cases).

Drink not actually mentioned in the charge, but defendants either licensees, barmen or barmaids, or drink obviously a factor according to the evidence.
The following are examples:
1. Young man of thirty charged with setting a locomotive in motion at Fleetwood.
2. Application for ejectment warrant because tenant was a complete nuisance to the neighbours when in drink.