Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-22
PROHIBITION IN
ENGLAND FAVORED
BY MANY PAPERS
Sentiment of Country Seems
to Be Rapidly Coming to
Support Of Policy An
nounCed by Lloyd George,
tAs.ocIntea PCS. cnrresrondenc.A

'fNNr"'ANltu iFfHN tNFffrtfoUueh'tI
London, April S.-Eneland seems
to be rapidly coming around to the
Iloyd-George view of prohibition as
Il necessary war measure. according
to the British press.
We believe that the country Is
quite prepared 10 submit TO any dis
cipline that the needs of the war may
demand, says the Manchester Guar
dian in an editorial typical of the
British newspaper comment, but the
more important as coming from the
Kingdoms greatest manufacturing
city.
cit Is clear that If you are TO have
prohibition at all, it must be total
prohibition" the writer states after
reviewing the various schemes Tor
restricting the sale in laboring dis
tricts.
I'VE do not wish to press the ordi-
nary temperance arguments, for what
ever Is done will he a measure OF
temperance in n secondary degree and
primarily measure for increasing
national efficiency in war time. II
drunkenness increased efficiency, II
might at a time like this be accept
ed as national necessity and even
virtue. There being no doubt mat
abstinence. whatever else may be said
for or against il, does help man 10
work steadily and hard, abstinence IS
duty. II the thing is worth doing
at all, II is worth doing we'll
shortening Hours ineffective.
The Guardian has also sent out in
vestigators to report on the effect OF
shortening the hours in which liquor
houses may now remain open. Form
cnana1 In the
ing at 6 o'clock in the working dis
tricts, although there was not much
business until about Q, when the wom-
en- would appear. Now the doors are
closed until 1890 a. m, which pre-
vents an early start in drinking and
gets some of the idlers TO work. But
the change in the night closing hour
from l. to 10 p. m. seems only TO
concentrate the amount of drinking
and to encourage the sale of bottled
goods.
Great Britain's brewing and dis
tillng trade represents an outlay OF
nearly billion and a quarter dollars
in capital 1t pays To the government
in licenses about $500, 900, 600 yearly.
This loss in revenue would be serious
and causes considerable apprehension
among the wealthy tax payers, who
fear they may have to make up the
difference
The Economist, in its issue for April
?. devotes considerable portion of
its space to Chancellor Lloyd-George's
assertions that drunkenness in the
large shipping and manufacturing
towns is holding back the supply Of
war munitions The Economist
| passes lightly over the possible ef-
| fects of throwing out of work the
| large number of persons employed IN
connection with the manufacture and
sale of intoXicants, and urges that the
government at once proceed to enact
laws absolutely prohibiting the sale OF
all alcoholic drinks.
'fThe government" says this jour
nal, after saying so much, Will not
deserve the confidence of the coun-
try, or be worthy of the awful re-
sponsibilities which it has assumed, If
il does not take strong measures The
matter is of urgent importance, and
parliament could be summoned n
week earlier in order to give effect to
1.-THE policy. We say this without
withdrawing the criticisms we have
passed over and over again upon
many of the autOcratic measures tax
| en- by the government since the war
began We believe that the suppress
sion of news and views, and the at
| tempt to intimdate opinion by abro-
eating Magma Charta, were most UNI
warranted and mischievous.
"But temperance is curse, the
suppression of which the strongest
democrats and the most fervent up
holders of parliamentary government
| have advocated in times of peace. II
| is a measure that has been adopted,
not always with success, by various
states of the American union; and If
| in an emergency like this 1t will en-
able us to shorten the effusion Of
blood and treasure it is q measure
which ought to be adopted with all
speed and with the good will of all
sections and parties in the communi-
ty, even though it involves pecuni-
airy compensation on a moderate scale
to those who are dependent for their
| livelihood upon the production and
sale of intoxicants. Let beer and
spirits give way to tea and coffee.
The cost to the revenue for a year in
Guiding compensations, may run to so
millions sterling ($250, 000,000), but
the economic and social compensa-
lions will be enormous"
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