The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-04-30
Prohibition In Britain,

d
ENGLAND seems to be rapidly coming around
- to the Lloyd George view Of prohibition as a
necessary war measure, according to the British
press
"We believe that the country is quite prepared
to submit TO any discipline that the needs Of the
war may demand" says the Manchester Guardian
in an editorial typical OF the British newspaper
comment, but the more important as coming from
the Kingdoms greatest manufacturing city.
at is clear that if you are to have prohibition
at all it must be total prohibition" the writer
states after reviewing the various schemes for re-
stricting the sale in laboring districts.
I'VE do not wish to press the ordinary temper
ance arguments, for whatever is done will be a
measure Of temperance in a secondary degree and
primarily measure for increasing national eff
cheney in wartime. If drunkenness increased eff
fciency it might at time like this be accepted
as national necessity and even virtue There
being no doubt that abstinence, whatever else may
be said for or against it, does help man to work
steadily and hard, abstinence is duty. If the
thing is worth doing at all, it is worth doing well
The Guardian has also sent out investigators to
report on the effect of shortening the hours in
which liquor houses may now remain open. For-
merly the houses opened in the morning at six
was not much business until about nine, when the
women would appear. Now the doors are closed
until ten-thirty, which prevents early start in
drinking and gets some of the idlers to work.
But the change in the night closing hour from
eleven to ten seems only to concentrate the amount
Of drinking and to encourage the sale of bottled
goods.
Great Britain's brewing and disting trade rep
resents an outlay of nearly billion and quarter
dollars in capital. 1t pays to the government in
licenses about $2ooo00Oo0 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 it's issue for April 3, devotes
considerable portion of its space to Chancellor
Lloyd Georges assertions that drunkenness in
the large shipping and manufacturing towns is
holding back the supply Of war munitions. The
economist passes lightly the possible effects
Of throwing out of work the large number of per
sons employed in connection with the MANUFACTURE
and sale Of intoxicants and urges that the govern
ment at once proceed to enact laws absolutely pro-
hibiting the sale of all alcoholic drinks.
"The government" says this journal, after
saying so much, will not deserve the confidence of
the Country be worthy of the awful respon-
sibties which it has assumed, if it does not take
strong measures. The matter is of urgent import
ance, and parliament could be summoned week
earlier in order to give effect to the policy. We
say this without withdrawing the criticisms we
have passed over and over again upon many of
the autocratic measures taken by the government
since the war began We believe that the sup
preston of news and views, and the attempt to
intimidate opinion by abrogating Magma Charta,
were most unwarranted and mischievous.
But temperance is curse, the suppression of
which the strongest democrats and the most fer
vent uphoders Of parliament government have
advocated in times OF peace. 1t 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 it will enable us to shorten
the ettusiOn of blood and treasure it is measure
which ought to be adopted with all speed and
with the good will of all sections and parties in
the community, even though it involves pecu-
mary compensation moderate scale to those
who are dependent for their livelihood upon the
production and sale OF intOxcants Let beer and
spirits give way to tea and coffee. The cost to
the revenue for year including compensations,
may run to fifty millions sterling ($25OOOOOOO),
but the economic and social compensations will
be enormous"