Evening star., 1916-12-31

-T1 NGLAND'S readiness for food
III dictatorship astonished many
n people. An Englishman's appe-
- tite is like his personal rights
n precious possession which he does
not allow to be interfered with unless
the emergency is a great one. That
seems to be the case at present.
The announcement that restaurant
diners in London were taking the
limitation OF the number of courses to
be served to them good naturedly was
the first hint that the German subma-
rine campaign is affecting the food
supply OF the United Kingdom Since
then there have been other hints more
rnmistakabIe.
The English people are meat and
bread eaters- They are also pretty
nDeral consumers of ale and beer-too
liberal. many English SOCIAL and po-
Htical reformers think. for their own
good.
When hostilities opened there was an
effort to reform the drink habit. First
II was announced that the king and the
royal family would abstain from spir-
5taous or malt liquors while the war
lasted II was assumed that the aris-
tbtTdtys Win luSEdAneu tendency 10
Initiate royalty, would do the same. and
thet the great body Of middle-class
Enrhsbmen. who initiate the aristoc-
raey. would follow. but the result was
lot reassurinS. Aristocratic and mid
sie-class England did not become war
teetotalers.
More important was the effort to limit
the drinking among the working
classes. While some restriction was
enforced, II was made very clear that
no such sweeping measures could be
carried out as the c:.ars absolute pro-
iibition Of vodka in Russia of the
French governments stern measures
:gsinst absinthe and other liquors.
Being wise in their own generation.
the British Statesmen in control of the
government did not press the restric-
lions too far.
The Ascuith ministry in it's earlier
days he'd carried through some meas
snres restricting the personal liberty OF
women drinking in public places. and
also reducing the number OF public
houses where beer and ale. as well as
whisky and brandy. could be bought
lloyd George one of the active
subFortsrs of these measures.
= terrific protest went up from the
. saFistocratic classes on behalf Of the
liberty of the workingmen to get drunk.
as well as In defense OF their own right
10 indulge in gentlemanly intoxication.
Some of the workingmen's orgaaiza-
tons also protested. but in the main
they supported the temperance leeis-
Church OF England clergy opposed it.
The public houses which were put
out of business had their vested rights
fully guarded and compensation was
given them after the value OF their
rights had been worked out ON an
elaborate scale.
In the United states when a sta.e
goes for prohibition IL does not COM
pensate the distillers or the brewers.
In the District ot Columbia when Con-
gress passed the law reducing the num-
Der of saloons, no provision was made
for compensating the saioonkeepers
who were put out of business. but in
England II is different. and any effort
10 limit drinking. whether the reason
be moral or economic. is met with the
necessity of compensating vested rights
Under war conditions IL might be as
su:ned that these rights would have 10
yield TO the general public good. but
the only prospect which a ministry in
power has is to face a determined op-
position, or else to nationalize the
manufacture and sale OF liquors. The
government il not ready TO go that faf
even with pronounced teetot?ier,
such as Lloyd-George. at Its mead. Tnis
sNpia nation is necessary 10 people V 30
are perhaps somewhat too critical. ond
who want to know why the war min
istry does not abolish drink in England
before IL begins to curtail the food of
the people
rnder the Lloyd George ministry fu-
ther steps undoubtedly viii be taken