The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-14
ILLUMINATING DATA .ON RESTRICTION OF
 DRINKING IN BRITAIN
D'Abernon Gives Results of Nine Months of PrOhi-
 bition in England
NUMBER OF DRUNKS
 CUT FIFTY PER CENT
Readiness With Which People Have Responded to Regulations Indicates How England Has Been Welded
 to Meet the War

How England Has Been Welded
 to Meet the War
 London, May -(Correspondence of the Associated Press )-The results of the resolute methods applied by England tc the regulation of drink problems nine months ago, after the first lessons of the wars demands had been learned, are dis cussed in an interview with cores pendent of the Associated Press by Lord D'Abernon, chairman of the Cen tral Liquor Traffic Control board the organization having the work in hand
 Briefly, in areas accounting for 29 out of the 43 million population over which the board has extended its influence it has reduced public drunkenness roughly by 50 per cent. The new regula tions how ever, will not extend beyond England Scotland and Wales
 One of Lord D'Abernons most strik- ing statements was his forecast that were the problem of intemperance at tackled with vigor and skill three -fourths Ol liiC GNll HllSnC never Tecur,
 That, of course is one mans opinion only,' he emphasized, but I believe it is fully justified in the light of what we have been fortunate enough to learn. l don't want to make the mistake of paint ing the picture in too rosy a light There is certainly tremendous work ahead even though the msts do appear to be parting some.
 ARE ENTIRELY URBAN
 Bear in mind that prohibition as I understand it's application in the United States and Canada, is largely rural, while these figures I have given refer to the cities They compare with your and the canadian claims in the prohibition areas Of reductions of about 66 per cent
 One of the first points to bear in mind in grasping the situation here is that in the years immediately preceding the outbreak of the war both the con sumption of alcohol and the number of convictions for public drunkenness were steadily increasing
 Also, in the past good trade has al- ways coincided with an increase in con- sumption of alcohol. It is disappointing. therefore to realize that in 1910-14 in- creased taxation of alcohol, the temper ance propaganda, and the licensing regu- lations in force, which heretofore had resulted in an average annual dininil- tion of about 1000 licenses, had not been sufficient to counteract the influence of good trade and high wages
 In attempting to present fair re- flect1on of the situation, however. I must give you a brighter side of the picture This concerns the highly grati- flying readiness with which the public has shown itself willing to assist in seeing that all should conform to the drastic regulations of the past nine months.
 You may attribute this truly remark able attitude, I believe. to the public s belief that the restrictions are in reality war necessities, and their willingness in great crisis to subserve personal con- venience to national efficiency.
 REGULATIONS APPROVED
 Among the public at large it is re- markable also that there is widesprea d and practically general approval of such provisions as that prohibiting treating. When law interfering with right as sacred to the Englishman's sense of per sonal liberty as that of treating is not only accepted but welcomed by a large portion of the populace, you may see how the nation is welded to win the war. Likewise the law that prohibits the extension of credit in alcohol sales and that permitting the dilution of spir- It's, have not only been approved but elicited little or no criticism
 Tt IS true, of course, that more diff ference exists regarding the restriction of hours. The board has attempted to con- fine the consumption of alcohol to hours conflicting least with the working day and coinciding best with ordinary meal hours.
 "One of the best outward results of the boards work is the reduction in the number of convictions for drunken ness with aggravations, aggravations usually representing disorder and assault The reduction in the number of these cases has been even greater than in the number of simple drunkenness While not explained. this feature is proving Of vast interest to all students of the prob lem.
 We are not only pleased to note the reduction in public intemperance and of convictions referred to, but to observe that they have been steadily maintained in areas in which our orders are in force, there having been no falling back from the best level reached
 IS NOTED ORGANIZER
 The government success in inducing Lord D Abernon to assume the direction of the important and pressing work con- fronting the liquor traffic board was con- sidered good omen from the start. He is one of the best known trade and financial experts of the empire He is also now chairman of the Dominion Royal Trade commission. and has been governor of the Imperial Ottoman bank at Constantinople and financial adviser of the Egyptian government, IS well as the holder of other appointments of dis tincton.
 Curious as it may seem, one of his slogans is that much may be done fol the cause of temperance by placing the liquor traffic on better financial basis The true inwardness of this idea is that by consolidation of brewing interests and the reduction in the number of public houses or saloons the temptation to drink will be correspondingly reduced
 No one who has closely studied the present method of administration can fai to realize how ineffective and extrava- gant the present mode of retailing alco- hol to the public is, said Lord D'Aber- non, and it is proba ble that the same argument holds good in sense also in the United States and Canada I mean the corresponding excess of temptation resulting
 Licensed houses are not only too nu. merous from the standpoint of public order and the police all seem to real ize that-but they somehow fail to real ize that they are too numerous from the point of trade efficiency. They should be made to see that the same net profit could be realized from licensed houses reduced in number by 30 to 70 per cent Reformers have talked so much about the swollen profits of the brewing trade that many brewers here fail to realize how small their profits are in compari- son with the enormous turnover in- volved. Undoubtedly if there were less extravasant competition and a little