The Washington times., 1917-04-11
BRITAIN NOW FACES
MORE LIQUOR CUTS
Food Controller May Save Much
Food and Release Much
Man Power.
By JUDsON C. wELLIvER.

NONDONs 4hdTCn ID NDy HldllJ.-
England is beginning to imagine
the possibilities of being hungry.
Still more imminently it foresees
the graver and earlier possibility
OF being thirsty. The food
controllers office quietly dropped the
Information or intimation that the
country would not be put on rations
until after the manufacture of intox-
iceting liquors had been prohibited.
The controller seems to have accepted
the point of view of those folks who
insist there is no good reason for put
ting the country on meat tickets, and
bread tickets, and eggs tickets. and
salt tickets, and the like. so long as
il is wasting a vest amount OF food
materials in making liquor.
Before the war this country was
making and using 36,000,OO0 barrels
Of beer a year and a corresponding
amount of spirits. Quite early came
an order for reduction of the product,
and then a short time ago the Pre-
mier announced a further reduction
Of the beer output to 100000 barrels
for 1917. Lloyd George said the saw
ing by his most recent order, which
Topped off about 100000 barrels,
would be sufficient to provision the
country for a month. So IL would
appear in this proportion that the
$4,000, 900 barrels of beer used In Eng
land before the war required in it's
manufacture enough food materials
to provision this country for three
and a half months.
II Great Britain goes dry it will be
the accomplishment of the. submar-
AwwA l. \
anything less than a propect of .tual
fdbd shortage would have induced the
government to take such a revolu-
uonary step. Yet, powerful as IS the
liquor trade in this country and de-
voted as are the people to their dis
stnguished personal right to drink its
product. II is simply wonderful to OBJ
serve with what equanimity the pub
lie regards the possibility of having
its drink supply shut of.
II II Is necessary to win this war
they will do without all Of their
drink and part of their food, and a
good deal of other things that they
had come to regard as necessaries of
life. There is not the least notion of
surrenderin- their purpose to win
the war.
Hard To Readjust Conditions.
Readjusting the conditions of the
liquor industry to the restrictions
that have been imposed is a difficult
task. When the government an
nounced that 1t would take over the
irish breweries and might later take !
over those in the United Kingdom IL ,
was explained that the reduction in !
the barrelage wo-ld probably neces-
state the entire shutting down of
many establishments and pooling of |
the business. In doing this the gov
ernment would order that the least (.
efhcient and economical establish /
ments be closed and that only the (
best, most modern and biggest would |
De permitted to continue. This in
wolves great difficulties because ev-
cry concern wants 20 be among the !
favored ones that will be allowed to
remain in business
The brewers have suggested and
have been holding conferences among
themselves to discuss plan for
pooling their issues and closing a
great number of saloons. 1t is an
that as many as &c, 900 may
be closed, about one-third of the num-
Der of public houses operating under
licenses. J
Campaign Of Economy.
All over the cities of the kingdom
one Is constantly stared in the face
by huge posters announcing the
amount OF the annual drink bill and
proclaiming that if this money were
saved 1t would largely il not entire
y pay for the war. The direct saw
ing, assuming that ii would really
all be saving, would in fact paw
about one-half the cost of the war
on the present scale of expenditure.
The prohibitionists, or aboIitionists.
rs they are called here. declare that
he indirect saving represented by the |,
increased stocks of foodstuffs avail
able, the utilization of plant, horses.
human labor and everything else II
now devoted to the liquor business
would represent the other half.
The brewers .and .distillers are try Il
ngto convince the government that II
{ would be good business to expand
he limited production that is now al
owed by making lighter beers and
of lower proof. thus increas-
ng the quantity of both and permit
ing the drinking public to pay a
much larger share of the war taxes
through the purchase OF less strenu-
'us drinks. But the difficulties are
Meantime the reduced production
nd consumption OF liquor is having
marked effect on social conditions