The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-06-27
GREAT BRITAIN DRIFTING
TO PRE-WAR BEER BASIS
Brewers stu Make Demands on
pariiamcni~--Becr Restrictions
Continue to he Lifted.

The approaching dog days in Great
Britain is accompanied by r great
furore about the beer supply. People
In more or less advanced stage OF
inebriety are shouting aloud that they
are suffering from an undersupply
of dope and that they propose to have
| their beer or start something The
brewery organizations are holding
meetings writing appeals 10 the news
papers and sending delegations 20 call
, on members OF parliament. all de-
handing more beer and taunting the
government with alleged pledges
made during the les, parliamentary
campaigns, which promises they are
told were that the drink restrictions
( imposed by the war would be re-
moved, The government is more or
less EN- barrassed by a lot of loose talk
made In the heat of the parliament
tary election campaign.
On the other hand, government
/ leaders We're equally profigate in
promises "a the temperance element.
Last Decent Der, the Premier and Mr..
Bonar Law issued a manifesto TO the
country, promising, among other
things that there would he "a proper
adaptation to peace conditions of the
experience which. during the war, we
have gained in regard to the traffic
! in drink"
Then. in a letter written on No
vember % last 10 the Rev. J, II,
Shakespeare. Mr.. Lloyd George stated
that We cannot afford 10 revert to
tie conditions prevailing in the years
preceding the war" and also that the
lessons OF tho war N regard to the
, rink traffic must he carefully ex-
/ amned and observed"
! But scarcely was the election over
and the votes announced, than the
! drift to the old time rA'e war condi-
! lions commenced From January i,
| 1919, the output of beer was increased
| by % per cent and the release of
! spirits from IA q millions 10 81 IL
1 millions proof gallons was announced.
| Then on April /. the output of beer
was increased from 3 2s0, 900 stan
dard barrels TO 30 900 900 barrels was
/ announced.
Then, on April 80, the Chancellor
/ of the FMchequer announced that lat
| some future time" there would likely
he further increase in the barrelage
/ allowed The brewery jackals thtre-
( upon set M violent hue and cry, de-
mandinE that the government hurry
along with the increase. The clamor
was SO great that they did not have
long TO wait. on May %, the gov
eminent announced in the house of
commons that there would be a
further increase Immediately Of g.
GOO 600 barrels.
Hardly had this new announce
! ment been made when the brewery
heelers began holding new conferences
and meetings demanding still
further increase in the output. de-
, handing that the war restrictions be
entirely removed, demanding that the
Central Control Board be entirely
abolished, protesting against paying
their share OF war taxation, railing at
people who didn't buy their oore
clamoring for everything In sight and
out of sight
Alongside of these demands printed
in the newspapers were news stories
about the shortage of food supplies
in Europe and accounts of people
starving for want of grain, which
grain was being used up by brewery
| corporations into decoctions for max.
ing folks drunk
And in the meantime, the statistics
of drunkenness throughout England
and Wales have been creeping up as
The output Of beer is increased until
hey have reached a weekly average
of about so per cent more than In
1919. And still the brewers appear
not to be satisfied until they have
reached the old-time pre-war stan
dard of drunkenness The more peo-
pie they can make drunk, the greater
| their dividends