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PROHIBITION OR REDUCTION
WORKERS’ CHANGE OFTASTE.
. LONDON, .March 31.
„A:pipe band was (playing. in Trifal
gar-square yesterday afteroon. AA
wounded Gordon Highlander—wit i one
arm in a sling,” the other limp by. liis
side-out, for an iring . in a taxicab
with his nurse, slouted to the driver
to stop, and jumping, out begun a- sort
of staggering reel .oil -•thd' .payement.
The crowd cheered, the sinehers Aero'
delighted. . but : the agonised nurse,
awooned down upon him. “You i will,
be killing yourself,” she s.’said. “ "I
couldna’ help it,” replied tlie breath
loss lTighlander,witha grin. “It was
tlie pipes." There „isti Jot of reeling in
our streets and in our war faetoricG
which* has not the justification of ir
resistible music? : Weeks sincetlie Mlin
istry started out. to scotch this mischief;
and were staggered to discover, that it
is much’more .than mischief, it is an
overwhelming evil.. In the words of
Mr. Lloyd George, "It is the greatest
enemy confronting Great .’Britain." As’
noutlpicce of, the. Cabinet, the Chan
cellor hinted that .-something drastic,
nust be done to destroy this social can-,
cer. His burning words have caused a
tremendous .hubbub in every part, of the
United Kingdom... p“ .• -
All .the temperance . societies are
whooping jubilautly, .uclieving. .thet
compulsory pledge-signing. legislation 1
to be introduced by the Government.
The moderate • drinkers, upon’, whom
liquor has no hold, are quite willing to.
see the traffic absolutely stamped out,
but those who frequent hotels and club?
object Omt* a “ root and . branch " de
struction is neither wise nor necessary. .
The working classes voicing their opin
ion through their'leaders are divided.
Some say,. "Introduce prohibition,"
others declare ‘that early closing, and
perhaps in bad areas, entire suppres
don, will quickly yield the additional
labor productivity which must bo ob
tnined if our armies are to have their
power supplies of shells. The working
classes have been much-influenced by
the fact that Mr Lloyd George is au
thorised to’state, that the King is
"greatly : concerned”: about. the situn
lion. Indeed, they, 'would probably
have adopted a scornful attitude toward
the Chaucellor’s announcement if ho had
not buttressed: limself by : disclosing ,
the King’s anxiety., 1 . s
An astute. politician liko, Mr. Lloyd
George would not have raised the issue
in the manner that ho.did unless satis
fied . that the, conditions were : critical.
No-demoeratic community cares for re
presentations which are made in see
ret. . The Shipowners’ Association in-1
terviowed the Chancellor far from the (
multitnde, and, only. an official narraz
tve of the. exchange, of opingiswis
subsequently(isaued. . Tlie vorking-mdi '
bitterly repents the general iuputatiel
of slnoknessand .drinking contained
the communications that weremadei to,
Mr* .Lloyd George in the privacy of his
office, and several of the executives hive
roundly condemned Him: 'Put' doing the 0
* Gupe and swallow”, aqt when com-,
mantled by the ship-huilders. Buton
the whole, their, personal predilection,
in this respect .Have been waived he
xitise tho > King lias signified Jijs Co".
The Chancellor might'have spid/miunig
moro than he'did., Both the War Off
hen and the• Adniiralty lave recent.3 .
obtained impartial oflicini report upon:
the 'effect That thinking; is. having i
themamfneturo of. muintious, and I
cach iistance there lins ■beena coneer
sus of testiony that the coneuimptgn of •
liquor has increased and' that thcef
eiency.of the workers ; ha," decreased.
The’more thoughtful of the mien them
slveal are fully alive to the deleterious
inthiones, that strong diiik is 'exercising,
upon those artisans wliq have Hownto it
either, for forgotfumess, or * as - a pick
me-up. Wlien Mr Lloyd George made
his first attnek upon the trafficni
Wules, confidenitinl agents wero sent out
by BovernI societies to glean.stntimicn,
that1,would controvert his sweeping. geu
eralisations. ." Just ... ns.; the,. Prpphet,
Bulaem was taken to the, front, by the:
King of Moab toeursehis enemies and ■
bless the arms of Balak, and-. 19, bles..
ing was forthcoming; so n refutation .of
the Chancellor’s startling < statements
was, not obtained by these znions., V j
. Ministcra are impelled toward trench-’
ant proscription of the sale of drink
byl 'the wonderful results which have
flowed: from similar action in. Bussin.
and, Franco. I. am informedfrom ah
authoritative source ’ of ah * astonishing
fact The Jhuissian losses at the front.,
have been completely made, good by the .
decline in the denth-rate among ^thd\
civil population. Thoreis, no. question
as io the cause of the decline. It is
the'prohibition of the sale of vouka.
Thu health1, of tho peasants lias !cnor-:
mously improved iis consequenceofen
foreed abstinence from a.•'■particularly
virulent form • of atoohol. Russia’s pro- .
blem was simpler than ours. Tho anle 7
of drink* was a Government monopoly, '
and, roughly, only one sort of driuk: was /
sold If we had to* deal, solely with
the class of, spirits drunk 'in. certain in •
dustrial areas our difleu!ties would not
bo so grant. The. Trench Government *
lins recognised the distinction between
different kinds of alcohol, and while it
has1 prohibited the sale of theipernici
ousalisinthe, it has not in any way in
terfered with the vending of wine or
beer. The .kind of aleoliol which is '
drunk is a matter very pertinent to the
goal to be attained. _ Mr.Gldstoitd.
was always anxious to’encourge.the
salo of light wines and beers, aud Mr,
Balfour, some years age lamented the;
faet that Scotland had turned rom
claret and heer, to whisky. If the Clyde
and Tyne’yorkers wonld take liglit. beer
instead of had’ wlisky, we sliond’nof",
heurof much trouble in the yards. The
poetio description of the fortunate.Scot '
‘‘Old ‘ was- his,’ mittoi; 4 and hisseldret
good," no longer applies. . . : h s t
/‘•Until recent years, the vast major
ityof workers preferred iipit of. beer
or n pint of stout or a pint of alf,
nud-alf to any other kind, of alcoholic .
beverage. Gradually theysdeveloped4n"
taste ■ for beer, and stout with more bits
and moro. fire, : that is;moro; alpoliolin ,
it. The .browerA, made stronger beors,
and stouts. • Then the working-man. was
hilredto tasto’whisky, and finding ithut
it bucked him up and mode him moro.
jolly. quicker than his previous shcyor-.
ages, he reverted to wlisky. It is whisky.
which is to-day. responsible, for the '
breaking down of the productive, power
of the workers employed on the .Tylio
and Clyde, and; in those factories, which”
ardengaged in, making munitious of .
wap * In Scotland* whisky, is choaper
than; beer, and / the waterside" laborerr
nafurally tikes his tot of distillery fre-!
water rather than a dranglit. df.ime
dium-strength .beer. - Luckily * for hims
sell* his whiekyand filled with-pettiness”
would 'not assist ; tho. Government in
shah a social. rerorm. “Becauseemer.
gopey legislation would berequirelsI*
,do,not think it is likely that Ministers'
will declare for prohibition.. They<wlU ;
content thennelves with 'a'further, reduc
tion of hours in those centres" where
shipyards mid factories nrmostlim"
pored by.' indulgence in liqior. .. :a : d
• Valorous as tlie; Cabinetis in sonic:
respects, dt is, ivery K timid when'it is
fnged by a prodigious issue lika tht: 6f
prohibition. It Anil endenror to nlo '
the British, working dn ‘ct ‘a .proper'
breakfast andat will prevent ltim flock
ingtotle nearest barwhenhokhocks
of,ork. . It will - conllue his driuking
to, three or four hours a day,” but the
experiondo of .the last. six . months: doos
not: persuade e that the remedy wiu
ayil. Although, enrlien"blosing. t hits
beeppreseribed, as measured, for Him.”
st: country. Thebarmaidand iglie .
armando not put down tho.botteda
whisky nad.Iet the customer, lielii Tim.
self, ns lo does in ustralia. . When' wait
ask for a “whisky-you receive a defilito ‘
quantity curefully. measured' ndhs
powterrot. I should think nt woull)
take from 20 to 24 of. them to emtt
au ordinary bottle. The customsof.tie
hotels thus precludes the working lidh
imbibing too freely, uitlessho is os.
barsd:19 pay for his, liquorzin’ nccord” •
once with the ruleof the pewterpoti "
The Auatralinn, snlutation—Comr
aud-have-a-drink’t is-not often dienrai 1
English, bars. It is the. fashinitid -
every. mnn to pay for hie own.drn
Ouly,af.cr, 10 hs ibibed a ■ sufficient
quantity. Dfspirits, to. imagino thata
has the Bankeof England behinatnin}
does your ski iled. artisan dr :ydUr?uh.
sllled laborer invite a,a comral "U
drink at- Ia expense.s In. ninb:wbrkini
class houses, out of ten tleheadoft
house, 1. allowed so much every Wetk
out of hs earnings to brenst’thefLara
Ho company of lias chims. With- the '
whole thohe masses more or less'addict- .
fa t9 .the.daily consumption-of lidubr
the drink andustry has grown to stunen ,
dous proportions. Heroaro n tewtem
tires which may. astonish you "5 •
Capital invested.. .. 2240 oooost
Annual wages bill of brew. .
— cries and public houses.; 35‘ns0 Rj ■
Excise receipts .. . woMP
Ratouble valto ' of puziie 0,009,900
—houses in London alone;.’ . 1g*dbs
Browcry. employees. . tP
Public house emplovees • ' .70-0 '
Total dircetly einnnycn in . $60,000
these two. branches ... ... geo ‘
Total indirectly employed " 3-00000
Number of public lionises, 9.9900 .
of-niceuses, etc.,' to’ be .
shutdown . 130000
0 Govermment dare, ligltlyite •
with an industry, which ® to -u™
eetl>, nnd' indirectly employ 3,0000001
people. Under, the .Defene. ■ ST® .
Roaln Act Ministers havesauthorlty. to
h8ele.hnve,heen grenter, than ■ hete
wm war. At.theour upowlcA
leans -aro permitted f0’ servo AaP’a
long queues form ontside flic ishAEEPTs
the. working-class suburbs, and fi
of gossiping between gulps, hotli-inin’
and omon ompty .tho drink
throat 9 us f they ’ had uiquenelinu
thurste, and cmerge, from the-bar mom
unsteady, and more like, the Gordon
Highlander to whom I have referred 1

than in the days of old, when they
could take along time over a long

EBydncy .un.

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