LIQUOR PROHIBITION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2153, 20 May 1914, Page 8

LIQUOR PROHIBITION.

MR. SPJUGG'S STATEMENTS.. .Sir,—Mr. Woslfy Spragij, tbo Doted dairyman and Prohibitionist, has re* turned from a business trip to Grout llritaiii and America. Ho has returner! and .lias tweu dvilv interviewed and his talk was about tho progress of liqtwr prohibition tii tho Old Country and tho United States. Now, I agm> with Mr. AVesle.v Spragg in several points. Qfte is that Now Zealand leads the world in liquor legislation. Another that tho Scottish Local Veto Act lius passed with a 55 per cent-, vote to carry local option; and that 47 millions of people—more than nne-hnlf of the population—arc under Prohfti" bitioi'i in tho United States.

There are amplifications wanted to thoroughly understand the'true meaning of these point*. In regard to tl-w progress of Prohibition 'in New Zealand one-tenth of our area is under No-Li-cense. No-License began to be effective in olso area in 18!) S. In 18D5 .our drink Lull was £3 Os, sd. per head, and Jiftor eighteen years of "leading the world in Prohibition 71ro.Kre.ss" ilio drink bill of 1913 was C.3 14s.—an mcre6«e (if 13s. 7d, per head in the driiil.ing prenensitv of our people. NoJjieense aiwl Prohibition are iimrelv ]io).iti.en.l agitations and do not make for imnrftving the habits Ami tompeianre principles of the peepte: Uott'Bver, as 110 town ever became a p.rna.t city uiuler No-License., as 110 country ever becanie great under Pro* ■l'ibitkili. and os 11a people ever became renowned wiw were total : law and religion, tlioro is hone for New Zealand, her -r'sities and ber people if they prevent tbo Wesley S)vraeirs freiii i imposing the tyranny of Prohibition upon them.

In Great Britain the T'nitwl Kingdom ( Allin iiro was formed in 1833 for the "immediato and ronwi'lsory legislative snpT.rflssion of the liquor traffic." and after over GO years of Prohibition pro-' press the limit reached is the. Scottish Veto Act, which from its fiassiaee into law, does not come into operation for eight years, and fnalces provision for tlio fieoplo getting liqttor if they want it. into tho areas that mat carry the local veto, and also nrovides tor a given iiilml.or to vote before tlio voting bcranws si valid noil. T'nder sueli conditions I liopo M>\ Wesßy Spracjpt aiui. I will live to see Scrrtlniid go "dry"—'the csmrtry witaso national poet sang— Freedom and whisky tlio 'gi'ftel, Tak off your djraW'l Besides, tho drink hill of Great Britain last year .stood at 167 'millions sterling —itn inereaso of five millions for tho year—and when the Prohibition orftaiii* sation was formed,' for tljo "immecliata legislatiro suppression" of tliis trade, tho drink bill of tho United Kingdom was less than half what it is to-day. You wrigliv as \rell : try to stop rivet's running, liold bao.tc tho tides, and Merest tho progress of the stars- in their Courses, as attempt to prohibit tho itaii'iifaeture, sale, awd use of beer aiid whisky. Man is born with a thirst .

Turning to America this is thmidanily' demonstrated. A writer lit the 'Ameriean Eeview of Reviews" supports Jfr., Wesley Sptngg about the progress of j l'roliibitiiin, and says 4G,o2fi,?.vif> of tlio. ! inhabitants of the States are living in i Xct-Licenso torri'tory. 'i'hi.s writer s'ays s | ''The TJnited States consumes 1,851,000.000 gallons of lieer eseh year, wliieji is 100 million gallons moro Mian fierifiaiiv. The Unitecl States conies .nest; to Russia in (iistii'kd lio.ooi" eonsum-p----tiflii with 133 million gallons a year."' 11ms, ivitil 47 millions., of hej k people .widor No-liccnse, the .IJititotl States is. fet in hcer,' : sectaid in whisicv; Turn-: ins up the records I find that thes-o figures woro the ewnsmnption of freer and whisky for 1910 in t.)m United StJitfes. lit two years, tvitll more, a.teas .''di'.v," thp spirit, consttnsp'tian weiit ivp by six million gallons, and tho beer bv' over 80 miUioiis of gallons. Mr= ley Sjira.gg says that "tho nfesettt j)r», ntise is that Prohihitioii will cover tho Whole, hind." St. Paul says: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the" ■ovidenco of things not seen." And so Mr. Lesley Sprajg, after lookim* at: ajl tlio earth and tlte inconceivable rjhnntiiies of liouor used by nil Christum ni-: tions. declares bU faitli to he "most far the abolition r.f the lienor traffie t-hrourjliout tlio eivilispd ivtsr-lrl " This js fairt indeed. As the TTuit.od Kingdom Allian-n was founded over GO years ago 'for the '"iromediVin IceiKln-t-ivo suppression" of the trade, and tli.e trade is still going strong and iiwreosihr .is the people aiid their prosiwritv ti'ierease, doesn't it seem that Prohi--I.tromsts of the Mr. Wesley gpjie, type are lil-o. Mrs. Piirtijistoii ami her broom acanist the Atlantift? Tlio sav--m« health '>f tho nations is not to Ims tound in .No License, and Proiiibition. Any s.prious-min.'le.l man or woman student- of soeioltitrv «•]']] j P J] tlwv these are morjly white-wastiing nrooesssj-s and VNthout hny hei'ioficial efffct upon aationol character or 'habit.—l ,-mi. oie " - .MODKHATIE!