SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2805, 24 June 1916, Page 7

SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING.

Sir,—Thero seems Co be a strong movement among members of l'arliauiant. to substitute eight o'clock closing lor six o'clocky which is hard indeed for a patriot to understand. The •Itouso knows thutiwere a < referendum taken, ■ a tremendous majority would be. shown for six o'clock, probably, oven greater than the great majority secured in New South Wales. ~£er in l'aco of this it is proposed to fh'Bt retuse the .people a referendum, aim then, alter tnua effectually gagging theni, to pass a measure opposed to tile people's views, Sinco when has there been a more direct flouting of the popular will p Also, what justification is tner'e for such course'!' Bo tar as.i' aiii abje to find, none. Six o'clock closing, besides incidentally protecting our soluiers, would be a measuro of national economy, tho annual saving from it running well into six figures. it ia tnerefore .essentially a good wc.r measure. It would alleviate to somu extent tho high cost of living, and would enable the.poorer cJasses to better stand the increased taxation which will ultimately nave to be borne by them. Again, iC would have a wholesome disciplinary eifei.t, and. make us more conscious that v,;e are making (and ought to make) sacrifices for our cause. When we consider the vast sacrifices made by I'rance, llussia and England, aud then recall what we in-New Zealand have doufc aud suffered, we' see at.once that wo ha'ye'no causa for pride.'-Russia, for instance, unwieldy, backward iJussifi, at one bold 'itroko severed herself lor ever, from the' curse of vodka, and the whole World admired. lier noble deed. But here in Now Zealand we find Parliament refusing to in.the interests of victory shorten.men's drinking hours irom 16' per day t0'.12! Again, the udoptioh of six o'oloot closing by the .British Dominions would please our Allies. It would tend to'shqw to them aud also to our enemies that the Empire is in earliest, that we are beginning to take the war seriously. In opposition to the suggested reform it will doubtless be urged that reduction - of drinking would throw men out of employment and would cause loss to publicans. V.s to unemployment, such can hardly b& said to exist in ftew> Zealand to-day. As to the publicans and their prospective losses, we have the melancholy reflection that' the publicans' turn will come whan our, boys return. There is another point. Uiir .women, who have worked so well and ungrudgiuglv, wouldundoubtedly vote almost en bloc for six o'clock, Parliament to rise up, refuse' them a referendum; aud then tnwart their -wishes' seems hardly nn Adequate reward. Again, we have heard a good deal lately of the saying, "Nothing matters except the war." In the iight of such maxim eight o'cloci: ciosiiy' (as against six o'clock) can be jusi'iLed only it the two hours daily extra drinking will help us to .win the war. iJut will ith In' conclusion, one does not always look for courageous measures from Coalition Governments, yet we have the Military Service Act, and such leads one to hope that Parliament will finally consult its better self aud show its patriotism, determination,- and disinterestedness by passing th« measure' which the people clearly want—the prohibition of liquor sales after six o'clock.—l am, etc., PIULOSOPHUS.