Page 9 Advertisements Column 2

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2885, 25 September 1916, Page 9

[Published by arrangement.] FOE PROHIBITION. REMARKABLE MEMORIAL-ON THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC. A.N impressive array of signatures, such, as has rarelv come together on such a document, has been attached to tho-memorial to the Government now being promoted by the Strength of Britain Movement. The.memorial, which was inaugurated at a-meeting of business mon at the Hotel Cecil, London, a few weeks ago, is a notable demand for the . suspension of the liquor traffic during tho war, on the grounds of national duty, to our Allies to tho Army, and the Fleet, and of conserving the full strength of tho nation tor present dangers and future needs. This demand for prohibition must be counted, perhaps, the most remarkable that has yet been presented, to the Government, inasmuch as the memorial has no connection with any temperance organisation, and is being confined to men and women of distinction wh*o have no regular connection with temporanco work. AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE SIGNED ARE REPRESENTATIVES ?£X HE ,S?i VT COUNCIL. PARLIAMENT, ,OTJR ABJIT AND NAVY NEARLY ALL THE UNIVERSITIES THE ROYAL, SOCIETY, THE BO {rD OF CONTROL, SHIP. WNff AND SHIPBUILDING COM--I™l* WORKERS, AND •& < l-' S % I ALm!D BOOTH, CHAIRTHE CUNARD LINE, SIR WILLIAM BEARDMORE, SHIP^ lSr.c?^ m Sl^' W:tLI ' lAM CROOKES, PRESIDENT. OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY; THREE ADMIRALS (SIR ™ttEW^ TL S' SIE CYPRIAN BRIDGE, AND SIR GEORGE KINGHALL), AND MANY OTHERS THE. MEMORIAL, which is a lengthy document, CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING:— CAUSES OF"WEAKNESS. ' "Now that the nation has followed the example of our Allies in enrolling its full manhood, we appeal that wo may range ourselves with our greatest Allies, and put on the whole armour of Britain. Tho power exerted by alcohol cuts through the efficiency of the nation; it weakens our fighting forces and '■ must longthen.the war,...Theso facts stand out concerning this powerful trade:— "It binders tho Army; it is tho causo of grave delay with munitions; it keeps thousands of men'from war work every day, and makes good, sober workmon second-rate. • - "It hampers the Navy; it dol'ays transports, places them at tho'niorcy of submarines, slowa down ropaire, and coiF gests the docks. . "It threatens our mercantile marine; it has absorbed during the war between 60 and 70 million cubic feet of ispaco, and it retards the building of ships to replace our. losses. '■..-' "It. destroys our food supplies; in 20 month's of war it consumed over 2,500,000 tons of food, with sugar enough to last the nation 80 days.' It uses up more 6Ugar than the Army. ? ' It-wastes our financial strength; in the first.twenty months of-the war our people spent on alcohol .£300,000,000. "It diverts the nation's strength; it uses up 500,000 workers, 1,000,000 acres of land, and 1,500,000 tons of coal a year; {«*!£ 20'mpnths of war it has involved the lifting and handling on road and rail of a weight equal to 50,000,000 tons. "It shatters our , moral strength; its temptations to women involve grave danger to children and anxiety to thousands of soldiers. ■ ' -• x ■ ' EFFECT ON THE CLYDE. "The serious facts concerning the effects of drink on oar- forces have been' known since the early'days of the war, and military and naval officials appointed to investigate them pressed strongly for instant decision. During the eighteen months since thon the Government appointed the Board of Control, but its work, successful socially, has had little effect on tho great industries ~on which our armies rely. Here the terrible truth of eighteen- months ago is still terribly-true; tho men in the trenches are betrayed by an enemy at home. "After all that has been done, the loss of time on the Clyde is reduced from 20 to Mi per cent.; men earning a good week's wage in-half a week abandon work for drinking, and those men who give their best to tho nation, striving ! nobly to undo the injury of their weaker comrades, are powerless in this cruel' grip. ■• ... 'Mon in. the works must stand and see the delay of guns and shells for which the Army and the Fleet are waiting; men in the docks must see shite sail short-handed, wasting time by calling at other ports..in search of labour; Admiral Jelhcoe must bear as bravely as lie may the reports of captains and officers driven to do the work of drunken crews. I It is not drunkenness alone, however, but tho constant sapping of men's enorgies by alcohol, that endangers our supplies of munitions. "Wo are convinced that the dangers confronting-us'arise-from tie sudden Jaossessiou ol abundant wages irather than from a lack of patriotic feeling; untrained in spending or in thrift, large numbers of our workers waste their reserves, in drink. Tho greatest good a Government can render to its people is to strengthen their right purposes and weaken the power of. their temptations, and there lies upon us now the double duty of protecting our people from the temptation to drink away their earnings, and of protecting the State from the intolerable folly of high war wages turned to the advantage of our enemies. ol"P i v' i * sai(l we need tho-revenue tho state derives from alcohol, tho- answer lies in theso things. No nation can make a profit from such a trade as. Obis. But the fear for tho revenue is shattored by the.noble action of our Allies and Dominions; of Russia, which has prohibited vodka;'of France, which haR prohibited absinthe and the sale of spirits to women, soldiers, and young people; and of parts of our Dominions, ospcciallv in Canada, where tho sale of. alcohol is rapidly disappearing, followed by tho closing.of prisons and the quickeningup of. life.. THE GREATEST "It is not to be questioned that in all these causes for apprehension alcohol is •tho greatest single factor that can he controlled. It is not to bo questioned that tho nation has readily approved the half-way step to prohibition that has already been taken. It is our profound conviction., that tho next step must be taken before the strength of Britain can be thrown effectively into the arena on which our liberties depend. No* nation can bo at full strength with such a factor in its midst. "Wo arc no temperance reformers as such. Wo stand for the great, desiro of all good peoplo to strike tho mightiest blow for freedom of which Britain is capable. Wo believo a golden moment has arrived for our country; that, prepared for sacrifice by tho examplo of' tho King and Lord Kitchener, tho nation is ready for the natural step that Franco and Russia have already taken. The suspension of tho liquor traffic during the war, tho couvorsiou of tho public-houses into houses of refreshment, will quicken up our civil and fighting populations, will raiso a new fire of resolution in our people, and will givo to millions tho first opportunity they have ever had of breaking old habits of weakness and forming new habits of strength.. "We beliero that iu this, as in all other vital issues, there must bo sympathy of purpose and unity of action : between the Allied nations; and wo up-! peal to tbo Government to be bold and trust our peoplo, to bo strong and follow our Allies, to bo worthy of tho mighty destinies they hold in' solemn trust."—Glasgow paper.