THE EFFICIENCY BOARD AND THE LIQUOR TRADE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3188, 12 September 1917, Page 9

THE EFFICIENCY BOARD AND THE LIQUOR TRADE

Sir,—Between your correspond out, C. Boughton Jordan, and myself there is little difference ou questions of toinperance. It is only when wo consider Prohibition, its aims, object, and policy, that ire become at variance. Temperance is a Christian virtue, and its practice is the habit of Christians. Prohibition . is compulsory abstinence, not imposed i by the individual upon 'himself, but by < the power of a majority the Prohibition : party would compel all peoplo to be as they aro. This is un-Christian in practice, undemocratic in policy, and a violation of British liberty. The business side of Prohibition has been considered by tile Efficiency Board, and the board favours as a war measure "immediate Prohibition accompanied bv reasonable compensation to the interests ; affected." It is ([iiitc dishonest on the ( part of the Prohibition party to endeavour to secure .immediate Prohibition without reasonable compensation lo the interests affected.. And if reasonable compensation to the interests : affected must accompany Prohibition -t this juncture, huw much more imperative is it that reasonable compensation _ should become the policy of the Prohibition party in normal times? But llr. Jordan quotes a case which has really no bearing upon the issue in New Zealand, and such a judgment as has been given in the United States could not be given in New Zealand, because our licensing law is quite different. According to the law 111 New Zealand the "right of annual renewal ' is established. This licence becomes the property of the licensee. It is assessable by the Government even for death duties Upon its value. Therefore its destruction as is proposed by the Prohibitionists without leiisonable compensation (as the Efficiency Board stipulates) wouUl be to rob the licensee of part of his legitimate property. Because it is the Prohibitionists' policy to do this, their policy must be regarded as dishonest by all right-thinking electors. On this point the late Sir JJcnry ■fames observed in. a well-known judgment: "I regard the attempt to destroy property without compensation Jo the holders as unjust in the extreme. The late Sir Joshua Williams held the same view. And following the lead of such eminent authorities the present Attor-nev-General has observod: "It would be a gross act of injustice on the part of this Parliament if we were to curtail the rights of those individuals (that is, licensees) and take away what is really their property without making adequate pavment for the loss sustained.'" The policy of the Prohibitionists, therefore, is alike dishonest and unjust. I There is another misconception on the part of Mr. Jordan which 1 would like to notice. He makes out that the liquor trade has less moral claim to consideration than, other trades, such as saddlery and coachbuildiug, because, ho says, they supply u public demand, which the liquor' trade does not. !Mr. Jordan C9IUU eay this about any other trade, but his statement would be regarded by sensible persons as a Tank absurdity, "hat. 1S the trade that exists without fulfilling a public demand? "Without a public demand for its products, what trade can exist? If there is no public demand for tea, a tea shop could not exist. II there was no demand for beer, a public-house could noc exist. Too much tea produces nervous debility, mental irritalion, neurasthenia, and sometimes insanity. Too much beer, liko too much- religion, would liavo the same effect. And it is as great a crime to drink a cup of iea as It is to drink a glass of beer. To compel people, to be Prohibitionists is undemocratic, un-British and illiberal. Tho cure for excess in. all things is— liot the destruction of tho businesses of the people who von A those commodities—but greater enlightenment and education, combined, with self-control in their use. Another complaint I have about the Prohibition, party is this: That these Prohibitionists as a party are not attempting to use their proposals to win tho war; they aro attempting to use tho war lo ivin their proposals. Their motive is a prejudice which they entertained previous to tho war, and which they would continue to pursue, even at the expense of the war.- That, top, is the Judgment of such nieu as G. K. Chesterton, Will Thorne, and Sir Thomas Whittaker. The Prohibitionists in this country have determined to raise >£50,000 to help to win Prohibition. If they had <Totcrmine(l to raise ,£50,000 to_ help win the war, suspending their agitation and propaganda in tho meantime (like tae Bible-in-Schools League and other political organisations), I and many more men and women would have had less to say about, the injustice and lack of patriotism which hiiyo been displayed by the Prohibition party. This party, as a party, has done no good to tho cause of temperance in this country; in. fact, their policy has retarded the adoption of temperance to a greater extent by the people of New Zealand, and even vice-presidents of the United Kingdom Alliance have abandoned the policy of that organisation, and, like Sir Thomas .Whittaker, M.P._ (a former vice-president of the United Kingdom Alliance), have adopted the policy of Stato control, with State purchaso, which is, to use Sir Thomas's own expression, "a policy of hope and practicability; a policy which recognises facts, adapts itself to them, and is ready to avail itself of opportunities of taking great steps forward when they present themselves." Concluding, his advocacy of "A fair bargain between a willinc buyer and a~~n : illing seller," he Bays:—"My contention is that all the difficulties would be reduced to a minimum under State ownership and control." If the Prohibition party would like to win favour in the community, it must abandon its propaganda for tho present, devote its .£50,000 to win the war, dismiss from its leadership ranks those men who are opposing the National Government in its win-lhe-war policy, and tel I tho people of New Zealand that it will adopt, (lie recommendations of the Efficiency' Board as regards reasonable compensation, as the first plank ill its platform, which must be reconstructed after wo have beaten tho Huns.—l am, pic., JOHN PLOWMAN, J If.