TO PROTECT SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 182, 22 April 1918, Page 4

TO PROTECT SOLDIERS

■WOMEN BEQUEST .THAT BARS BE CLOSED.

A deputation of women waiting on lhe> Primo Minister on Saturday morning repeated the request that has been so olten made by Temperance organisations, that the hotel bars should bo closed on tlavs of, arrival and departure of troops. I,a'dv Stout,, speaking, in support of .the request, said that the soldiers on their return often had not recovered their normal will-power, and that they ought for this reason to lie protected. &he declared also that if the country rose to its full responsibility tho bars of hotfls would bo closed until six months after tho war. She said that in other countries bars wero closed on tho days ot arrival and departure of troops. Tho Prime Minister said that tho subject had been under consideration many times bv tho Government, and the matter was'not one so easy of settlement as might appear to the deputation. He. said that it was unfortunate that there was a deal of shouting or treating of the men on their arrival, but he did not believo that the men became addicted to drink while they were overseas. _ From his own observations he would give the opinion that it would be impossible to find a steadier set of men anions the soldiers of the Empire than the lads from this country. And he could say this without reflection on the men from other parts of tho Empire. As to the request that had bom made, it was one for the whole Cabinet to', consider. No single Minister could take full responsibility for settling the question. He would place the matter before Cabinet, m tho hops that some way would be found out rt a difficulty that unfortunately did exist.