THE LIQUOR BILL.

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 57, 2 December 1918, Page 4

THE LIQUOR BILL.

The Liquor Bill is the unknown qiiantit amo?,g the business s ill to be done bv the House before members arc to be allowed to go home. In the ordinary eo use of things such a measure wonld occiinv the House for list about a fortK It is suggested that the GovernSmaUnhXe the Bill to-day, and make an attempt to get it through all rta£ at one silting. It would mean a verV long sitting, but in any case this Kill wil never be pushed through tie Hois thontalong'sitting. There w, l,e a certain amount of reasonable debase 'on the measure from members who ma> not be wholly unfriendly ta the proposaU in the Bill, but it is safe lo say itliat most of the talk will be from member. d wish to delay the passage■ othe Bill in the hope, perhaps, that there "ill not be time for it in this hurried Se fli°e n ßill will make its appearance soon after the meeting of the House this after"on It finally dealt with by Cabinet oh Saturday morning, .and .some amendments were made, making to have the Bill reprinted. This may delay 4he appearance of the Bill, but certainly not for more than an hour or fro The provisions of the Bill aie alie.w pre tv well known. If the Bill is pr.sse<l there will be a poll ear v m the year, nobablv in March, on the question as Kted by the Efficiency Board-Con-inuanco or Prohibition, and eompensao,i o the amount of four mi ions and a half in the event of Inhibition be.. 6 carried. The decision in this 011 * to l» bv bare maiority. If lioniouion 11 berried' at the nol it is c-come into operation on June 30, 1919, the <taw o which hotels in any district woul have had to close had Jw-Ljcease n.en carried at the poll which .should have been taken at the end of this year. The Bil nrovides for the setting up of a, tr bum to allof the compensation but the, appointment of the tribunal is to bo left to the Governor-in-Council. Soldiers are to have a vote m tne poll. The alotment of the compensation will be no easy task, for not only will nl owances have to he given to the own"of bote and all other personsfinally interested in the f-; n,.«= but to employees in the tiarte as •oil' The Bill provides for compensation of these people as well as the emP, The S Bill will also contain an amendi„J clanee dealing with the poll to bo I bmitted at ih* Jiext general election m the event of Prohibition not being carred athis poll. The local option issue s to be removed from the bnllot-mper. and the issue of State wvnerslnp, or State control, will b»added to the roper. The i™,es then will be National Prohibi ion. National Continuance, and National or State Control.

REPATRIATION. ( ! Among the Hills soon to arrive is Hie Repatriation Bill, which _ will set up the machinery for dealing with the problem of getting our returning soldiers, back into civilian life attain. There is nothing very wonderful about the proposals in'the Bill, and most of them l,ave been'forecasted already in staie-. ments that have- been made by Minis-, ters. There is to be a , Repatriation Board, to consist of four Ministers, with' Sir .Tames Allen as chairman. The other members are to be the Hons. Mr. Guthrie, Mr. Mac-Donald, and Mr. Hanaii. lluv Minister will retain full control of sol-, diers while thev remain soldiers, so that in effect he will lmvo most to do with the renatriatiou business. _ There is to be a Director of Repatriation, end it is believed that he will be Mr. ,T. R. Samson, at present head of tho Discharged Soldiers' Information Dcpartm?nt. provision will bo made also for thn setting mi of district committees, with district officers. A number cf big public works, which will be commenced as twin as the men begin to como back, will absorb numbers of the-men who' find themselves unattached, and tho repatriation organisation scheme, will keep some sort of touch with the Public Works Department in regard to such matters as the employment of men on those works.