IMAGINARY LOSS V. MATERIAL GAIN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 59, 4 December 1918, Page 8

IMAGINARY LOSS V. MATERIAL GAIN

Sir,—lt is as well to note that the f statement, published this morning that .the revenue loss to the United States owing to Prohibition is estimated iVf =€28,000,000, emanates from thjj brewers. These Moderate Leaguers are e'ver ready toi push in their barrow of "head I win, tail you lose" philosophy. Whether they have in mind the prospective blessings to be enjoyed because "beer will not be obtainable after January,' , oi , the possibility of the people having to pay directly into the Treasury the revenue the publicans have.been in the habit of collecting from them is not stated. This imaginary loss must be nuiiltiplied by at least ten if we would form any conception of what the gain to the community would be. We 11ms have a lofal of .0280.000,000. to which must be added the "doctoring" nml "lambinsdown" which goes on, plus the inefficiency, incapacity, disease, pml death caused by alcohol. We are. therefore, on the side of moderation if we estimate the net loss at £100,000,0011. "By what method of reasoning can it be shown that the failure of the States to receive through the agency of the rublichouse a nortiim of this huge sum constitutes a lo« to the community? The Americans are not blind; they intend to catch n fine bi" salmon with this spi-nt of America recop'iiscs in Japan a powerful competitor whose notional vice is not drunkenness, and if she is to surceed she must see to if that her womanhood and manhood has the best possible opportun-i,r--1 am> eIC " JOHN PLOWMAN. December 3. •