THE RELEASE OF SPIRITS IN ENGLAND
Sir,-Tho Rev, R. S. Gray would not, I am sure, wilfully mislead your Teaders on any ciuestion, far less the liquor question. It is, however, in the .interests of tlu\t accuracy that all honest men and women appreciate that some corrections of. his statement should be offered. There was jo necessity for Mr. Gray to get a cablegram from Sir James Cantlie, as the interview he gave the representative of the London "Evening Standard," which was published m that paper on January 81, and formed tho basis of . the Press oablegram that alcohoi is the only, known antidote for the new influenza." Mr. Gray must havo that interview, and must have read its contents. Will he quote it for your readers, or will I? The next point is this: Mr. Gray says that a cablegram was faked which stated that 25 per cent, more spirits was released to meet the demand for influenza remedies. As a matter of fact, the Press Bureau cablegram stated that 50 per cent, inore spirits was released; but Mr. Gray now says the cablegram was inily 25 per oeiit., and he says he has a cablegram from Sir Malcolm Morris, who is attributed with saying that "it is absurd to pretend that the releasing of 25 percent. of spirits was due to the demand for influenza remedies." And Sir Alfred P. Gould is broujht in to soy that "there has not been any shortage of alcohol for medicinal use." . Now there was no need for all this cabling on the part 1 of the Rev. R. S. Grav. Last week's mail brought the English papers, and support the Press cablegrams and give a' direct contradiction to the statements put forth by the Rev. R. S. Gray, who,'of course, wouM not wilfully mislead your readers. The ''Daily News" of February 22 issued as official the statement that the Ministry of- Food announced that the British Cabinet had decided thi\t the spirits should bo released by 50 oer cent., making tho amount 75 per cent, of that released in 1916. "For some time past, writes this paper, "there has been an agitation in regard to the difficulty experienced in securing whisky in bottle for off-consumntion for invalids, especially thoso suffering from influenza and its after-effects." That is sufficient, surely, to show that the release of spirits in England was made as the result of ail agitation for more whisky as an influenza remedy.lam,CtC \ ' MEDICO.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 172, 15 April 1919, Page 8
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413THE RELEASE OF SPIRITS IN ENGLAND Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 172, 15 April 1919, Page 8
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