NO DRINKS AT THE BAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 170, 5 December 1912, Page 4

NO DRINKS AT THE BAR.

Au active campaign is proceeding in t.lic province of Ontario in connection with a proposal to abolish the sale of liquor in bars and restrict the trade to "o sales. The Liberal Party, which is in Opposition at present, supports this proposal, and the provincial Premier, Sir James Whitney, lias put forward an alternative policy in the form of an "antitivating" proposal, which would make all "shouting" illegal. The temperance party, which is strong in Ontario, is supporting the Opposition plan, and it has been suggested la tidy that if public opinion is shown to he favorable Sir James Whitney may be induced to introduce legislation abolishing the bars. Mr. Arthur Sherwell, M.P.. makes some comments on the scheme in the London Daily Chronicle. "No one who has studied the working of the spirit monopoly in Russia," he says, "can doubt that the abolition of bar sales there lias led many of the peasants to procure much more vodka at one time than, they require or can safely drink, and investigations made by me in South Carolina during the operation of the State monopoly system disclosed a similar danger. In Canada, however, dram drinking has not obtained the hold that it had acquired in Russia prior to the establishment of the State monoply, or that it has acquired in Great Britain, and it may, therefore, be easier and safer to abolish the 'bar' and to restrict the trade in liquor to 'off' sales in Ontario than elsewhere. Should the

proposal be carried into effect its results will be Watched with interest by British licensing reformers." Sir James Whitney declares that the '•shouting" habit is at the bottom of three-parts of the evil wrought by over-indulgence in strong drink, and claims that the amount of drunkenness would be reduced enormously if no man were permitted to pay for another man's beer. Ontario seems certain to become the scene of a valuable experiment in one direction or another.