PROGRESSIVE RUSSIA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 130, 26 October 1914, Page 7

PROGRESSIVE RUSSIA.

| To tlic Editor,' Sir,—What was by 113 thought to be ,1 backward country, and even only Half . civilised has now stepped boldly to ilie front in many ways—notably in dealing with the alcohol problem. In 1895, the Government of Russia determined 011 running the drink shops as a source of , revenue and closed the private concerns tor the purpose. The sales increased I enoriiiou.slv: from in ]S!)7 it ran up to £82,2(17,773 in 1911. Hut drunkenness and crime also increased in 'ike manner. Then in 1013, the Duina attempted some reform and reduced the strength of the liijuor sold, and abandoned the sales in small bottles; this with the idea of checking the drunkenness resulting from the trade. It remained 'however, for the \v.ir to bring the Government to its suifis. Under war conditions the spirit shops were closed, and with such good results in decreasing crime (see your issue of Thursday last) that the (.'jar ordered the permanent prohibition of Government sales of a'cohol. Then on Friday, 'the cablegrams report the consternation with which Mich capitalistic papers as tin! Westminster Gazette (Liberal) and the I'iill .Mall Gazette (Conservative) regard this hold stroke of tin* Czar, seeing that thereby 'he gives up .0i1,000,000 of revenue. Here sir, is the lesson for us: some, of our New Zcakuiders are afraid of what effect prohibition will have 011 public revenue ; yet if iiussia can a (lord to pay £1)0,000,000 to save the people from drunkenness and Cl ime, surely a rich .country such as ours e;in alTonl to surrender a revenue of £'.M!I>.U(HI--cvvn though v,c lost it all. 1 am. etc., G.TI..U.