The Daily News. SATURDAY, MAY 11, 1918. LIQUOR TRADE PURCHASE.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 May 1918, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, MAY 11, 1918. LIQUOR TRADE PURCHASE.

Among the many reforms which the war lias pressed on the attention of tlx world is that of the liquor There are several ways of dealing with this problem, but each of" these raises objections from one section of the community or another, yet it is universally recognised that the time has arrived for effectually eliminating' drunkenness. This, of course, could 'be easily accomplished by a clean sweeping away of all alcoholic liquor, but euch a drastic measure does not" yet appear to be acceptable to a large section of the .poopip, though the time may come, in the not distant future, when that course may be acquiesced in. For the present the energies of reformers are more immediately direoted towards cheeking

excesses and removing temptations to over-indulgence in the use of an article that lias a harmful moral and physical effect when taken freely. During war time it lias been deemed necessary to restrict the sale and consumption of liquor, the curtailments 111 New Zealand talcing the form of six o'clock closing and anti-shouting prohibition. In the Motherland special regulations have been made affecting certain districts wherein stringent measures have been brought into force so that industrial work on Which the success of the military forces depends should not be delayed, as was formerly the case. These temporary measures are but tlie herald of permanent reforms in the interests of temperance, tho chief of which a.ppears to foe the elimination of private interests in the trade, so that the public can, at their own cost and in their own way, by local option and Iby the pressure of opinion upon the Goverment, either put an end to liquor selling or enforce such regulations as may Ibe in the best interests of the community. Hence lias arisen tho Britislh proposals for the State purchase of the liquor trade, and the appointment of national committees for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, which have recently reported on the financial aspect of the subject in the direction of fixing a financial basis for purchase ,which would be a guide in the event of the adoption of State control. They estimate .the gross total involved in the purchase of the liquor trade interests would he substantially less than £500,000,000 about equivalent to two months' war expenditure- Tlie committee do not calculate. that the purchase will be carried out until after the war, but the State could take control of the traffic earlier by giving a pledge of ultimate purchase, after which it would be free to reorganise the trade :ii will. The purchase, if carried out, will include breweries and distilleries, together with premises: free houses; the interests of "on" and "off" license holders, and the value, it is suggested, shall be on the pre-war basis of earnings, to be written down to the standard of capital values at the time cf completion of the purchase—the breweries to be taken on fifteen vears' purchase, based on the net profits of the four years, 1010-13; the Scotch breweries at eight years' purchase and tlie Irish at thirteen years'. These recommendations are not final, but they clearly indicate the main lines on which the purchase sdheme may (be carried out. Tlie House of Commons will have to finally settle bath the policy and the terms. Meanwhile the scheme is before the public and no doubt it will be discussed from all points of view. While there are those who advocate the total abolition of -the traffic there is a section of the community in Britain which is not prepared for this drastic course, so that if the scheme of State purchase and control materialises it _ will certainly be an experiment that may pave the way for the gradual elimination of the drink traffic. The matter is bo controversial that there is sure to be ample discussion of the proposal which, if carried out, will ie watched with world-wide interest.