The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 13, 1918. THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1918, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 13, 1918. THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

Considerable attention is being directed to the report of the Efficiency Board recommending that legislation be passed submitting the question of national prohibi-l tion to a vote of the people at the earliest possible moment, and that .such vote should be upon the basi„ of immediate prohibition, acconi- j panied by reasonable compensation to the interests affected. Public opinion appears to be divided on the question of the best means of dealing with this traffic. There has been a steady growing feeling that the issues which in the past have been submitted to the electors have only served to surround the question with bitter controversies leading to no practical progiess towards a final settlement, and until finality is reached the struggle will continue. Common sense claims that an end should !' e jl' 3 * to tlle existing phase of the traffic. Either there should be national prohibition—with compensation or State control. One section of the community insists ■■n .sweeping liquor out t,, Z"'?' «»a :;^ T L - bEstsu t «* and a-half miir ° lmts to fo "r

that more than one Jiali' of the people vote for abolishing the liquor traffic, firmly believing that its suppression is the best thing that could happen to the Dominion generally, the elimination of the evils, of which so much has been said and written, would be well worth double the amount. Already the legislature has attacked the retail trade by closing j hotels at six o'clock and by prohibiting shouting, but it would bp manifestly unfair to those who ha\e their capital invested in the business to gradually whittle away their privileges until there is nothing left fo value. That is not British justice, and this fact has been recognised by the Imperial Government which has for some time r>ast been acquiring by purchase a fairly large number of hotels and is now considering proposals for purchase and control of the traffic at a cost of four hundred million. It is this question of compensation that will materially influence the vote for or against hotel prohibition, and therefore before the issue is submitted definite decision should be given by Parliament or (though it would complicate matters) the question of compensation or no compensation might form part of the referendum. The one outstanding phase of the question is, Shall there be national prohibition or State control? These alternatives both involve the payment of compensation. It would seem that the most businesslike way of dealing with the liquor traffic would be for the State to acquire the business in the first instance by purchase on reasonable terms, and by rigorous control eliminate what evils attach thereto. That would remove much opposition to national prohibition and would place the business on an experimental basis as well as enable the State to be recouped for the purchase money. Having onee got the trade out of private hands its future would present no difficulties, for it could either be carried on under control, or swept' awav altogether at the will of the people.