THE STRENGTH OF BRITAIN MOVEMENT.

White Ribbon, Volume 22, Issue 261, 19 March 1917, Page 3

THE STRENGTH OF BRITAIN MOVEMENT.

This movement was initiated towards the close of last year. A number of business men met at the Hotel Cecil, London, and decided to present to the Government a large and popuUrly signed. Memorial, asking for the suspension of the liquor tralhc on the grounds of national duty to our Allies, to our Army, and to our Navy. It is the most remarkable movement which has yet approached the Government. The Memorial has been signed by Privy Councillors, of Parliament, officers in the army and navy, head masters of public schools and university professors and students, bv men of eminence in letters, arts, science and medicine, and by lead ng citizens in all parts of the Kingdom. •.{ They contend that for the full strength of the nation to be put forth it is imperative that we follow the example of our great ally, Russia, and prohibit the manufacture arc! sale of alcoholic liquors during the war, and the period of demobilisation. As citizens ot the United Kingdom, they appeal to the Government to put the nation on its full strength. 1 hey make the following grave indictments against the liquor trade: — It Hinders the Army.— This has been proved upon the highest authority. Both Lord Kitchener and Lord Roberts pleaded for a sober army. “Drink,” said Lord Roberts, “is prejudicial to our chances of victory.” The late Sir Victor Horsley said: “At the present moment we are engaged in a European war of enormous proportions, and we are actually allowing an army of brewers and distillers to hang on our Hanks, to snipe our soldiers, destroy our strength, to take our food, and to rob us of our resources.” It causes grave delay in the output of munitions. On the highest testimon> it was stated that the advance in the spring of ujls was delayed for want of munitions, and that drink among workmen was responsible for this. It Hampers the Navy. It delays repairs. Sir John Jellicoc wrote: “My destroyer dockings and refits are delayed in every case by these labour difficulties, and they take twice as long as they need do.” Mr Lloyd Georgt stated in the House that all the inspectors agreed that the lost time is

due to excessive drinking. 1 he Director of Transports says:—“lt takes three times as long to get ships fitted as it did before the war. The root cause of delay is not shortage of labour, but the fact that men can earn in two or three days what will keep them in drink the rest of the week.” This Director recommends prohibition. One of the Admiralty officials estimated the loss in efficiency at 25 per cent. A deputation of shipbuilders, not a teetotaler among them, waited on the Government and asked for total prohibition. They stated that in many cases less hours were worked than before the war. The members of the deputation stated that, speak ; ng with the experience of from 25 to 40 years, they believed that 80 per cent, of the present loss of tune could only be ascribed to drink. One battleship coming in for immediate repairs had those repairs delayed a whole day because the riveters were drinking. 111 one works, the riveters had been working an average of 40 hours only per week ; in another yard only 36 hours pir week. It Threatens Our Mercantile Marine. It has absorbed between 60 and 70 millions of shipping space. Home transport had to be found for 250,000 tons of manufactured drink weekly. It Destroys Our Food Supplies.— ln 20 months of war it consumed 2I million tons of food, with sugar enough to last the whole nation for 80 days. It uses up more sugar than the army. The Chancellor of the Exchequer drew attention to the fact that in the year 1915-16 one million tons of barley had been used in f he manufacture of beer, and 200,000 tons in the distilleries. The Parliamentary War Savings Committee (London) reported that if all this grain we r e available for food, both for man and beast, the prices of bread and meat would be lowered. It Diverts the Nation's Strength.— It uses up 500,000 workers, a million acres of land, and G million tons of coal. If the British Government does not deal drastically with this iniquitous traffic, it will not sin for lack of knowledge. It knows just how severely it is handicapping the nation in its struggle, how much it is lessening the efficiency of our people, but the brewers and distillers, the people who hold brewery shares and make money out of their country's degradation, so far have been strong enough to compel

the Government to let the trade alone. Russia and Roumania rid themselves of the liquor handicap. France followed suit. Canada is dry all but one province; even the Mother Country has had to curtail the hours of sale, but New Zealand alone allows the trade to Hoims! unchecked. The electors of this Dominion are a longsuffering company, but we should think the limit is reached, and that next election men pledged to prohibition will be returned.