WAR AND LIQUOR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 49, 26 February 1916, Page 6

WAR AND LIQUOR.

LICENSED VICTUALLERS^ , PROTEST STATEMENT BY MINISTER. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHKISTGHUEiCH, this day. A deputation of licensed victuallers waited on the Hon. James Allen to-day and protested against the action of a certain portion of the community in making use of a war order to advance tho claims of prohibition and penalise hotelkeepers. The Minister, replying, said a deputation from tne other side would wait on him and ask for six o'clock closing of hotels. This was a difficult problem. It was impossible for an individual Minister to deal with it. It was a subject for the Government. Certain regulations, such as no liquor on troop trains, had already been imposed. The question for the Government was whether further war regulations should be imposed in this direction. In the meantime he asked licensed victuallers to help the Defence authorities by protecting both recruits and soldiers from their own weaknesses. If a strong feeling had grown up in the community, and continued to grow, and a licensing poll were held, he did not know what would happen. He askedthe licensed victuallers to act in their own interests as well as in the interests of young men who joined the forces.