WHAT "NO-LICENSE" MEANS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10410, 29 July 1899, Page 3

WHAT "NO-LICENSE" MEANS.

TO THE KMTOB OV THE PBXSS. ■ . Sir,—Have tJhose people wool talk so .lightly, ot voting "No-License, 11 and of. persuading others to vote likewise, ever realised what the, result -would be if by any misfot- | tune they should be successful? Have they realised that nearly one-third of ilia revenue of the, country would be thereby destroyed, I and not far from the same proportion of tho municipal revenue likewise I .'Shit many thousands of people would bo thrown out of I employment, with all those dependent on l them* That hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of property would ba afbsolutely destroyed, and that so far from there ! being more wealth saved to the community, the above deficiency, both in the Government and municipal revenues, would have to be made" up, and by a much fewer number of 1 taxpayers, because those ruined and. the employees thrown out of employment would be unable to pay their share, and also no doubt 'there would be a large exedus of all able to get away from such a ruined 'Community.' So that, speaking roughly, probably .prohibition would mean double taxation to* taut now levied, and practically ruin.-to the whole country. And for what reason is all.thia havoc to be wrought? Simply to try again an experiment, which has been repeatedly tried elsewhere, and in nearly every caso has proved a complete failure. Messrs Rowntree and Wherwell. in their recently published book "The Temperance Problem" and Social Reform"' have devoted both tuna' arid money to an exhaustive inquiry into every pluise of the drink question; on prohibition-* theirconclusion is, that so far as towns and cities are concerned, prohibition has proved a- complete failure. They suggest that State control of tho drink trade administered under municipal or local authority, tho pronta of - the trade to be devoted to "People's Palaces,", and other recreationfor. the people, would be the most hopeful solution of the question, but as they quote £154,480,943 as the drink bill for the United Kingdom for- 1898, and £230,000,000 as. tho amount of capital invested in the trade, where is tho capital to come from to buy out o» trade of such dimensions? And the same remark will apply to- our awn problem, though on so much smaller a scale.

If, then, the impossibility of buying out the trade be once recognised, doss it necessarily follow that no reioi'irt or improvement in the conduct of "tihe trade is possible? By no means; on tho contrary I'believe it to be much more feasible to reform the trade by means of the respectable part of- those engaged in it, than to oppose and attack the whole of the trade and interests concerned. Messrs Rowatree and Sherwell suggest that the profits of the drink trade be invested in "People's Palaces'" and recreation room£ etc., but why not induce the ucenseu. victuallers to provide such' places of recreai<tion, where .prohibitionists'and all .might meet on equal. terms, where drink indeed might be sold, but no drunkenness. Why not make it worth the publican's while that there should be no drunkenness. ,: At present you luuidioap him by a high license lee.'by compelling Joim to put up costly buildings, by making him pay a large share of the municipal revenues, and when he, tries, torecoup himself for all these heavy imposts, you turn round and accuse' him of causing' drunkenness. The, Government 'again'-'de-rives nearly one-third of its revenues from Uvi duties on liquors, etc., wbich,.the,-general public is quite content it should, do, 1 and se ,-so muc& attempting really' fe> ,*up'press it practically holds out a premium to tlie*intemperate man to get drunk by fining hini. ss, etc., which is no deterrent, but if it really was in earnest to check drunkenness why; not begin with a fine of ss, but' double the , amount at every conviction until'it" reached £20, and let tho drunlcard work out his line at the value of his'work if agood When it reached £5 or- £10, and knowing its would be doubled the next tcme, he.would think twice before getting;drunk again) • whereas the old topers,, their work'being valueless, would practically be shut up, as they ought to be, iv inebriate homes, and no' more would be made, as they are' being mcete every day, under the present system,; while, the fines would provide the. means; if tlusri*' was any drunkenness,- and if there: Was not*, you would Itave accomplished what, is desired, viz. ; iho abolildon of druokehiiesa--Yours, etc.-, „ .'-..>*•,-- ---0. PERCY-COX. >