LOCAL OPTION POLLS IN SCOTLAND.

Evening Star, Issue 17543, 24 December 1920, Page 8

LOCAL OPTION POLLS IN SCOTLAND.

TO TUB EDITOn. Sir,—-Your cable appealing to-day gives some idea of how the recent voting on the liquor question has gone in Scotland. "Unfortunately, owing to the nature of the issues submitted to the people, it could not indicate ihe real Prohibition sentiment of the country. The fact that there, are no fewer than 1,214 voting areas-dearly shows that-such areas are relatively email, and enable opponents of liquor Te-fonn to secure many votes for no chango that they would not inflnenco if the issue was Prohibition for the whole country. Then another dsmaeing feature of the contest from a Nolicense standpoint -was the provision -which, permits liquor to bo served with meals in hotels, even after ]!*o-Ecense is carried. This raised tho cry of "-class distinction,'' which was nsed with great effect in industrial centres. The history of all recent anti-liquor contests clearly demonstrates that titers are far more voters prepared to go for complete Prohibition than thore axe for- limited restrictions. Evidence of this is to be found in tho polls taken in Isew Zealand in 1911 and 1914, when there were two ballot papers—one for National Prohibition and tho other for electoral No-license. In that case thousands more voters went for Prohibifchm than for and here tho areas were equal to at least forty Scottish districts. In Victoria and Queensland, where licensing contests were held last October, the percentage vote against Continuance in Queensland wae 5 per cent, higher than in Victoria; and yet in tbo southern State everyone in touch with the liquor issue knows that antidrink sentiment is the stronger. But Queensland voted on State-wide Prohibition, and Victoria on Local Option for 6mall districts. Had the vote been to pat the whole of Scotland "dry" a better result would no dorbt have been secured. The result -will be hailed as'a Kqnor victory; but with. 447 licenses wiped out in the first round,-under the peculiar difficulties of the ballot, it would seem as though the " drys" have won on points.—l am, ;etc, ._ J, Maiuon. December 24