PROHIBITION AND GERMAN BREWERS.

Evening Star, Issue 17926, 23 March 1922, Page 10

PROHIBITION AND GERMAN BREWERS.

10 TUB ECITOR. “The baneful effects of the poison alcohol affect all communities.”—Von Ziemsson. Sir,—A Berlin cable dated March 2, and published in your columns, no doubt camo as a surprise to many of your readers. Cable: “ German brewers have formed a powerful league, with almost unbounded capital, to fight the Prohibition movement, which latterly has mad© much progress.” It has hardly been realised here that the fight for Prohibition has been transferred from America to Europe. The prohibition of alcohol is now a world-wide movement, and to those who have watched this great Humanitarian reform its progress is so swift it appears almost like a miracle. At Lausanne, Switzerland, late last year an, international conference on alcoholism was held, attended by 700 delegates from forty countries. At that conference three commissioners were appointed to superintend the movement for European Prohibition. The slogan was adopted of “Europe Dry in Ten Years.” This may appear unduly optimistic; but in the United States in 1913 they adopted the motto “ Tho United States Dry in 1921,” and they secured it, January, 1920. A Berlin bureau has been formed for the dissemination 'of world news and facts concerning alcohol and Prohibition. That centre lias been named tho “ German Imperial Headquarters against Alcoholism,” and is under tho charge of a distinguished Temperance advocate, Hon.' Gonsor. In one of the later editions of his paper 1 Die Alkoholfrage ’ he describes how that the peoples of Europe are beginning to realise that bread and potatoes arc necessary, but that alcohol is not, and portrays some advanced measures against both the users and suppliers of alcohol. The most interesting is the news that the Saxon Minister'of Education is organising courses of instruction on }he alcohol question, to attend which teachers wore being granted leave of absence, and the imperative duty of tho school to deal with this question was being emphasised. In the Gorman Reichstag tho strong Independent Socialist Party is moving, laying before the Government a resolution “ against the widespread use of beer and other alcoholic liquors throughout Germany.” In a memorandum which that party issued in declaring its purpose it is stated: “ The prohibition of the uso of alcohol in America has had very striking results so far as the health of the people is concerned. All tho reports of health departments of the large American cities go to show that Prohibition has led to a striking improvement.” And the party asked the German Government “if itpyas prepared to publish tho American official reports on the subject and to use its influence in the direction of tho prohibition of alcohol except for purely technical or medicinal purposes.” German brewers are frightened. The liquor interests in all the European countries are frightened, and are feverishly organising to try to stave off the oncoming waver; of public opinion in this great social question. When the liquor interests are gathering together all tho colossal wealth at their disposal to fight this worldwide movement, it does look as if Prohibition is not tho frost, fraud, failure, and weakling that the cause of “Bung” is constantly declaring.—l am, etc.,, Cixizex; March 2.L