SUGGESTIONS TO SIR J. ALLEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17982, 26 December 1918, Page 6

SUGGESTIONS TO SIR J. ALLEN.

TO THE EDITOR

■Sir,—When it is laiowa. that tho president Pi the faooond Division League (j\jr li \ Armstrong) is aiso secretary vt ;ho Aiodaraio, alias laquor League, it is not surprising that ho should venture to auge'eat- io Sir James Allen that tho (JoverniUwil should undertake to send to the overseas soldiers what is practically a- manifesto for tho liquor pany. in proof for ihis I need only can tne attention «f your readers to tho l&st clause in the list of suggestions to Sir J. Alien published in yesterday's issue. As prohibitionists wo have not tho slightest objection to the suggestion that our soldiers- should know ail thai was contained in tlis Licensing Amendment Bill that was passed by I J arJiasnent in the recent session. jßy all means let them know that if prohibition is not carried at tho poll on April 10, provision is made for another poll on throe- issues at tho general election. Hut the sting of th-eso suggestions lies in their tail. That last paragraph contains two g'.armg misrepresentations. Ono is contained in the sentence, "The prosent revenue from tho manufacture, importation and salo of alcoholic Uquoi's is es.limited at £1,000,000." L. is so "estimated," wo know, by tho liquor trade for campaign purposes, but every intelligent person knows that it is a gross perversion of fact. Against what is represented as the gross revenuo has to be placed the enormous oost which the liquor trades cas 13 upon the State, and whon this is exa.nined it is discovered that the eo-called "revenuo" is really a very serious minus quantity. That revenue bogoy has been tried too long and exposed too often to frighten anybody nowadays, and it is simply a piece of cheek to ask tho Government to send it along to the soldiers to induce them to vote against prohibiion on April 1-0. The second misrepresentation follows on tho first, i 'Che recurring liability will not be £1,350,000 ii prohibition is carried at tho special referendum. It will bo that amount named minuo tho more than £.1,000,000 that will be saved to the country when the liquor trade, with all its terribly costly entails is abolished.—l am, eta., W. J. 'WILLIAMS.