"RELAND'S REPEAL OF PROHIBITION."

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 423, 14 June 1922, Page 6

"RELAND'S REPEAL OF PROHIBITION."

'lO Tilt: EDITOR. Sir,—Mr J, A. Uarrison, liquor's publicity fnu.nagei'. m Ins lu«i letter admit-, conecrning Iceland, "a limited information." Perhaps then, lie did no; know thai last year the Premier of Iceland staled (hat ''prohibition in Iceland is a great success. Jt is supported by a ijreai majority of the people"; or thai the Bishop of Iceland stated that "prohibition has been a great blessing. It is a rare thing to see a drunken person in the country—a very common sight before prohibition"; or that the chief of police of the leading city of Reykavik and the Mayor of that city, who voted against the introduction of prohibition, have among others endorsed in emphatic terms their Premier's statement.

That Spain lias a right to reciprocity in trade is admitted; bin since even when "wet ' Iceland has not previously imported a chop of Spanish wine, and since Spain exports oranges, nuts, almonds, raisins, etc., why did she not ask Iceland to take some if these as an equitable exchange for the jsh she bought? Did Iceland continue to refuse to admit Spanish wine she would not. as Mr Harrison states, have free access lo the Spanish market on equal terms with other nations, she would find a high tariff wall confronting her. That Spain's action, we believe instigated by powerful liquor interests in that country, is nothing more or less than a "hold-up" of small Iceland is surely gathered from ihe statement of an official Government representative of that country that "the Government of Spain has declared that Iceland, in order to have a tolerably good market for her clip lish .n Spain, must abolish her prohibition law so that all wines containing upwards of 21 per cent, of alcohol can be imported and sold in Iceland.''—i am, etc., C. W. DUXCUMB.