LIQUOR IN BRITAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20842, 8 April 1931, Page 9

LIQUOR IN BRITAIN.

PROHIBITION BILL LOST. PROPOSED "POISON" LABEL. DISCUSSION IN THE COMMONS. [from our own correspondent.] LONDON, Feb. 17. In a House none too serious last week Mr. Scrymgeour introduced his Prohibition Bill. Eight years ago he first introduced this bill, and had the support of 15 members. On this occasion he was supported by 19, the second reading being rejected by 137 votes to 20. The Dundee prohibitionist's measure is exceedingly crudo. It proposes that on a certain day all public houses, all breweries and distilleries, every licence, must, without compensation, cease to bo. Further, the bill proposed to allow alcohol to exist only for medicinal purposes, and that should be supplied only in bottles labelled "Poison."

Mr. Scrymgeour referred to a debate he had had with Mr. G. K. Chesterton. Mr. Chesterton had said:—"My objection to the statistics of convictions for drunkenness is that they never apply to anybody bub the poor. There is not an honest, sensible, ordinary man who attains the age of 40 years without having been drunk at some time or another." (Laughter.) Mr. E. Brown (Labour, Leith): Mr. Chesterton is an all-round man. (Laughter.)

Mr. Scrymgeour: You do not often get it so frankly from those who are identified with the other side. Proceeding with his quotation, Mr. Scrymgeour said that Mr. Chesterton added: "I have drunk and been drunk", I have known my friends, occupying admh'able positions in society, who have been drunk. But the ordinary habit of the educated classes is that when a, man is hopelessly drunk he is put into a cab and sent home. He does not become a statistic." (Loud laughter.) A City Drunk. Mr. Scrymgeour appealed to members not to let the House be counted out, but to divide on the motion, so that they could see who was with them and who was against them. (Cheers.) Rev. J. Barr (Labour, Motherwell), in supporting the bill, quoted the opinions of many Labour leaders in America in favour of prohibition, one of whom stated that he had been converted when he was able to compare Seattle sober with Seattle druirfi.

Lieutenant-Colonel Fremantlo (Conservative, St. Albans): Is there any city in this country that you can describe as a city drunk 1 Mr. Mac Lean (Labour, Burslem): Yes; Glasgow on a Saturday night. Mr. Barr: As a Glasgow man I am sorry I must confirm that, and although I recognise the great change that has taken place, that is no reason why we should not go forward. The "Poison" Label. There was laughter when Sir ,"William Wayland—the Conservative representing Canterbury, in the hop-producing county —moved the rejection of the bill. He remarked that under the bill alcoholic liquors could be sold for medicinal purposes by a chemist, but in bottles bearing the label "poison." "Fancy," he remarked, "a bottle of good old crusted port with the label 'Poison!' Or a bottle of old liqueur brandy with the word 'Poison!' Or a bottle of good old English beer bearing the label 'Poison!' " Sir William went on to declare that the attitude of the bill's supporters was.contrary to Holy Writ in both the Old and New Testaments. It was no good their claiming to be religious men when they had allowed this particular fanaticism to take so deep a hold. "They do not possess belief in temperance," he said. "The beliefs in temperance possess them. They are almost like one possessed with the devil. "If you are going to base your demand for prohibition on the experience of the United States you are never going to build on a more rotten foundation. Prohibition in the States is not only a tragic failure. It is more, because it lias lowered the moral tone of the American nation." Australian Cricketers. Lady Astor, who said she could not vote for the bill because she is an advocate of' local option, caused some laughter with an ancient gibe at the House of Lords. She referred to the "vested interests" in the "other House," and said "You might as well call it the Beerage as the Peerage." Mr. Speaker: I would remind the noble lady that it is a rule of this House not to say anything disrespectful of the other place. "The athletes who are really strong do not drink, ,k went on Lady Astor. "Why were we beaten at cricket? The Australian players did not drink." In this country, she said, we were spending £288,000,000 a year on drink. They had been invited to consider what would be the tragic condition of those in the trade if the bill passed. "We have only," she proceeded, "to look at the wills of the brewers and distillers, and we will not be very sorry for them. They are about the most prosperous people in the whole country." Dr. Somerville Hastings gave a medical opinion, declaring that an individual did himself relatively 'ess injury by occasional drunkenness than by taking drink regularly. "I say to Mr. Scrymgeour," said the doctor, "that if he solemnly determines to get drunk two or three times a year and takes good care to go to bed or lock himself in a padded room afterwards, 1 do not think ho is going to suffer vory seriously from it."