"CIVIS" AND THE EFFICIENCY BOARD'S PROPOSALS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17516, 7 January 1919, Page 8

"CIVIS" AND THE EFFICIENCY BOARD'S PROPOSALS.

TO THE EDITOE.

Sib, —To correct anyone who, like "Civis," devotes so much of his time and space to correcting others, is not a thing to bo lightly entered, upon, "But"—to quote an authority dear to the heart' of the author of "Passing Notes"—"facts are chiels that winna ding, and downa be disputed." In his notes of Saturday last "Civis" said: ''The recommendations of the Efficiency Board . . . had in view war time economies, not peace time gratuities. Compensation is a sneer gratuity unasked, un- 1 looked for." The report in which these recommendations are embodied directly contradicts "Civis's" statement. -"The board is satisfied," so runs the report, '"that the greatest efficiency would be attained both for the nation and the individual by a state of complete prohibition, but the board recognises that prohibition is a people's and should be determined only by an expression of the voice of the people. It therefore recommends that legislation be _ passed submitting the question of national prohibition to a vote of the people at the earliest possible moment, and that such vote should be upon the basis of immediate prohibition, accompanied by reasonable compensation to the . . . It is manifest that injustice would arise if the licenses and the_ liquor trade wore summarily terminated without reasonable compensation; The board _is therefore satisfied that it would bo in the interest of the dominion and its inhabitants in order to obtain an early discontinuance of alcoholic liquors, that reasonable compensation should be granted to those "affected." This disposal of the "sheer gratuity" argument is further strengthened by the statement in the report that "the board is satisfied that compensation based on tho foregoing lines would be a sound investment for the State, and that the cost would be recouped by increased Rational efficiency." So much for mistake number one.

' Mistake number two, that the Efficiency Board in its recommendations had in view "war time economies, notpeaco time gratuities" is effectually contradicted in the last clause of the report: "In conclusion, tho board places on record' that whilst at first it looked into this matter from the point of _ view of war conditions, yet as tho inquiry proceeded it beoamo apparent that in the interests,of national efficiency tho board had to consider the liquor question also from the point of view of .the efficiency of tho State and of tho individual, botn. during the war and afterwards, and _ it has therefore submitted its recommendations so as to promote permanent national efficiency." It is probably futile to invitOi "Civis" to repent in this matter; ho may, however, have the grace £o~admit his error and apologise for misleading his readers.— I am, etc., A. H. Grilling.