THE MODERATE LEAGUE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18592, 28 June 1922, Page 8

THE MODERATE LEAGUE.

TO THE EDITOB.

Sir,—The secretary of the Moderate League is reported to be. much concerned about the prohibitionists’ insidious aims! Alarming no dcmbt to ‘‘the trade.” but not nearly so dangerous to the community as the insidious licensed drink traffic. He also states that “if prohibition were carried attacks would undoubtedly be made on horse-racing and other amusements.” Prohibition of the liquor traffic can only be carried by the vote of the people. Any party silly enough to propose the curtailment of innocent amusements -would have a small following. These “ghosts” are paraded by “the trade” to frighten the uninitiated. Again, “the proliibition party was now busily endeavouring to disfranchise that section of the community, who, while opposed to prqhibition, was in favour of continuance under State control.” Sta£e control was absolutely discredited at the last poll, and must be eliminated in common fairness. It is not. democratic to place two issues in combination against one. If the Moderate League is sincere, I feel sure the prohibition party will bo willing to agree that the three issues remain, provided the issue receiving the greatest number of votes wins. The secretary of the league quotes the Premier of Quebec (Mr L. A. Taschereau) as having recently declared State control in Quebec to bo a great success. Listen ! Some 6CO tavern licenses were issued in 1921, and, according to official reports, many of these have developed into a public scandal. Five commissioners, constituting the Quebec Liquor Control Board, have unanimously recommended that retail bar licenses be abolished, owing to the abuses which are not capable of regulation or control. Mr Taschereau has announced that the recommendation of the Control Board will have his support. That does not sound much like a “moral success.” The Quebec Government eetablishment must be one of the biggest Government businesses in the world. -It consists of 15 warehouses, 59 liquor stores, and three postal delivery services, with. 915 employees and a monthly pay roll of 71,000 dollars. The sales from May 1 to January 1 last were 9,325,727 dollars, with an anticipated surplus for the year of 4,000,000 dollars. The reports of sales in the eight months of operation show a constant increase in the sales. A comparison of the sales in British Columbia will be interesting: Sales under prohibition by Government vendors: June, 1920, 18,173 dollars; July, 1920, 10,745 dollars; September, 1920 (the month before the vote was taken), .13,972 dollars. Sales under moderation (State ownership): Monthly average from June 15 to September 30, 1921, 636,833 dollars; monthly average October, November, December, 1921, 823,305 dollars. The monthly sales average during the last quarter of 1921 under moderation are over 58 times the amount of sales of the month of September, 1920, under prohibition Thus we find moderation in practice ! There is no escaping the fact that liquor sold by the State works the same harm as liquor sold by the individual. Ail expedients were tried in America, before , prohibition, and were found to be a failure They had State control, high license, low license, bars all glass in front, bars screened from the public, bars with barmaids, bars without.—all useless. ' There is only one cure, and that is prohibition of the traffic. No doubt it is a drastic step, but as Cardinal Manning, England’s greatest Catholic temperance' reformer, in replying to the charge, said: “Yes, I• am extreme, and I mean to bo to the hour of my death, and that for two reasons —first of all because an extreme evil oan be cured only by an extreme remedy; and next, because I believe that nothing but an extreme-^- that is, an explicit, uncompromising principle will rally and sustain men in such a work as this.” , '

By the way, who is this “Moderate League” ? It incurs great expense. Who pays ?—I am, etc., Charles Todd. June 26.