THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 99, 9 December 1911, Page 4

THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

The progress New Zealand lias made in the matter of dealing with the liquor question is, the “Lyttelton Times” points out, illustrated by a discussion that is proceeding in Britain at the present time. The Liverpool Licensing Committee lias put forward a scheme of reform that has been hailed all over the country as “drastic” and “revolutionary.” “The reforms suggested by the committee,” said the ilev. F. B. Meyer a few weeks ago, “are the most drastic handling of the liquor traffic on record. If this ex-

ample is followed widely throughout the country it will effect a mightier reform than any statesman has promulgated and date the beginning of a new era.” But the reforms proposed really appear mildness itself compared with the Now Zealand licensing law. The Liverpool hotels are to ho required to open at 8.30 a.m. instead of 0 a.m., and they must not serve women or persons under the age of sixteen years before midday. The closing hour is to ho 10 p.m., instead of 11 p.m., and the hours of business on Sunday must ho limited to three. Clubs will ho placed on the same footing as ordinary licensed premises with regard to the sale of liqtior. It is interesting to read that when these proposals were placed before the magistrates, Sir Charles Petrie said that they dealt too freely with the liberty of the subject. “1 have often heard people say in London,” lie stated, “that Liverpool is only a ‘one-horse’ place and not worth going' to. • By passing resolutions of this kind we will be encouraging sheheehing and private drinking.” Another critic said that he could not understand tho reasons for prohibiting the sale of liquor to women and young people during the morning, but lie presumed there was some special local ground for the change. The Liverpool publicans seem to have accepted the scheme quite philosophically, and it may bo extended to other cities in the Mother Country. Glasgow has already taken steps in tho same direction, though it lias not gone as far as Liverpool in the effort to promote temperance.