The Sun THURSDAY, JULY 20, 1010. EARLY CLOSING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 762, 20 July 1916, Page 6

The Sun THURSDAY, JULY 20, 1010. EARLY CLOSING.

Tn moving the second reading of the War Regulations Bill last evening, the Hon. Mr Herdman was responsible for a fine piece of special pleading on behalf of the Trade and against early closing. The Minister

made a strong point of the fact that an election had been held after the war began, and that, at that election, the people had expressed their opinion in convincing fashion in favour of the Trade not being molested, with the result that much capital was invested in hotels on that guarantee. To deal with the Minister's first point, it is quite true

that the Prohibitionists were defeated in December, 1014, but it is not a fact, as Mr Herdman and the Trade would have ns believe, that the war was in full blast. Not till well into 1915 was it recognised that the Allies would require to make supreme sacrifices all round if Germany were to be crushed. It was not until many months subsequent to the elections that Britain

in particular envisaged clearly what

lay in front of her—the urgent necessity for the mobilisation of all her human and financial resources. New South Wales, Tasmania, and ■South Australia, to cite the cases in our own southern world, were in the same position as ourselves in December, 1914, so far as a distorted military perspective was concerned. They, with New Zealand, shared the same optimism in the capacity of the Allies to overcome Germany, but the last 12 months of war have altered conditions immeasurably. National efficiency and national economy have passed from mere catch cries into slogans containing stern realities, and the feeling is general that New Zealand must organise along those lines, even as did Ihc Australian States mentioned.

There is a mighty difference between the situation and the military and financial needs of 1914 and 1910 and it is nonsense of the Government to pretend otherwise. As for the compensation thai would he required if early closing were enforced —the reply to that is that the price would he well worth the paying if it increased our capacity to help the Empire in the worldsi niggle. We are not so much concerned with the outcry raised that in the demand for early closing there is an implied reflection on our soldiers. The soldiers arc only a very small section of the general community. Closing the bars early