EARLY CLOSING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12063, 18 July 1917, Page 4

EARLY CLOSING.

MR ISITT'S SPEECH

CRITICISM OF CABINET'S INACTION. [From Our CoaßEsrosDEKT.] WELLINGTON. July 17. The member for Christchurch North usually brings bis eloquence to bear against, the liquor trade whr-n opportunity offers in the House. Mr Isirt's speech to-day wan mostly occupied with this subject. He had. lie .said, cried out against the greed of merchants and exploiters of the people, but he fully recognised the tremendous difficulty of preventing oynloifation without hitting those who did not make profits, but he could not excuse, the National Government's failure to prevent waste. Ministers repeated Mr Lloyd George's appeal for economy. Tho chief occasion of waste in this country was the liquor traffic, but did the Government do anything? Though public opinion was strongly in favour of restriction, the. Government actually stood in tha way. The speaker that the liquor trade had been tho Caliban of the Liberal Party and had so nobbled the Labour Party thatl the member for Lyttelton had felt obliged to dissociate himself from lifelong friends because the Labour Conference had decided, under liquor trade influence, in favour of the principle of State control. Not) only were tho peoplo solidly in favour of six o'clock closing, but the Hou6B itself had a majority in its favour. Jf the votes of trie. National Cabinet against restriction were taken there would be a solid majority of between eight and twelve in favou/ of six o'clock closing.