Wartime prohibition

National Reserve, Roslyn Platoon, championship rifle shooting team. 1916-17. Back row (from left)...
National Reserve, Roslyn Platoon, championship rifle shooting team. 1916-17. Back row (from left): W. G. Reid, J. A. Spence, G. H. Chesterman, J. R. Wilson, H. W. Pettet. Middle row: A. C. McGeorge, N. McC. Reid, R. Moore, W. D. Yorston, E. M. Mackay,...
Sir James Allen, speaking at Milton on Saturday, indicated his own personal view with respect to the proposal of the early closing of hotels during the war period more strongly than he did when he was met recently by a deputation in Dunedin, which submitted a demand in favour of 6 o’clock closing.

He said he would certainly vote in favour of the earlier closing of hotels if nothing else could be got. There was, however, an important qualification to this statement. Sir James Allen desires the soldier to be put on the same footing as the civilian, as the result of any interference with the licensing laws during the war. What impresses him, as Minister of Defence, is, no doubt, that the closing of the hotels at 6 o’clock virtually prohibits the licensed sale of liquor at all to soldiers. It was largely becauseof this, we may remark, that it seemed to us last year that, while a reduction of the hotel hours was desirable, the proposal to substitute 6 o’clock instead of 10 o’clock asthe closing hour was too drastic. The suggestion of a compromise was, however, rejected, with the result that the issue seems now to be narrowed down to a question as between 6 o’clock and 10 o’clock.

One way by which the soldier and the civilian can be put on the same footing if the hotels are closed at6pm is to open "wet" canteens,under military supervision, in the camps.

Undesirable as we believe "wet" canteens to be, it is certainly questionable whether they are not more desirable than a system under which soldiers seeking alcoholic refreshment would be tempted to look for it in establishments with a more than doubtful reputation. Sir James Allen indicates, however, that his own opinion is that prohibition during the war would be preferable to the early closing of hotels. This view has apparently been forced on him by the evidence of the decreased efficiency of industrial workers after the receipt by them of their pay. The evidence seems hardly to be of the kind to justify complete prohibition throughout the dominion during the currency of the war, but rather to be of nature that would render it expedient to place particular districts under special regulation, as in the case of munition areas at Home.

But, if the Government were to tell us that, in the interests of national efficiency, the sale of liquor would have to be stopped during the war, the community would certainly acquiesce in the adoption of this course. Bounty on keasMr C. Branigan, Government Fields Inspector at Ashburton, has received a consignment of 776 kea heads from Mesopotamia Station. The owner of the station allows the employees 2s 6d per head, and in return he receives a refund of 1s per head from the Government, and a similar amount from the Ashburton County Council.

Lorry-loads of rabbits

The Free Press states that large fruit motor lorries, capable of carrying several tons weight, are now being employed to convey rabbits from the Roxburgh-Beaumont district to the Finegand Freezing Works, and it is no uncommon sight to see two or three of these big lorries passing through Balclutha on a Sunday, loaded with dead bunnies. — ODT, 28.5.1917

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