[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR., Snt,—Of the many
services that the Spectator has rendered to our nation, none has been greater than that rendered since the present war began by advocating the prohibition of strong drink, at any rate during the continuance of the war. It seems a. farce for so many to advocate economy and to urge farmers to produce as much food as possible, and, when it is produced, to waste the food thus produced ; while the waste of good food is only a part of the evil caused by our folly. During 1912, the last year for which I have complete returns at hand, we destroyed upwards of 68,000,000 bushels of grain, upwards of 14000,000 hundredweights of rice, upwards of 4,000,000 hun- dredweights of sugar and molasses, and, to crown our folly, we spent over 1160,000,000 in buying the liquor produced by the destruction of so much good food. In return we get upwards of sixty thousand of our people killed annually ; we get upwards of a hundred thousand of our children ill-used by their parents or guardians, according to the Report of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children ; we get forty-five thousand widows made annually by the same cause ; we get, according to the highest military and medical opinion, our soldiers and sailors made less fit for the tremendous task that is before them- i.e., if they partake of these drinks. Surely we have here sufficient reasons for carrying out the policy which you have so ably advocated since the war began. There are undoubtedly good reasons for practising economy. Therefore let us have the courage to deal with this colossal evil first. If we have the good sense to do so, we shall be in a better position to bear the burdens which will of necessity have to be borne after the war.— I am, Sir, &c., M. MACKENZIE. Inverness.
• Locke's Food Values,
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