REPORT OF THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC CONTROL BOARD.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
Sia,—Mr. A F. Harvey's suggestive letter in your issue of May 27th on the Board's recent Report contained an inaccuracy, not since corrected, which makes our normal social state much blacker than it really is. He said : "The figures for the London area are particularly Interesting: the weekly average in 1914 was 2,034 convictions, whereas for the four weeks ending March 26th, 1916, the average had dropped to 940." These figures, as given in the Report, p. 23, are not for London only, but for the Metropolitan area, plus the convictions of forty important boroughs in twelve other areas, as detailed in Appendix L The weekly average for the London area alone was 1,301 in 1914, whilst from November 29th, 1915, the date of the Board's full Order, the averages were for three weeks to December 20th, 606; for two weeks {holidays) to January 2nd, 952; and for the subsequent periods of four weeks to January 30th, 592; to February 27th, 614; to March 26th, 679; to April 23rd, 560; to May 21st, 498. The later steady decline is very hopeful as showing improved drinking habits. A fair idea of the gratifying results of the Board's nine months' work may be gathered from its comprehensive Report, but the vast benefits secured, and the drink menace to national existence averted, can only be fully realized by perusal of the Parliamentary White Paper, Shipbuilding, Munitions, and Transport Areas, May 1st, 1915. The latter begot the King's abstinence declaration, the unopposed creation of the Control Board, and Lord Lansdowne's statement on May 15th "There was evidence of a painful character, which showed that there did exist in connexion with the drink traffic something which he could only describe as a national scandal and a national peril." Mr. Harvey rightly said : .4.1he Board's powers erovide for varied experiments, and the more
experiments initiated on wise lines the better." Seeing that in 192t) Scotland may legally claim to exercise local option, and that in many districts there exists widespread opinion expressed in the Press and by licensing and other authorities for a "Down Glasses" policy during the war, at any rate as regards spirits, might not the Board wisely arrange in a few areas for a popular vote on the subject?—! am;
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