The Increase in Drunkenness
Just twenty-five years ago, on February 28th, 1915, Mr. Lloyd George, who was then Chancellor of the Exchequer, said that drink was doing the country more damage in the war than all the German submarines put together. That may or may not be true today. Partly as a result of the restrictions introduced by the Liquor Central Control Board, which Mr. Lloyd George was instrumental in setting up, drunken- ness decreased considerably till about eight years ago. But since then the tide has turned. The Criminal Statistics for 1938, published on Tuesday, speak of a continuous increase in convictions for drunkenness from 1932 onwards. Actually the number of convictions under this head (" drunkenness and other offences against the Intoxicating Liquor laws ") was higher than for any other class of offence, except the large traffic-offence category, which is of a different order altogether. This is a grave matter in war-time, for it is reasonable to assume that any increase in actual drunkenness indicates a corresponding increase in the waste and ineffi- ciency due to drink. The case for some lowering of the specific gravity of beer and increased restrictions on the con- sumption of spirits in the national interest is strong. - The restrictions on whisky announced on Wednesday are abun- dantly justified.
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