24 JANUARY 1931, Page 2

President Hoover in his message to Congress conveying the Report

said that he agreed with the opinion of the vast majority that the Eighteenth Amendment ought not to be repealed. He also shared their feeling that " constructive steps " should be taken to eliminate the present abuses while preserving the gains which have been made. The Times correspondent thinks that though Mr. Hoover is not enthusiastic for any revision he will come to some conclusion later in harmony with public opinion. After this Report the " Drys " Will be distinctly on the defensive. It will be a case for them of saving what they can. There is sure to be a flood- of schemes for liquor control. No doubt we shall hear much more about the admission of drink with a relatively low alcoholic content. But if the revision of the Amendment should be confined, as some propose, to altering the definition of alcoholic drink so as to legalize beer and wine, the United States would be in the odd position of declaring that that upon which a man can get drunk is not intoxicating.