"DOWN GLASSES!"
(To THE EDITOR OF THS SPECTITOR."1 Sze,—As the war goes on and the need for economy and self-denial increases, the present state of the drink question is thereby ren- dered more and more pressing. Suggestions put forth by the Government have very little weight, because the greatest economy of all is not touched upon. I enclose a paragraph from the Toronto Globe of October 16th, in which Canada is " pleading with Britain " to cast out the drink evil. The lists of influential names which are being published in favour of total prohibition for the duration of the war and six months after show that the country is ready for this act of self-denial, which would at once save us :£182,000,000 a year which is spent on " drink," besides enormous quantities of valuable foodstuffs, which are consumed in the pro- duction of " drink," and at the same time would set free an army of men employed in brewing, distilling, bottling, and handling in its transport. Ships which are so needed would be released for carrying food, and motors, vans, and horses would be available for Army transport. The more one thinks of this question the more convincing are the reasons for this economy. We have had a splendid lead from our King, and many influential men have followed him. Why can we not all fall in and at once effect the certainty of an enormous saving, and at the same time the most powerful means of hastening the end of the war I—I am,
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