The Prime Minister was guarded in his reply to the
depu- tation from the Temperance Council of the Churches, which waited on him last week. The official report, issued on Wednes- day night, suggests that the Government mean to prolong the existence of the Central Control, though in a different form, and that they are much impressed by the success of the Carlisle experiment in State Purchase. Mr. Lloyd George said that the controversy between the moderate advocates of temperance measures and the Prohibitionists had delayed reform. He gave it to be understood that the Government needed moral support in this matter, and that they feared the opposition of " the Trade." We are sure that if the Government propose a wise and bold measure, they will receive plenty of encouragement. Our correspondence columns of late have reflected the enthusiasm with which men and women of all classes, including a large section of the Labour Party, view the proposal to nationalize the Liquor Trade on the lines followed at Carlisle.
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