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But I am bound to take a broader view than that of the effects produced by the tax. It has been a distinct gain to the community. The results have been perfectly astounding—I do not think that is too strong a word. If the Committee will allow me, I will take the whisky drinking parts of the country. I am speaking of the parts where whisky is the beverage, and not beer. From the moment the tax was put on, drunkenness dropped down, and had a very long drop. The effect seems to have been instantaneous, and it is continuous. There was a drop from the first month. In Scotland I have the figures for the first quarter for this year and the last nine months of last year. There was a drop of 33 per cent, in the convictions for drunkenness. I have here the figures for Glasgow, arid there I observe in the month of March, 1909, the convictions are rather up for drunkenness. There seems to have been some forestalment in anticipation of the Whisky Duty; there was a good deal of drunkenness, and the figures went up. In the month of April, finding the Whisky Duty still at the same figure, they were kept up; but in May there was a drop from 1,130 down to 800, and it has kept about that figure—and often lower—practically ever since. I have a letter from the chaplain of Edinburgh Gaol, who says that the reduction in admissions to this gaol from April to December, as compared with 1908, was almost 2,000 persons. This, in the opinion of the Governor of the Prison and the recent Chairman of the Prison Commissioners,
was entirely due to the increased tax un whisky.
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The letter concludes:—
From a moral point of view, there can be no doubt that the increased whisky tax has been an enormous gain to the nation. I regret if private individuals have suffered thereby, but surely in this matter the national well-being must be considered.
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I have also a letter from a well-known provost in Scotland, who says:—
I would regard any relaxing of the increased Spirit Duty as nothing short of a national calamity. From my 23 years' experience in municipal government and work among the masses of the people, I know of no measure that has done so much for the general well-being of the community by checking, as it most effectually has done, the admitted evils of intemperance.
§ I find this week there was a less number of prisoners on the record of the calendar of the Edinburgh police courts. That is the story we get from Scotland, but it is not confined to Scotland.
1132§ The same thing applies to Ireland. There a very appreciable reduction has taken place in drunkenness, ranging from 35 per cent, to even 70 per cent., and in some places there has been a great fall in the convictions for drunkenness. I am sorry to say the only exception is Waterford, where, since the Whisky Duty was put on, the arrests for drunkenness have gone up. But, taking Ireland as a whole, there has been a very appreciable reduction in the convictions for drunkenness. The same thing applies to England. In an answer given by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary this afternoon it is shown that the reduction in the number of convictions for drunkenness and offences connected with drunkenness have gone down by something like 18,000 in the course of last year as compared with 1908. And this is bound to react on other branches of the revenue. You are increasing the consuming and purchasing powers of the people. There is a falling off in consumption of 10,000,000 gallons of highly alcoholised liquor. It is difficult to measure the benefits in improved health, in increased efficiency, in the comfort and the happiness of the people which has been effected by that. I say if any Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the face of these facts, in response to any appeal from any interest, were to alter a tax that had such very beneficent results, he would be guilty of a crime against society. Therefore we must adhere to this duty. Financially, and from a higher point of view, I consider it an unqualified success. The estimate this year is that there will be an increase—I am now dealing only with spirits, as I think there is an advantage in dealing with spirits alone—there will be an increase in the amount of the revenue derived from Spirit Duty— Customs and Excise—of something like £1,800,000. That is due very largely to the fact that forestalments have been eliminated, and that in addition to that a good deal of spirits will have to be withdrawn from bond to replace the quantity consumed out of stock last year.