The Colonial Office has no detailed statistics of licenses granted, but from the information available it does not appear that there has been any increase in the liquor trade in Palestine, if allowance is made for the fact that there has been a progressive increase in the non-Moslem population, Dr. Drummond Shiels said in the House of Commons to-day, in reply to Mr. H. Graham White (Liberal), who asked if he would state to what extent licensed facilities for the sale of liquor in Palestine had been increased and for what reason.
There has been a progressive increase in regulations by the Government, Dr. Shiels said further, the last being issued early this year.
Has this increase been rendered necessary by the new colony named after Mr. Lloyd George, Colonel Howard-Bury put in. No answer was given to this question.
May we assume from the reply, Mr. Graham White then asked, that the increase is apparently due to the better methods of registration, rather than an actual increase.
It is partly due to that, Dr. Shiels said, and partly due to the increase in population.
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