The daily gazette., 1877-10-09
LiTT Ilf'-II'l L1Ell W .J7lI7 III ri
.9IGFromt the MY. SUM-
BAD WAY OF DEALING WITH
THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

q. l..
both in this country and In England, to
the results said to have been attained by
swedish legHlationTin regulating the IL
quor traffic. The exact facts seem to
have been brought out in the discussion
which took place inthe recent session of
Parliament upon bill empowering town
councils in the United Kingdom to ap-
ply what Is known MS the Gothenburg
system.l' What Is this system, and what
mas Y eHecyedI ,nM y,l loq4999 yl1gm,
:. Up to 1856 drunkenness, and those
forms of criminality which may be traced
to it were more prevalent in Sweden,
Notwithstanding remarkably efficient
scheme Of popular oedueation, than in
any other European country. In the
year named was passed the "Swedish
Licensing Act" which ebolished domes-
tic stills, and authorized parish authori-
ties or town councils to limit the number
of retail spirit shops and public houses.
AS no minimum number of licenses was
fixed, this was in substance a local option
act; and we may note one other provis-
ion, namely, that under certain guaran-
tees the whole quota of licenses issued in
a given town might be assigned by the
municipal officers to an incorporated
company. 1t is not disputed that this
legislation was followed by falling off
in the'number of distilleIies from $4,000
in 1850 to 457 in 1869, and by dimuni-
ton in the annual product from 26,000,-
QUO to 6,900,090 gallons, So vigorously
have the people outside of towns used
the permission to limit and prohibit, that
according to Mr.. Ba.four, IN recent let
ter to Mr. Gladstone, there are now only
459 places for the sale of spirits among a
rural population of three and half mil
lions. ,4.'' ''-''
1t does not appear, however. that pro-
hibition was adopted by any Of the towns,
and although in some of them sensible
improyemehJ was secured by the opera
tion of the Licensing act, the condition
Of things in the larger cities, and espec-
tally in, Gothenburg, remained deplora-
BILE. In that city, the second in size and
commercial Importance, 1t was shown by
the report of the Municipal Council in
1864 that ipauparism aud criminal vio-
Elence were far more rife than in any 9TH
er Swedish town. In that year the ar
rests for drunkenness represented more
than five per cent. of tire population.
With a view of checking the consun D.
tion of spirits, the town authorities de-
termined to avail themselves-of the clause
in the act above cited, and organized the
system now commonly identified with
the name, of their city. Its germinal
principle was that public houses should
mo longer be conducted by individuals,
but by an association which should nei-
ther bring gain to dts members nor to the
managers of its several establishments,
the profits all going to the municipality.
When the new scheme went into
operation, in 1865, there were in exis-
tence some sixty licenses at the dispo-
sal of abe Town Council. all of which
soon came under the control Of the
association, which has likewise alb
sor bed since 1876 the grocers' retail
licenses, twenty in number. In this
way nearly complete monopoly of
the retail spirit trade was secured on
ly seven outsiue licenses being still
held by vested rights. The Bolag,
as the company is called, is in the
hands of ten directors any citizen be-
ing eligible to the office, whether he
is q shareholder or not. The direc-
tors determine the number and local.
ity of the shops to be kept open, and
select the sup.rintendents. The lat
Ter agree to furnish coffee and cooked
food when called for, to sell spirits
and wines for casa only, to derive
Etheir profit only from the sale of malt
liquors, refreshments, and food, and
to furnish. security for the fulfilment
of tn sse obligations. 1t appears that
she gains derived by majority OF
IA ha Il hos hot
they. are induced TO remain by special
allowancespaid out OF the general re-
ceipts. On the whole, notwlthstand-
ing some errorso of administration the
honest intention of the company to
carry out the purpose announced in
their programme is conceded by those
who have studied the practical OF
workings of their system. -
But how far has it promoted the
well-being of the population? Has il
occasioned signal dimtnution oi
pauperism and efime in Hothenburg
ISome years ago an Affirmative answer
seems to have been taken for granted,
land the Swedish experiment, received
the favorable notice OF Gladstone. and
land of Mr. Brace, the Home Secre-
tary, under his Ministry. But sonfe.
lantoward facts were disclosed under
the mode Of scrutiny TO whichIthe sys
tenn was lately subjected in the House
of Commons. There is no doubt thai
4 the Bolag pays we'll regarded pure
lily an a municipal operation. Before
ils Inauguration the town received
anaually from the sale of licenses
about $50, 900 whereas the profits OF
llS75 payable TO the town are said tc
have reached $175,000. This IL equi
valent to revenue of more than thre
million dollars for the population oi
New York city. rt'@
| Now, although no means exist for com
pairing the aggregate sales of spirits dur
ing the period of the Bolag adminlstra
ltion with those of previous years 1T is oh
vious that the magnitude of the profit
derived MANY from the sale of the cheap
est whiskey, implies an immense con
sumption. 1t is admitted, indeed, tina
the total consumption of spirits in 1877
would represent an average OF six gallon
for every man, woman, and child. Mean
while the use of malt liquors had increa
sed so largely that in 1874 four hundred
beer shops were open in Gothenburg
Ithree-fourths of which, however, are sait
to have been closedin the following year
AS regards the criminal record, it seem
Il that the ratio of arrests for drunkenness