The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-01-12
Drunkenne.. in sweden.


At the conference held at Man
chester on Monday, NoY. 90, on
the liquor traffic question, Rev.
John w. Bardsley, NJ. A, Vicar
of St. Savjour's, Liverpool. read
a paper on the Gothenburg system.
In il he explained the system as
fellows:
"Within the last few years
Sweden possessed the evil pre-
eminence of being the most
drunken nation in Europe. So
recently at 1850 the average con-
sumption of brandies--that is to
say, OF Swedish brandy-was ten
gallons per head OF the whole
population; while n spite Of uni
Versal education and the establish
ment or q pure religion, the Grim
inal calender had no parallel in
modern history. In 1856 the
act was passed which is substan-
TALLY the law on which the
traffic is now conducted. The
essential points are the following:
a. The prohibition of sale with
out q license, except for quanti-
ties not less than 8 3-5 gallons;
b. the fixing by local authority of
the maximum number of licenses
for each town or parish, with
power to the Governor of the
Province to decrease, but not in
crese, such number principle
involving local and imperial con-
troll; C. the sale licenses severally
or collectively to individuals or a
company, for . term of three
years, by pnblic auction, the pro-
fits arising from such sale being
applied in part to local, in part to
country, purposes; d. the possible
abandonment of all licenses in
any district, such power arising
from the fact that no minimum
number of licenses is fixed for
any districts. the working Of this
act, SO far as the country districts
are concerned, has brought about
a marvellous change for the better
by universal testimony. The
power to abolish licenses by
abandonment has been used to so
great an extent that for q popula-
ton numbering 3, 500, 600 there
are only $50, or one in every T.
700. The result of the act in the
large towns was far otherwise.
AS the amount paid for the licens-
es sold by auction averaged ELS
a year, self-interest impelied the
publican to push his sales to the
utmost, and thus intemperance,
immortality, and crime still con-
tInued to abound. The condition
of affairs in Gothenburg-the Sec
ond town in the kingdOm--becamc
so appalling that q committee
was formed in 1865 to investigate
causes Of the constantly lncreas-
ing pauperism and the social evils
connected thereWith. Their
report recommended that all
temptation to extend the sale of
spirits unduly should be abolished
aud declared that such abolition
could only be affected by the in
PRODUCTION of q system which al
lowed no proprietor or manager
of public house to derive any
private gain from the sale of spr-
list. Subsequently, with the sane
tiou of the municipal authorities,
company was formed of the
most respected OF the citizens.
who undertook to acquire as far
as possible all existing licenses,
and to conduct the business of
these houses in the interest of
temperance and mortality, the
profits, whatever they might be,
to be appropriated TO public pur.
poses. The managers OF such
houses are bound over (al to
make them victualing houses, and
to supply hot meals at reasonable
rates to all corners; (b) to refuse
to sell liquors on credit; (c) to re-
ceive all their spirits from the
company, to sell according to
tariff, and to account to the comp
any for all spirits received from
them. Financially and morally
the results have been most salts
factory. Year by year . substan-
tial contribution, equal 70 the
poor-rate of the town, and which
otherwise would have gone into
the pocket of the publican, has
been paid over for local purposes.
The number Of houses has been
reduced by one-half, and the con-
victions for drunkenness and
crime brought down fifty per cent.
That there should have been
some increas latterlY is not q mat
ter of surprise. when it is borne
in mind that the wages Of the Ia
boring classes have rcenetly been
doubted in amount. Such pros.
perity in Stockholm, without the
Gothenburg amendment to the
Swedish Licensing act, has result
ed In convictions for drunken
ness being quadrupled during the
corresponding period.