The Portland daily press., 1883-05-09
the oRnAr WORK or run corrrn HOUSES.

THE GREAT WORK or THE COFFEE HOUSES.
The improvement in the temperance of the
population Of England is SO steady that in his
budget speech Of last April, Mr.. Gladstone
said that In eight years, which have been on
the whole prosperous, in which the population
OF the country has steadily enlarged, the reye-
nue. derived 10 the treasury from tho sale of
beer, wiues aud spirits has decreased one-afth,
or eight million pounds.
This would show that on the average the
people of England do not drink more than
two-thirds OF the intoxieants which they used
eight years ago.
This gratifying result shows the steady ad
vance Of the temperance reformation In Eng
land. No single detail Of Il is more interest,"
ing than the establishment OF coffee houses
in direct rivalry with what the English call
'gln palaces aud we call "liuuOr saloons -
The temperance coffee houses have succeeded
Ia some cities, have failed Ia some, and in
some have dragged out miserable halfway
existence. The most successful enterprise Is
in Liverpool. 1t has passed quite beyond the
limits of an experiment, and may be called an
established institution. II is known in Liver
pool as the British Workman Pubic House
Company"
We have the annual report OF this company
as II was presented to tue stockholders on the
sd Of February Of this year. The feature Of
interest which would arrest the attention OF
all those persons who think that true charity
should be In some waJ self-susisinining, Is the
fact that the company pays dividend of 10 per
cent per annum on its capital OF thirty thou
sand pounds. And this dividend is not squeez-
ed out, but the managers pass 10 the next
years account the sum Of GS1S6 Is I'd.
This u a tangible, businesS-like success, and
people who have tried similar experiments,
without similar successes, naturally ask what
are the secrets Of the British Workman Com
pany.
First--It hardly need be said, after this
statement, that it is carried ON ON
business principles, by men OF first
rate business capacity. SIR. VIM. Peskelt,
the Secretary and Manager, has from the be-
ginning given tho most waichful personal at
tendance 10 every detail OF the enterprise. The
directors are gentlemen we'll known in bus.-
ness circles In LiyeTposl, and this undertaking
Is carried through, not "a a bEoken-winded
charity gasping for it5 life, but as what Il iss
business matter Of tie FIRST Importance.
Second-The enterprise Is ON so large
scale that TO considerable extent Ii aayer-
tises itself. The company maintains Ia differ
ent paris Of Liverpool fifiy-one establishments
Of different grades, besides cocoa carts which
can move from place to.pass. This number Is
so large that everybody in Liverpool becomes
acquainted with the title british Workman -
and even With the style Of It's blue signs, which
are uniform In all parts OF the city. Yon may
be In the most forlorn quarter OF the city bat
IL you sec this great blue sign Of "fritish
Workman" you will known that your lunch
there will be as good as you had yesterday al
the comfortable restaurant at which your Eng
lish friend introduced you when you met him
at the exchange All the bread, all the but
ter, all the coffee I'm short, all the stores) are
purchased by the same purchaser, and the
quality Il the fame for all the shops. Constant
inspection makes Il sure that the coffee and
other drinks shall be Of the best In all the
shops.
Thrd-The managers attempt 10 meet the
average public taste in each district, as well as
they can, In every regard but furnishing intox-
icating liquors. Thus the shops provide smok-
ing rooms, reading rooms, even club rooms
as any tavern would do.
Fourth-They make distinction between
cocoa rooms, coffee rooms, and what they call
cafes"
The last OF these are somewhat moro elegant
than the common coffee rooms, so called which
are some OF them OF the simplest character,
and can offer TO tho humhlest workingman the
entertainment which IL provided AZ very low
cost.
IL is hard to over-estimate the benefit OF such
an enterprise steadily carried forward; the
money returns do not show Il. These fifty-one
shops received last year from their customers
GSl 69S-nearly S400 GOO. OF this amount the
greater part would have been spent for intoxi-
capts II II had not been spent whore II was;
and II would probably be fair TO say that anoth.
10000 would have gone by Its side.
The Liverpool company s to DO studied with
care by all who seek to establish similar insti-
tutions In America Ten Times One Is Ten ]