The Monitor., 1884-06-06
RELATION OF DRINK

TO Pauperism, Crime, Death and Taxation.
SOME STARTLING STATISTICS FROM LIVERPOOL.
AS Liverpool is in population one of the
larger cities, and in vessels and exports, the
largest in the world, and, as until the last
quarter of the century it was the greatest
liquor drinking, and had the highest death
rate of any city, and having experienced the
results of prohibition, it is the most interest
ing and instructive community as study for
sanitary scientists, political economists, phil
anthropists and statesmen.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth cen
turies it was visited several times by the
plague, and since has been frequently afflicted
with the dreaded typhus fever These condi-
tions with its great commercial importance
and wealth, have invited to its relief the high
est medical and sanitary skill, which did
much to reduce the ravages of the great
scourge.
PROPRIETARY PROHIBITION.
About twenty-five years ago the Earl of
Lefton and l. b. Roberts, M. P, began to in
sert prohibition of the manufacture and sale
of intoxicating liquors in every case. These
premises are now occupied by SO, 900 people,
and a record kept by the guardians of the
poor shows but one pauper to one thousand
people, while in one adjoining district with
2.22 saloons to the 1000 persons there was
1875 paupers to the l 200 persons, and in an
other adjoining district with saloons to the
1000 persons, there were 1911 paupers to
the / 600 persons, and the paupers of the
prohibited district were found in streets near
the rum districts. These three districts con-
stitute Foxteth Park township of Liverpool,
and contain 10000 inhabitants. Disorder
was almost unknown In the prohibited dis
trict, although many artisans and laborers
lived there.
Edward Jones, ESQ.,, chairman of the Board
of Guardians of the Poor, who has been in
one capacity another, going in and out
among the slums of Liverpool, in connection
with ragged schools, mission halls, temper
ance work for the past thirty years, contributes
much information in answer to our inquiries,
and says:
RELIGIOUS AGENCIES.
There is no lack of effort on the part of the
various religious bodies to improve the condi-
ton of the wretched people in these locali-
ties, and it would be most invidious to single
out one denomination as being more Jealous
than another in their christian efforts to raise
the people. The Roman Catholics, Church
of England, and the various non-conformist
bodies, including the Unitarians, are all
actively engaged each in its own way, in
stemming the torrent of iniquity in these
parts. He could not point out single street
that was not visited by some agency or an
other The amount of money spent upon
christian work in these districts is enormous.
Drink blocks the way of every effort to i'm
prove the people here, was the universal testi-
mony of clergymen, priests, ministers, teach
ers in day and Sunday schools), relieving
officers and school board visitors The order
of the links in the chain of causation may be
expressed by four DIS: Drink-Dirt-Dis-
ease-Death.
MORTALITY COMMITTEE, 1865.
In the year 1866 fearful epidemic of ty-
phus broke out, and the health committee
were so alarmed that special committee,
since known as the Mortality Committee, was
appointed to inquire into the cause and sug-
gest remedies The late MIR. James Whitley
was chairman AS to the cause OF the pre-
vailing fever and great mortality, number
of surveyors, medical men, relieving officers,
town commissioners, and others were exam
ined and the burden of the evidence, as seen
in the printed report was drink drink!
drink y!
DIR. French in this report estimates the
average earnings at 12s. per week, and the
support of man. wife and three children
which is about the average number dependent
on laborer's wages, thus: rent 2s. cwt
coal, I'd bread 3-6; potatoes, Is. ! tea
coffee and sugar, ); butter, treacle, &c., /; ;
light, Cd; meat and fish, rs. ; making a.
Here is nothing for clothing or furniture, and
where is the liquor to come from?
DIR. Gee, speaking of infant mortality
says: ''The children are not properly nour-
ished nor sufficiently clad, because the pa
rents are addicted to excess in drinking. !"
Dr. Shearer says: ''The number OF pubic
houses leads to excessive drinking, this causes
destitution, and this again causes typhus
Mr. Williams, relieving officer of the
Foxteth Board of Guardians, says SIN the
low localities the public houses from Friday
to Monday are well filed by laboring classes )
as long as the wages last there is no excep-
ton. A man earning 30s. week had his
house in most dilapidated state; there was
no bedding but lot of straw upon the floor. :,
Mr.. Heath, secretary of the Central Relief