The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-07-22
ENGLAND'S DRINK BILL.

to the Friends of Temperance.
Once a year The London Times makes
room for 4 detailed statement OF En-
glands drink bill. That statement has
just appeared. 1t shows reduction from
1884 for last year, but not reduction OF
a character to encourage the friends OF
temperance. For many years the state
ment has been made by Mr.. William
Hoyle, F. S. S., but this time another
member of the Statistical society, Mr..
Dawson Burns, d. d., signs his name
to the report. The British expenditure
upon drink in 1885 was $G16, 343, 800, a
decrease of about $15,OO0,O00 from the
preceding year. But Mr.. Burns says;
'.In regard to the causes of diminution,
we must, I fear, look to the continued
and in some quarters increasing-de-
preston of trade rather than to the
growth of thrift and temperance in the
country. With the removal Of this de-
preston we should most probably find
the drink bill become heavier, and its
social sequences become darker This
is a reasonable inference from the sta
tistics of preceding years. The state OF
trade in England always reflects itself
in the drink BILL Mr.. Burns gives the
footings from 1860 to 1885 inclusive,
and they show this very plainly.
In that quarter of the century the
drink bill has mounted from $42J, 0o0,-
600 to $616, 100000. Mr.. Burns says:
''The years of commercial prosperity
brought with them vastly augmented
expenditure upon strong drink, and
even when that prosperity began to
| decline the special impetus that had
been given to- drinking habits resisted
for time, and yielded but slowly to
the stress of dimin :shing resources, p"
That is to say that people began by
ecohomizing in other directions, and
| only Cit down the drink expenditure
when they were compelled to do So
even then continuing to consume large
| ly. OF course the increase between
1860 and 1885 is partly accounted fol-
by the growth OF population. but Mr..
Burns holds that allowing for this the
increase in the drink bill shows a de
cline rather than progress in temper
| ance. 1T is Clear" he says, "that the
| amount of the national drink bill is
still enormous, being equal to the ma
| ton's expenditure for broaa. patFtr, aud
cheese; it Ii not short of the rents paid
fol: farms and houses in the United
Kingdom; is three times the amount
and is SIX itinaes 'tl.bbf ;;aniaiint of odr az
penditure on linen and cotton goods.
Taking the families OF the United King
dom ut six millions. the gross eNpendi-
ture for drink in 1885 gives an average
expenditure per family of $1,000, OF
RECKONING fite persona ia o family,
| $40 so per head. OF COURSE if those
who do not drink at all are subtracted,
the average is very much greater, ris-
ing, in fact, te $40 per family OF five
persons.
| This is an enormous expenditure up
on drink; an enormous waste OF capital
to put the fact plainly, for the money
spent upon drink is as rule not only
thrown away, but much worse than
thrown away, being gxpssnsl,H.etd, in tho
creation of O swarm OF evils Which
would not otherwise have existed. Il
may we'll be asked what effect upon the
general well-being of Great Britain
would be produced by the expenditure
of this 5000, 900. 900 upQn productive
industry, upon the necessaries OF life
upon land and horses, upon education,
books, pictHres, all that ministers tt
and develops the higher life OF nation
There can be no doubt at all that 6
large percentage Of the poverty, desti
tuition, ignorance, misery, which nov
perplexes society, would disappear 4
the constant leak of the drink bill
would be stopped, But though there
is much movement in thinking circle:
at this time, though social problem:
have never been studied more scri
ously, the development of luxury ant
gross material enjoyments proceed:
even more rapidly than the evolution o.
PATRIOTIC solieitude and intelligence
and the exalnple SCI by rhe r'sah is il
no way such as to incite the poor t
self-restraint England's drink bill il
document which has for Americans
deep interest, for our own expenditure
in the same direction is duplicate o
that of our cousins across the ocean
| and every consideration or argumen
Swinging from and relating to the on
case has equal significance for thu
other. How to get rid of this annua
record of gross indulgence and suicida
vice is the most pressing question il
both branches of the great Anglo-Saxol
family. -NeaO York Tribune.
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