The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-02-04


Could know what 1t has done.
Our souls might cry in agony,
God help us shun that ons.
&C. Leslie Owen in Toledo Blade
-
THE NORWEGIAN SYSTEM.
An Object Lesson In the Handling Of .
Difficult Problem.
The other day we set forth the method
Of controlling liquor-selling in Sweden
which is called the Gothenburg system.
1t has obvious and great merit, but the |
Norwegian system, which differs from |
the Swedish in one important particu-
lar, is the one which comes nearer to |
being an ideal plan for regulating the
traffic in intoxicating liquors. The
municipal council in Norwegian towns,
either alone or in the association of the
magistracy, is the licensing authority,
and determines the number of licenses
required and the time to which they
should extend. No single person can
hold more than one license, and socie-
ties which bind themselves to apply the
possible profit of their trading in aid of
objects of general public benefit and
utility, and whose authority is con-
firmed by the municipal council, under
the royal seal, may hold one or several,
or all the licenses issued in given To-
cality. The point in the Norwegian
system is that the society must spend
the surplus profits of its business upon
voluntary objects of general public ben
eft and utility, while the Swedish sys-
tenn turns the surplus profits into the
local treasury, to be used in reducing
the rates, SO that they are direct in
ducement to encourage drinking. The
Norwegian system is as effective as the
other in the control of the sales of liq-
uor, but it uses it's profits for better
purpose.
Norway in 1875 consumed 2,612,5 $40
gallons Of spirits, and this amount was
reduced in 1887 to 1,1s9, 44O gallons. The
working of the system by which this
lessened consumption Of liquors has
been reached is best illustrated in the
large seaport town of Bergen. 1t has a
population Of $4,000, and when the new
law went into operation fourteen years
ago it had fourteen bars with popula-
ton of 1000, while under the new sys-
tenn, with population at the present
time of 10, 600 more, it has only thirteen.
1t had at first to contend with perpetual
licenses granted by the town, and has
used part of its surplus profits to buy
up these licenses as they have come into
the market so that it might have the
regulation of the liquor traffic entirely
in its own hands. The result of the
operation of the system in fourteen
years has been notable, first in the re.
duction of the amount Of spirits con.
sumed, and in considerable but not
equal increase in the consumption OF
wine and ale The amount of drains
sold has fallen from 30 quarts per head
of the whole population in 1887 to 1.s
quarts in 1889. In the second place,
though the wine and ale-houses have
done more business, the arrests and
summonses for drunkenness and SINH.
lar offenses, which were 1,1s6 in
1875, were only 100 in 1889, and
the charges of the illegal sale OF
spirits fell from IL to s. The third
item is an instructive comment upon
the value of the system in nipping
habits of drinking in the bud. The
statistics are that the applications for
spirits from persons of tender age, or in
an inebriated condition, fell from IL, 81
in single quarter of 1877 to 1850 in
the whole of 1889.
A word is important as to the method
of keeping the bars and the use of the
surplus profits for objects of public
utility. The bars were placed in the
most frequented streets, and the bar
keeuers were men Of character and in
tegrity, whose right to Office depended
upon their prevention of excess il
drinking. They were paid fixed sala
ries, and had no interest in the amour
Of sales. The bar-rooms were clean
and the attendants were males, dresse,
in uniform and courteous to their Gus
toners; but there were no seats, n,
corners for lettering, and no staying OF
the premises after the liquor had BEEF
consumed. The bartender was mad
Judge of how much drink q MAJ
was able to carry away without in
toxication, and children were not al
lowed to enter the premises. The bar
were opened on every working da,
: from a. m. until p. m, with tn
exception of an hour and half a
noon, closed at five p. m. on Saturday
and on the day before holy festival.
: and not opened at all on holidays O
Sundays. The results in public utilit
are stated to have been the improve
3 ment Of the public parks, the museum.
, the theaters, the institutions for socis
); and industrial relief, and the placing G
Q all the Temperance societies in Berge
!. in a condition where they could
a their work to the best advantage.
1t is as an object lesson in the hant
4 ling Of very difficult problem ths
. this statement of the principles an
a operation Of the Norwegian system ha
importance for us. 1t shows how, wit
. comparatively fixed population. it
possible to deal through the state wit
an evil which is found to be more CO..
, rupting than any other, and to be clos,
" connected with criminal condition,
Negatively the city Of Bergen, though
. seaport community, has illustrate:
3 during the years that this system la
{ been enforced. the natural thrift {