The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-10-22
THE DRINK QUESTION.
How 1t is Dealt With in Norway
DiHerence from the Gothenburg
System.

of Mr.. T. NJ Wilson, G. E. (whose
knowledge of the subject is referred
to in the able letter of the Bishop OF
Chester in The Times of August 20),
of studying the excellent method of
dealing with the drink question
known as the Norwegian system"
now prevailing in most of the towns
and country districts where there is
not prohibition. Sweden and Nor
way have a limited Monarchy, but
an Act must have passed without
| the slightest verbal alteration, three)
successive Parliaments, elected for
! three years each, to override the
Kings Veto Under an Act passed
i'll 1875 the voters of any district can
decide to have a limited number of
places for the retail sale of alcohol,
or none. The local authorities of
Bergen are composed of a town
council, consisting of councillors
elected by the people and aldermen
elected by the councillors from
among themselves, as with us,
and three magistrates appointed by
the King for life, who have an abso-
lutte veto over every scheme APP
proved by the council. To these
Bergen authorities certain gentle
men applied in 1876 for monopoly
of the retail sale of ardent spirits in
the town, Offering to form a com
pany for the purpose, and that the
authorities should decide how many
spirit shops should be in the town,
where they should be situated, ap-
point public analyst to see that
the spirits sold are good, have an
absolute veto on the appointment of
the company's servants, no women
to be employed to sell the drink, the
same rate of excise duty and local
taxes to be paid by the company as
hitherto by the publicans, and, after
paying 5 percent per annum divi-
dend to their shareholders, the COM
pany offered to give all surplus pro
fits to objects having for their aim
"the regeneration of the Masses"
provided such objects received no
benefits from the rates. To these
terms the authorities agreed; the
company commenced work under
their monopoly on January l, 1877;
the formal annual licenses were not
renewed, no compensation was given
to the disestablished publicans, the
number of spirit-shops was re-
duced from II to II, and they
have not since been increased, al
though the population has grown
{ from $4,000 to $4,000. They are
, difficult to find, are infinitely less
attractive-looking than our ginshops
have no seats, each person can only
e have one glass of spirits at time
5 so there is no standing treat in turr
e (if two or more persons enter spirit
v shop together); no person apparent
} ly under II years and no one under
e the influence of liquor is served
5. one salesman to each spirit-shop
e and these statesmen are each paid ;
Y salary of $50 per annum to induce
: them to carry out the rules strictly
u which salary is very large for Nor
/ way when we are told that the gov
= ernor of the province has only f4O(
1 per year, and the bishop Of the dio
p cese $500 per year, including the
= value of his house.
During the years this scheme ha
e been in operation in Bergen the con
t sumption of spirits has fallen nearl,
q one-lourth and the apprehension
for drunkenness nearly one-half
L The capital of the company is equa
to 2s. 3D.. per head of the population
while the amount distributed to oh
q jects for the regeneration of tn
masses has averaged 2s 10d. per heat
per annum. These objects have beel
!" workmen's halls, workmen's dwell
J ings built and sold to workmen a
If cost price, reformatories, publ
% park, a road overlooking the cit
called the Drammen, or Drink,
% road, home for criminally y-dispos
3 ed boys on an island in tn
e river, grants to the museum, t.
total abstinence societies, the send
ing of poor children to farm
e. houses for summer holidays, libra
is ries, and sending certain representa-
n tive workmen to the Copenhage
d Exhibition, who each undertoo
rs within six months after their return
N to write an essay describing certain
y, Improvements in their own trad
y they noticed at the exhibition, sue
)t essays TO be printed and circulate'
IS at the cost of the company. TIL
SiohN' w ''i''O o''J'NpS oiD
Df voted at the annual meeting of tn
D companys shareholders, and so man
e people are anxious to help in thi
al good work that the shares are owe
le 100 percent premium, and can onl
g be purchased when they come int
sr the market on the death of a share
5, holder. 1t will be noticed that tn
g inn rtant difference between thi
r Norwegian scheme for the retail sal
4 of spirits and the well-known Gc
3 thenburg one is that, while in &c
a thenburg the profits go to the reduo
re ton of the local taxes, being there
a fore open to the charge that tn
le ratepayers have an interest in tn
le sale of spirits, under the Norwegia
ID system the surplus profits go only t
IS. objects for the regeneration of tn
S masses which receive nothing froI
le the rates, Besides the II spirit-shoI
IS there are also 30 beer-houses in Be
TT gen, which the company are tryin