Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-06-21

entitled to the moderate dividend
which the State pays on its bonds, and
reserve fund may be accumulated
sufficient to redeem the shares at par
on the termination of the FIVE year pc
| riod. The shareholders have no fur
their interest in the earnings of the
companies, all additional profits being
| appropriated to charitable or educa-
| tional objects within the locality. Any
local philanthropic institution may ap-
ply for a share of the extra profits,
which, however, cannot in Norway be
applied to relieve the ratepayers from
any statutory burden. this precaution
being taken to avoid enlisting public
opinion in favor of developing the liq-
uor business.
The companies to which the licenses
are issued bind themselves to supply
unadulterated liquor in quantities so
limited that the maxium sum custo-
mer can spend at one visit is five
cents. No credit is given. No loiter-
ing, gambling. or trading, no rowdy-
ism or coarse language is tolerated in
a public house. No women are en-
ployed in the drinking places, and no
children are allowed to enter them on
any pretext. Only sober persons are
supplied with liquor; those who are
VIGOROUSLY Incorporate have par
ticular house assigned to them, and
are served at no other. All these
regulations are enforced by the man
ayers of the public houses, who are
nominated by the directors of the Ii
censed companies, approved by the
local magistrates, and invested with
the authority and responsibility of po-
licemen in the places under their con-
troll. OF course, these managers are
not allowed to have any pecuniary in
terest in their sales; they are picked
men who receive liberal fixed salaries.
What has been the effect of the ap-
plication of this system to Norway? 1t
has brought about, between 1871 and
1890, reduction of 60 per cent. in the
consumption of spirits per head Of the
population. 1t has, indeed, been con-
tended that, while the Norwegians now
drink less spirits they drink more beer,
the sale of which has not yet been
brought thoroughly under the Gothen-
burg plan. 1t is fact that more than
half the arrests for drunkenness in Nor
the Contemporary Reciew. the statistics
on this subject are misleading. for
while in England arrests are made for
being ..drunk and disorderly," in Nor
way the mere fact of being in a visible
state of intoxication in 3 public place
renders one liable to arrest and fine.
Indeed, to such an extent has the pub
lie conscience been educated that not
long ago an arrest was upheld on ap-
peal in case where a man had been
drunk on his own premises, but visible
from the street. There is, it seems,
another misapprehension current re-
garding the state of things in Norway,
to the different principles
on which statistics are compiled. Pau
perism has been alleged to be twice as
great in Norway as in England, while,
as matter of fact, it is only half as
and much less intense in
character. The expenditure for poor
relief per head of population in Nor
way since the introduction of the Goth
enburg system has been just about
one-half of what it is in England.
AS to the moral results of the system
the writer In the Contemporary supple
ments his personal observations, made
during a residence of thirty-five years,
with vast amount of evidence obtain
ed from leading men. Not only have
crime and pauperism been materially
lessened, but there has been signal
improvement in the domestic relations
of the working people and small trades
men. The police report that the sys-
tenn has promoted greatly advanced
ideas in regard to temperance among
the rising generation, and that the
number of confirmed inebriates has
been notably curtailed. There is, last
ly. medical testimony that there has