Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-06-21
PUBLIC HOUSE RUN BY A CITY.
Results of an Experiment Made in Bir-
 nlinghnn. England.

Results of an Experiment. Made in Bir-
 minghatn, England.
 The experiment was made by the sec retary of the water department of the Birmingham corporation. According to instructions public house was opened in September, 1894, at Elan Village for the purpose of catering to the wants of several hundred men and families. "The rules of management continues the story, were decidedly stringent and the success of the public house is, therefore, more important. The public house is opened daily between the hours of 12 and p. m. for one and one- half hours only, and for the whole time in the evening between 5:30 and o'clock. On Sundays it remains closed all day, but on Saturdays it remains open from 1 to 9 o'clock.
 "Women are not allowed in the bar at any time, under any pretext whatever, men only over IS years of age being per mitted to drink at the bar. No woman under the age of 21, or boy under the age of 16, years is served with beer at the jug department. No person is supplied with more than one quart of liquor at the morning hour, while but two quarts may be consumed on the premises in the evening. Only village inhabitants are allowed to freely enter the public house, but strangers may do so with a written order, which is easily obtainable It will be at once conceded that the muni- cipal public house was started at great disadvantage, there being an ordinary establishment conducted on the usual lines a few hundred yards off
 ''Mr Lees conferred with men of ex- perience in the trade before the house was duly established, and qualified public house manager was appointed to conduct the business on behalf of the corporation. He has fully entered into the spirit of the municipal experiment, and quite understands that he is thought no more highly of if his sales are high than if they are low, whereas, should there be any drunkenness or dis turbance, he is held responsible for it. There has, however, been no difficulty of this description, and saleonkeepers themselves admit the satisfactory na- ture of the undertaking. The talSings, of course, have varied considerably, from $50 to $350 per week.
 "Fhe trade of the other public house has fallen off very considerably since | the establishment of the municipal pulp lie house, by far the greater part of the drink now consumed in the village be- ing purchased from the corporation house. The net profits for the first half-year were as high as $700, and they have since been increasing. The profits are devoted to the maintenance of reading and recreation room, which is distinct from the public house, and this has proved to minimize the drinking one of the principal objects of the ex- pertinent. There are bagatelle tables and various methods of amusement to be had, and the public house is now re- garded with considerable friendliness by almost every inhabitant of the yil- lage.
 Much good has been done for the so- cal benefit of the inhabitants out of the profits, which is greatly appreciated. This public house is being conducted on lines similar to those advocated by the bishop of Chester, and is the only one in the country In concluding his report on the result of the experiment., Mir. Lees says: Individually, I am a total abstainer, but I am perfectly certain that we are serving the interests of tenn peranee far better in providing whole sale liquor, under proper regulations, than we should did we attempt to pro- hibit the traffic altogether leaving it to be conducted in the usual way "- Westminster Gazette.