The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-29
Law HAS DECREASED DRINKING.


The number Of liquor saloons In New York
State eight years ago, saloons OF all kinds,
barrooms. taverns. concert gardens. road
houses and restaurants was tO.25s. the
ratio Of places where liquor was sold
to the population being at that time In
New York / TO $50. a. against 1 to 40 In Penn
s~ylvania, / TO $50 IN Massachusetts,. / to sD In
Georgia and / to 100 in Alabama. -Four years
later the present IiquorTax law Of the state was
adopted. and on Oct. /, 1899. the time of the last
enumeration, the number of saloons of all kinds
then In operation was q. 73o, a reduction OF
5000, or nearly one-third of the whole number
In eight years. although the population Of tho
state has been increasing steadily liie
and II now estimated "a 100000 greater man
IL was at that time.
The decrease in the number OF liquor saloons,
one of the great benefits sought by the adop-
ton Of the pre,sn t law, which Yields SO ~ gea
revenue 10 the state, has not been UNIFORM
SOME COUNTIES showing n large dllnihhuoi, ana
others very little or even a slight gain ~ tho
territory included in the Greater New lork,
the decrease during the three years operation
Of the Liquor Tax law has been worry general.
In New York county the falin OIL has been
i.47i; In Kings county, SIS, In Richmond, 0li
while In Queens county, one OF the rev OF
which this Is tho case, there are 81 more saloons
under the present law and with the Increased
tax than thers we're under the old law;
In all. the number Of saloons OF all kinds ny
Wv iTCaltT .NfN 1OIh u io,'ps' .o'hNN'' VI
nearly 2.2Oo in three years, In Albany count
the decrease has been $3.50, in Ere, lhcildlhs
Buffalo. 7s9; in Monroe, including hochesl-r.
1875, in Onondago, including syracuse, 2o3 IN
Oneida. including Utica. 2+l, and IN Rensselaer,,
including Troy. $50 In Yates the number ~
licenses IL precisely the same as under the old
law, In Allegany county, long known. IA "A
stronghold of Prohibiiionists Their" l. "A larger
number of saloons under the present laW than
under the former ono, and in NesiChsster
county, which was specially favored under the
provisions Of the Liquor Tax law as to the rates
charged, the Increase has been from $50 to $50.
In st Lawrence county, the largeSti in n" state
territorially, there has been Il small decrease,
In SUFFOLK there has been a substantial increase
Briefly, with the exception ol the two strong
temperance counties Of Aliegany and Lhau'au-
qua. the two Long Island counties of Queens
md Suffolk. the two Vermont border counties
OF ESSEX and Washington and " cstCheSter. Tor
purely local reasons. the only two counties
which show any increase are sullivan ana fll-
ton, In neither easel change large enough TO be
noticed The general effect Of The liquor law
has been TO reduce the number Of saloons
everywhere. partly by establishing restrictions
upon them. hut 10 n greater extent by lnCrens-
Ing the sum pa yable by saloOnkrep"rs This
amounts collectively To about sl2, 10000 a year,
and the States net revenue from II, which il
81, 100000, Is an important item toward the re-
duction OF IN yation, the appropriations for tho
Excise Department salaries, rent and other out
lays, amounting to $500. 900 this year, That the
smaller the number OF saloons the less drinking
there H., ia an axiom which experience has
show TO be irrefutable.