Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-06
LIQUOR TRAFFIC IN RUSSIA
GOVERNMENT WAGING WAR ON
ADULTERATIONS.
Establishment of Temperance Rest"u.
rants-Purc Spirits for the Con-
sumer-OmciaI Shops.

| rants-Purc Spirits for the Con-
sumer-OmciaI Shops.
According to Consul General Holloway at
st. Petersburg the Russian government has
| for many years been laboring and discuss
ing means to diminish the almost universal
| use of liquor among the laboring classes as
| one minister of finance put it, ito save the
population from the baneful influence of the
innkeepers. who. in order to make large
profits. adulterated their spirits with noX-
| ious and deieterious substances which were
| proving ruinous to the lower classes. The
| average peasant was not content with re-
| naming in pubic house until he had spent
| his last farthing, but often pawned his
| clothes. furniture and future crops The
public houses were acknowledged to be the
most powerful agents of ruin and disorgani-
cation in the economic life of the Russian
people and threatened the impoverishment
| of the whole agricultural population" Mr..
Holloway says:
One of the first steps toward preventing
the unrestricted sale of liquor to con-
| fine its sale to places where food was re-
CURED to be furnished with each order for
| liquor, in order to prevent taking one drink
after another without food severe penalties
We're also provided for selling on credit, for
receiving articles in pawn for drinks, or
| for bartering spirits for produce or future
| labor. &c. The receiving of stolen property
entaileG the loss Of license, and provision
was made for closing public houses that
evadeI or violated the laws.
Government Shops EstabIished.
1.-THE government established number of
| shops III various parts of cities for the sale
of vodki, brandy and spirits in corked bot
ties. 1t is not permitted to be drunk on the
premises, but thirsty customers purchase
| small bottles and step outside of the door.
draw the cork, drink the contents and re-
| turn the empty bottle. for which they re-
ceive Il few kopecks. The number of these
shops is regulated by the population. The
license increased from 81 to 1855 for
public houses, which reduced the number
one-half.
at was first proposed in 1885 that the
government should assume control of the
sale of liquor; but the revenue from the
sale of liquor amounted at that time 20
$lI4,9oo,0Uo per year. and ii was argued the
government monopoly would reduce this so
materially to affect the revenues. Hence
1t was delayed until the famine of 1891,
and the lamcntable state of things it re-
vealed FASTENED the reform, since which
| time the new system has been organized
and introduced in half of the empire, in
GLIDING thirty-fivc provinces, covering l.
32G,0na square miles. with population of
61oUo,0o0, an area greater than the united
kingdom, France Germany and the Neither
lands.
Pure Spirits for the Consumer.
Under the present system, the govern
| ment dictates the quantity and quality of
spirits manufactured, purchases a very
large percentage of the output, and permits
the sale of the surplus under proper regu-
lat!ons, for manufacturing purposes, with
the intention of furnishing the consumer
with pure spirits, thus mitigating and pre-
venting such abuses as are directly attrib-
utable 10 the excessive use of bad liquor
and improving the morality and prosperity
o. the masses. The minister of finance has
repeatedly declared tina the purpose of the
government in controlling the liquor bust
ness was not intended to produce any di-
rect increase of the revenue; whatever in
crease there might be would come in con-
sequence of the prevention of abuses which
could be avoided only by government con-
troll.
The Russian peasant classes drink only
vcdki, which is distilled from rye and is
sold at the average price OF S1.4O per gal
lon, whether in quantities of one or 10000
gallons. The government requires that the
proof of vodki and brandy shall be 40 de-
grees and that of spirits of wine from 80 to
81 degrees.
THE official report for 1898 has just been
made public and states that the amount of
capital employed during that year was
$14S, 100000. There were 1881 brandy dis
tlleries. 252 spirit distilleries and 27.12O
places where distilled liquors were sold. Be
Il
1869 saloons. The sales amounted to 81
003,752 gallons, the gross receipts being
SILT ,326,210, the expenses $55 59i $40. and the
excise duty sG4, III 800. The net income TO
the government from sales wcS SIG, I37 500.
Temperance Restaurants.
I'm governments where the sale of liquor
is controlled by the government temperance
societies have been organized. with Prince
Oldenburg, a distinguished philanthropist
of St Petersburg. president These ha1>
opened reading rooms with libraries and
restaurants near public gardens and
squares, where large numbers of working
people congregate, and sell cheap and good
food with such temperance drinks as tea,
milk and kVaSS made from cranberries and
back bread. One of these societies has
constructed two floating restaurants one
of which will seat 600 people and the other
800. These boats are towed to points on
the Neva where workmen are EMPLOYED or
congregate. An open theater has been es-
tablished Petrovsky Island, where a
good class of plays is given at a nominal
price Some of the public parks are also
supplied. with apparatus to encourage open
air sports.
THE government is encoura ging these
societies, having appropriated large amounts
to aid in the prosecution of their work
The appropriation for 1900 was 81 29o7l9
1t is expected that by the end of 1902
every one of the seventy-eight provinces of
Russia, including Siberia, will have been
included in the sphere of activity of these
societies.
1.-The Societe Russo dHygiene Publioue
has been seeking Information from members
In the various provinces where the govern
ment has control of the manufacture and
sale of spirits as to the effects of the law
and the decrease in drunkenness. The
friends OF the measure confess that the tes-
timony thus far is so conflicting as to be
unsatisfactory, but they hope for better re-
suits after the law has been inaugurated
In all the provinces of Russia
d,
peatedly stated that the most important
impeachment in the way of Russia's rapid
progress lies in those twin relics of bar
Observation-Disclosures and intemperance among
the peasant classes, which comprise 75 peT
cent of the population"
-<s
Threatening Situation at Chefoo.
A Berlin telegram from Chefoo says that
owing to the threatening situation the
American admiral is preparing for the de-