New-York tribune., 1901-05-21
SCOTCH TEMPERANCE.
THE PUBLIC HOUSE TRUST IN GLASGOW
NOTIFICATIONS OF THE GorHEN-
BURG SYSTEM WITHOUT MU
SPECIALIZATION OF THE
LIQUOR TRAFFIC.
London. Nav g

London. May 8.
The lanrels Of Gothenburg do not suffer c7las-
cow TO sleep, II the municinalza+ior ot +,.
drink traffic has not been undertaken b, tho
Town Council. a Public House Trust has baen
formed by a large body Of influential temper
shce feAoi iiiefs LOT the purpose of promoting
soEiley pS PupAc management of the retail
liquor tralnc The Town Council after appointing
speclal committee TO consider the practicability
of the Introduction of the Gothenburg system in
modihed form has hung up the report and
declined to experiment with this new variant
OF municipal socialism. Extreme temperance
men were unwilling to lend municipal support to
trade which they considered ought to be pro-
hplleo py law' ana shrank from the responsible
ity OF ehrlchlng ratepayers at the expense of
drunkards The Public House Trust however
remains in the field and is appealing to the lcens
ing authorities for power TO open saloons which
can be managed on the Gothenburg PRINCIPLES
Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Sir James King SIR
John Cuthbertson. Professor William Smart and
some Of the most influential temperance men in
Glasgow are trustees, directors and sharehold-
in this enterprise, and are making strenuous
efforts to obtain licenses for a reformed class of
public houses.
The practical operation of the Swedish system
greatly interested me when 1 visited Gothenburg
few years ago; and consequently I was i'm
PEELED during a recent visit in Glasgow to make
careful inquiries respecting the Scotch project
for regulating the drink traffic. The object OF
the Gothenburg system is to minimize the evN
effects Of drink by protecting those in the habit
OF frequenting saloons against the ordinary in
fuences and temptations of public houses The
managers of the Gothenburg drinking places are
salaried officials of the Bolag or licensing COM
pany. and they have no pecuniary interest in in
creasing the sale of intoxicating liquor. The
principle underlying the methods of the Public
House Trust in Glasgow is substantially the
same. It is the elimination of private profit from
the sale Of liquor. The managers of the trust
public houses will be paid fixed salaries and will
not be allowed to receive commissions on sales.
As with the Gothenburg saloonkeepers, their
private gains will be derived from the sale of
food mineral waters, non-intoxicants and other
refreshments Self-interest will require orderly
conduct Of the saloons and repression of exces-
sive drinking. They will have motive for
cheating customers in the quality Of liquor. or
for inducing them TO drink more than they
ought TO. Drinking credit and pawn tickets
will be prohibited. The sale of intoxicants will
be a secondary consideration. and the drink
seller Will be an advocate of moderate in place
Of excessive drinking
NO MODEL SALOONS YET OPEN.
The model Scotch saloon conducted on these
Swedish principles has not yet been opened. for
the twelve magistrates responsible for the regu-
The virtues of the institution extolled in
prospectuses OF the limited liability company.
and the same phrases are used which I heard in
Gothenburg when the officials were conducting
through their orderly saloons and wholesome
restaurants The drink sellers in these model
saloons are on the side OF temperance; they are
cooperating heartily with the police for the
good Of the community; self-interest is over
Swallowed by their sense of public obligation;
nd THa ozt affe
the shareholders have received a return OF 4
per cent are administered public trust
These are the stock phrases Of the Swedish re-
formers, with a single variation in the percent
age reserved for the shareholders of the licensing
company, which is in Gothenburg. the re-
naming profits. approximately S1S1OO0 being
divided between the town and state treasures
ard the agricultural society. The Glasgow com
pery agrees TO pay the surplus earnings. after
4 per cent has been reserved. to trustees TO be
expended for the public benefit. with special
regard to fostering counter attractions to the
public house and encouraging rational recrea-
::on and entertainment" The trustees will be
debarred from applying any Of the surplus TO the
dii ect relief Of the rates; but they will be en-
powered TO pay over part or the whole of the
profits into the national excheQuer If they deem
it eEpedient.
AS the Town Council has shrunk from munich
palizng the drink traffic on broad lines, as has
been done in Gothenburg, the public house re-
formers have appealed directly to the magis-
trates for permission take up and manage
licenses old or new This arrays against them
the public house interest, which has become
under restricted licensing a rich and powerful
monopoly During the last twenty years the
number of public houses has declined, and re-
strction has impaired immense value to the
licenses which annually renewed The liquor
interest is compactly organized, and every Ii
cense is a valuable property controlled by the
trade. There is appeal from the licensing
court of town magistrates TO a larger BODY or
county magistrates; but the privilege or seHlng
LIQUOR has become a publican's monopoly and
great source of wealth TO a small group OF
saloon owners. The prevention of habits of in
temperance is not brought about by the creation
Of a gigantic combination for the control of the
trade and the enrichment Of publicans- The
reformers contend that restriction Of licensing
has not diminished drunkenness and that higher
licenses would provide saloonkeepers with
fresh incentive for pushing the sale and con-
sumption of drink. They have singled out one or
two districts and asked the authorities to grant
licenses to them which be managed as
public tr1lst. and they offer hold the profits
with the exception of 4 per cent, at the disposal
OF trustees 10 be expended for public purposes
and to surrender the licenses at any time with
out dema ading like the publicans, enormous
con pensation They stand ready either to build
new public houses or to carry on the business
in saloons already licensed and to REFORM the
existing methods OF conducting the drink trafhc
They have not succeeded in obtaining a foothod
in any district but the opposition to the publ
cans monopoly is so strong throughout the city
that IL is probable that the experiment OF re-