Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-01-31
a SOBER COUNTRY.

81 "A OODEh OOUN N L.
NEWFOUNDLAND HAS A REMARKABLE
j NoNALcoHOLIc RECORD.
Declared to BE the Most Temperate
OF Intoxicating Liquor-How Local
Option Works.
In the matter Of intoxicating liquor
Newfoundland, says correspondent of
the Chicago News, is the most temper
ate country in the world. Its statistics
of liquor consumption show the most
drifting use Of ardent drinks. The heart
'of a temperance advocate would be
gladdened by Cur abstemiousness, while
the tippler would be correspondingly
depressed, for in most of the fishing
hamlets around the coast there is not
a saloon, and only in st. Johns and a
few ccnters is the liquor traffic Of any
magnitude.
Canada has hitherto claimed the hon
or of being the soberest country, but
must now yield that distinction to
Newfoundland. a comparative state
ment recently issued shows that the
canadians drink eight times as much
Of strong beverages as the "Ncwland
ers" do, and it is doubtful if any state
or province anywhere has a record OF
sobriety approx { hing that of this is
land. The table referred to shows the
annual consumption per head of popu-
'lation for the year 1900 and is as fol-
lows:
Spirits, Wines Beers.
gallons. gallons gallons.
Newfoundland O24 03 O.22
canada w US 54z
Newfoundland total consumption
per head is therefore O.O49 of Il gallon
las against Canada's total of 40 gal
Ions per annum. Allowing seventy-hve
drinks to gallon of spirits or wines,
the Newfountilander takes Il drink OH
~ twenty times in tho year. or once in
eight days, while at twenty drinks to
gallon Of beer he stakes his thirst with
"a schooner" once every three months.
in Canada the per capita consumption
Is three times as great in spirits, three
teen times as great in beers. In New
|foundland, it should be explained,
wines are drunk by only a limited
class-the well to do, say one-eighth Of
the population-and beers are but spar
tngly used outside of ST. Johns and the
larger centers. The fisherman's drink
1s rum, and last year out Of a total i'm
Cf oE
wines rum amounted to Al 400 gallons
This, however, represented drop of
10000 gallons Of rum as compared
with 1890, though we have grown from
10000 to 100000 people.
st. Johns, with it's 10000 residents
and it's large floating population as the
main seaport of the island, is the least
sober section. But still it compares ia
''vorably with other coast towns of it's
class elsewhere. Its saloons, which
number fifty-two, are open from Z a. m.
to 10 p. m. on weekdays, but are closed
tight latter hours and on Sundays. 1t
Is practically impossible to obtain a
drink in the city during these periods. |
Police collision with the saloon keep
w
strikes, every saloon closes, and if men |
are seen leaving one five minutes later |
the owner is summoned before the mag
istrate and heavily fined. A second Of
Tense involves imprisonment for six |
a third entails the canceling Of |
the license. No publican" as the own
er is termed, ever yet ran this risk. One
indictment is usually enough to instill |
the requisite caution against further
offense.
A peculiar fact about the public |
houses" here is that most of them are
conducted by widows who, having no
other means Of support have taken to
this calling to secure a livelihood. An
other institution here is the barmaid-
as in England. St. Johns is the only
place in America where she fourishes.
It implies no discredit for a girl to be
''behind the bar" nor is the conducting
of saloon by woman in any way de-
Girls prefer "bartending'' to
domestic service. and daily paper
ter was mulcted III heavy damages by ,
a jury, which verdict the judge warmly |
commended.
Almost every hamlet around the coast
line enjoys what is termed 'local op>
ton" This is modified sort of prohi-
bition, which in Canada is known as
the "Scott act" after it's introducer. It |
enables the majority of the residents
in any section to forbid the sale of |
liquors therein by holding poll and
registering their votes in accordance
with the terms Of the local option act.
If the majority vote ''yes" for the en-
forcement Of the act, the sale of intoxi- |
cants at once becomes illegal and the
tippler has to import his private stock |
of liquors from st. Johns.
French Railways Alert. |