The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1909-04-10
Promotion Of Mild Beverages as
a Temperance and Economic
Measure.
RESTRICTION OF SPIRITS
Pc FREEDOM AS TO BEER
AS the Use Of Beer Increases the
Vice of Drunkenness
Diminishes.


nation has appeared in a number Of
conservative, religious papers, of the
South and West. The author is Mr..
traveller, and a painstaking student
OF economic and social questions.
The Gothenburg System.
The distinguishing, feature of the
Gothenburg System is the elimination
of private profits and comforting mon
opoly rights to sell spirits to COM
panies which organize with philan-
thropic motives; yet many of the
BoQags or Companies seem to look af-
ter profits, and the. Company system
has it's critics and defects.
The Companies undertake, on be-
half of the authorities, to improve the
grade Of spirits, lessen the sale and
inaugurate counter attractions to in
duce the people to consume less
spirits and partake more freely Of the
temperance beverages, such as light
wines and standard beers.
I may say there are important diff
ferences between the Company Sys-
tenn in Sweden and the Company Sys-
tenn in Norway and in each country
the different companies have their
special regulations, whether it be in
the city, the town, or the country dis
tricts, yet the term "Gothenlburg Sys-
tenn" is used to describe the whole
Gothenburg having been the first
large city adopting the Company Sys-
tenn, which came into existence about
the middle of the last century.
But the main principle which under
lies the entire Company System in
Scandinavia is the
Elimination Of Private Profit
from the sale Of ardent spirits, and
the promotion of the mild beverages
as a temperance and economic meas
ure. 70 the little village OF Falun
belongs the honor of first forming a
Company to conduct the liquor traffic
regardless Of gain ITO the members;
this was in 1850, and a little later at
Jonkoping a Company was formed on
the same principles; hence these small
experiments suggested the. Company
System to the trainers Of the Act of
1856, and gave the world the Got1len-
burg System.
The prime minister Of Sweden said: !:
1t stands to reason that when a pri-
vate individual engages in the brandy
trade, as we'll as in any other, his
interests will induce him to sell as
much as he can; whereas the Com
pardes, if they properly fulfill their
mission, should never he influenced
by selfish motives"
The Gothenburg Committee said in
their report: "The worst enemy of
the morals and we'll being Of the
working classes in this community
is brandy. Yet it is not the liquor
only, it Is the disorder, evil tempta-
tions and opportunities for every kind
of iniquity with which public-house
life abounds that contribute mainly
to this state of things" Hence in
forming the Company System to drive
out the small distilleries and close
the "grogshops," the philanthropists
Of Gothenburg were simply doing
then what the American brewers are
trying to do today in their efforts to
reform the retail sale Of all beverages,
but the brewers of Scandinavia are
not compelled to look after the morals
Of the Bolags and Sanlags, since beer
does not fall under the head Of spir-
ituous liquors.
Generally speaking, the laws OF
Sweden and Norway give the local
authorities the power to grant char
ter rights to approved Companies to
sell ardent spirits, instead Of offering,
the license to SELL liquor to the high
est bidder, as was the former custom.
Then it must be borne in mind that
local option has been in vogue for
many years, and many towns and
large rural districts are without spirit
shops; the authorities have no power
to grant Company rights in local op-
tion territory, and here we find only
light wines and standard beers for
sale in the shops, hotels and cafes.
As for, drunkards and immoral places
they are almost unknown.
In Gothenburs. .-.
Gothenburg, city of 100000 people
handed over to the Bolag Company
the licenses hitherto disposed of al
auction when the system began ite
career, and to this day ardent spirits
have nothing in common with the
mild beverages.
The shops Of the Bolag are very
simple and plain In their furnishings
In Gothenburg the sales OF ardent
spirits have fallen off Sc per cent
! since 1875 and this Is not all the bene-
| fit derived from the regulations o1
the Bolag. for ''the whole conduct o,
the trade has been guided by men de-
sirous OF lessening fntemperance, and
the people are led to US the mild bev-
erags instead Of spirits" i. !. = y
An eminent authority says: t'Tht
value Of the licensing experience Of
kered by the towns OF Sweden and
Norway is Increased by the fact that
there are two system in force at the
same time, viz, restriction under The
Gompanies as regards spirits; and
something approaching to free trade