Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1909-11-05
GOTHENBCRG SYSTEM
A METHOD OF REGULATING LIQUOR
CONSUMPTION ACROSS THE SEA.

Grafton as an Aid to Temperance and So
briefly.
Tine following article has appeared
n several religious papers of the Soutl
and West. Mr.. Randolph Churchill
the author. i 4 well known traveller
and correspondent. 1t is published
to awaken thought and diSprl prcju-
dice upon an important question soon
to pass the ordeal Of the popular bal
lot.
The distinguishing feature Of the
GothrnhurG system is the climina-
tiua OF private profits and comforting
monopoly rights To sell spirits To- com
panirs which organize with uhilan-
thrupic motives. vet many ui lhc hn-
ia%S or companies look after profits,
and tine company system has itN cril
icN and defects.
TIL" companies undertake., on he
half OF tine authorizes. lu improve the
grade uf spirits. lessen the sale. and
lnaugaratc counter attractions la in
ducr the people to consume less Spir-
lis and part;tkc more freely Of the
temperance beverages, such as light
wines and standard beers.
may say there are important diff
fercnccS between the Company SyS-
tenn in Sweden and the Company
. System in Norway. and in each cOun-
try the different companies have their
special regulations. whether it be in
the city. the town. or the country
districts, Vet the term Gothrnburg
System 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.
Bat the main principle which I'M
derllcS 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 temperance and economic meas
ure. To the little village of Falun
! belongs the honor of first forming Il
company to conduct the liquor traffic
regardless of gain to the members:
this was in loJ0, and Il little later 1
Jonkoplng, a company was formed on
the same principle; hence these ex-
periments suggested the Company
System TO the trainers of the Act of
$50, and gave the world the Guthen-
burg or Gottcnburg System.
The Prime Minister of Sweden
said: 1T stands to reason that
when Il private individual engages in
the brandy trade. as well as in any
other. his interests will induce him
To sell as much rs he can; whereas
the Companies, if they properly full
fill their mission, should never bc in
3 tluencrd by selfish motives.
The Gothenburg Committee said
in their report: The worst enemy
of the morals and well-bcing of the
working classes in this community is
brandy. Yet it is not the liquor
only. ii is TIE 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 SyS-
TEN to drive out the small distlr-
rieS and close the "grogehopS, the
philanthropsts of Go,hcnburg were
I simply doing then what the Amcri-
can brewers are trying 10 do to-day
in their efforts to reform the retail
sale of all beverages. but the brew
erS OF Scandinavia are not compelled
to look after the morals of the l'OlagS
and SamiaCS. since beer does not fall
under the head of SpirituouS 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 offer
ing the license To sell liquor to the
highest bidder, as was the former
custom. Then it must be borne in
mind that local option has been in
vogue Tor many years, and many
towns and large rural districts are
without spirit shops; the authorities
have no power to grant Company
rights in local option 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 GOrHENBURG
GOthenburG, Il city of no. 900
people. handed over to the Bolag
! Company the licenses hitherto dis
4 ..
began its career. and to this day ar
dent spirits have nothing in common
with the mild beverages.
! In 1891 the number of licenses al
lowed 10y the city was 81. which were
made use of us follows by the Bolag:
Appropriated for pubic houses . is
Appropriated for eating houses 4
Transferred by Bolag to hotels,
clubs and restaurants. ....... 20
II
Being one 10 every 2.,9S OF the
population. while the number
not used WAS. ..................l 10
6l
/ The shops of the Bolag are very
simple and plain in their furnishings.
In Gothenburg the sales of ardent
spirits have fallen of 26 per cent.
: since 1919 and this is not all the ben
eft derived from the regulations of
the Bolag, for " the whole conduct of
the trade has been guided 10y men de
/ >irOuS of lcsScning intcnpcrance, and
. the people are led to use the mild
beverages instead Of spirits"
An eminent authority says: The
value of the licensing experience Of
fercd by the towns of Sweden and
I Norway is increased by the fact that
there are two systems in force at the
same time, viz. restriction under the
Companies as regards spirits; and