New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-15
DRINK JUST THE SAME
British Blue Book Shows More
DrunkenneSS-FeWer Saloons.
CONVICTIONS ARE GROWING
Study Made Of Effects of Partial
Closing and Phenomenally Hot
Weather on Drinking Habit.
by cable to The Tribune. J

London. Dec IA really commend
able spirit OF enterprise marks the
compilation OF the governments latest
Blue Book. dealing with licensing sta
tigtics Of l911 How the partial clos
ing OF the saloons in the North of Eng
land during the strike rioting in Au-
gust and how the phenomenal spell of
hot weather affected the drinking ca
pacity Of the people. are among the in
teresting topics which receive exhaust
I've attention.
But first, this formidable mass of
statistics tells you that. between 1900
and 1911. inclusive, the total number Of
licensed saloons in England had been
reduced by 1854 and yet in spite Of
this decrease in opportunity the
total number Of convictions for drunk
enness show an increase over the pre-
yious year. The actual number Of con
victions jumped from 1G1 992 in 1917"
70 III 1870 in 1911 London's total alone
increased from AS to J5.l36.
Dealing with the effect Of tie COM
puIsory closing Of public houses in
Liverpool during the riots the Blue
Book says
In Is the first opportunity which has
occurred Of reviewing with the aid or
statistics the effects of the closing on
o considerable scale Of licensed premises
during a great part Of the day. There IS
no doubt that the closing which &C
CURED was most salutary and helpful!
20 the police from the general point OF
view of public order * il possible 20
20 further and trace any connection be-
tween the closing Of licensed premises
and the amount OF drunkenness The
figures OF arrests for drunkenness AFFORD
the only means Of answering the Ques-
ton and these as must always be re-
mem hered, are not Trustworthy index
20 drunkenness even in norma! times
For instance aS regards the three
towns under consideration, it is not to
be supposed that Liverpool IS, ina fact
more than three times, and Birkenhead
nearly three times as drunken as EOOtlc.
vet in Liverpool the convictions for
drunkenness We're. for the year 1871,
1928 per 10000 persons. in Birkenhead
1868. and in BOOtle only 1876. The
figures are primarily Il reflection Of
police opinion and other clrcums tanCes
in each locality. During the eleven days
i'm 1911 when all licensed houses were
closed e3rly-at S p. M. on the lltG
August, ana subsequently al D. M
the arrests Tor drunkenness fell in Liver
pool 10 lO6 as against 322 in the COrre-
spending period Of 1910, and in Birkeu-
head to II. as against A.
The conclusion is that the Liverpool
figures, interesting as they are. afford
no exception TO the general rule that it Is
unsafe to attribute any change in the
number OF proceedings for drunkenness
20 any single or simple cause.
on the question of how the weather
comes into calculation in estimating
the possible drink bill" Of a nation the
inquiry which the report undertook
was Disappointing. IT states:
The exceptional weather of 1911 seemed
10 afford an unprecedented opportunity
of gauging the effects of Temperature
upon drunkenness, so far as represented
y onvS 5s dra 2nd table b OF m9nthy (
comparison on this point The huctua-
tons OF these figures are at least as
easily correlated with labor crises OF with
various holiday influences.
II the theory is that heat and sunshine
increase the inclination TO consume in
toxicating liquor. and therefore the
chances of drunkenness. july and August
1911 should show exceptionally high
the figures for the whole country are
merely normal. according 10 the average
for the previous three years, and even in
London, where they are higher than the
average, they are not so much higher
than those for several other months. For
August there IL a sharp decline in the
figures In all parts OF the country.
But. there are apparently other and
more simple things which drive P man
to drink" in England. one Of them is
probably the excessive charges made
for temperance drinks. and. comment
ing upon this. the authoritative medi-
cal journal The Lancet" says:
A pint sf bitter beer costs the consumer
in most eases considerably less than
smaller draft Of lemon squash. We have
known, in fact. as much as l6 cents or
even more charged for this, one OF the
best non alcoholic beverages, and II cents
NAV be asked for a bottle OF ginger beer
or ginger ale If the circumstances OF tie
sale seem to warrant the charge. This
charge is out Of ali proportion to the in