The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-03-19
TAKE
STEPS To CHECK
DRINK { VII
IN PARIS
One Drinking Place Now for
Every Eighty Men in the
Nation. Number Growing
Rapidly.

Paris, March H. A bill to stop the
opening OF any more drinking estab-
lishments In France Is TO be presented
20 parliament as the opening wedge
Tor the auti-alcuholiC campaign which
Is being tahen up anew ny temper
unce advocates.
Here are some OF the facts with
" INCH they are trying 20 drive home
the need OF restraint
Il the drinking places already
established Were SO apportioncd there
would be one Tor every group OF 80
inhabitants OF France.
la tome districts drinking places
are SO thickly placed that there is one
for every seventeen persons.
New drinking places are %springing
up throughout the country at h rate
OF six a day.
More alcoholic drink, including
wines, is consumed in France than
in any other nation Ia the world.
In the form OF spirits alone IL Is
estimated tina S2a6.0 600. 900 worth
was drunk i'm France during 1911.
Complete prohibition Is beyond the
widest dreams OF any French tenn
perance rerormer,' says Henri
schmidt. who h author OF the bill
about 10 come before the house OF
deputies. and the most We can hope
al present is TO forbid the opening OF
any new saloons. by refusing 10
grant new Licenses we hope In the
course OF time, as some Of the pres
eut drinking establishments fail or
cease to exist for other reasons, 10
reduce the average Of drinking places
40. -. HHH HH.UH a. aNARNN
not, however, Try 10 prevent the open
ing of restaurants where drink Is sold
with meals,
But even such "A mild anti-alco-
hole measure as his is likely To meet
with much opposition Ia parliament
How difficult II Is to pass temperance
Legislation in France may be judged
from the fact that Ia 1912 only l26
out OF 600 deputies voted In favor OF
a milder bill which originated Ia the
senate M was twelve years passing
through the uppcf house.
We hope. however, that the gen
cral elections this spring Will cunsid-
erably increase the temperance vote
In the chamber and We are ORGANIC
ing an energetic non-party campaign
throughout France. urging each po-
.litlCal group 10 obtain from their can
.didate a declaration on the drinking
question aud II possible a pledge 10
support anti-aicohoiic legislation.
AFTER h passage OF the law at
present before the house there are
Two other projects which we hope %
realize ln course OF time. one IL the
absolute prohibition OF the sale Of alb
sinthe. OFFICIAL statistics show that
the consumption OF this liquor, which
stood al 200. 00O iitres in 1874, had
increased 10 $4,000. Gee litres In 1910.
The increase of crime In france dur
Ing recent years Is largely due 10 abb
sinthe drinking. our mad-houses are
filled with lunatics who would have
been sane and healthy men and wO-
men but FOR absinthe.
The second ant-alcoholic
viii be FOR %abOhshing the privilege
OF spirit distillers TO manufacture a
quantity OF spirit free from taxation
for consumption by themselves and
their families. The moun Of spirits
thus manufactured b. enormous. espe-
ciaily in the cider districts. such as
Normandy and Brittany. where every
peasant Is q dlstilicr Of spirits IN "a
small way. The government has no
check whatever on spirit manufac-
tured under the privilege and OF
course d b. not by any means con-
.sumed by the distiller and his family.
~ Is estimated that Il the spirits man
ufactured under the privilege were
taxed at the same rate as other al