The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-06
GEARS ORDER DOES : NOT STOP SALE OF
 ALL INTOXICANTS
Local Government Have Handling of Excise Cues tion Throughout
 Kingdom.

The sCzar of Russia did not issue an }edict prohibiting the sale of liquors in Hh1ssia He expressed a desire that the sale of liquors be discontinued dur ling the war, but recognized the prin- scipie of local government. Also, hprohibition does not prohibit, even in
 Feussfa- These facts are brought out Fin a letter from John H. Snodgrass, kAmerican Consul General at Moscow, lin response to request from the Ma kt1onal Model License League for the fexact truth about prohibition in Rus hsIa The letter, which was forwarded kthrough the State Department at 1Washington, is as follows:
 Tn response to your inquiry of Jan azaTy 7th, requesting exact inforna- ktfon In regard to the Russian ukase kDrohibiting the use Of liquors other Ethan vodka in Russia, I beg to state 5that, in the strict sense Of the word, kths crown has not proclaimed such an ledfct. At the beginning of the war the. tgowernment expressed desirabf1ity flor the discontinuance of the sale of 3aiI tntoxicants throughout the empire, sbut the issuance or regulations for the fsale of drinks was left to the local in Sstitut1ons of government.
 The city of Moscow was the firs1 ito prohibit the sale of Intoxicating farinks, including light wines and beer, fbut only the vodka shops were closed 59or the first three months of the war, .-4t b64ng possible to purcnas0s e1tneF Sat the beer saloons or Wineshops, all kerades of beer and wine. Vodka was faiso sold at that time in the higher fclass restaurants in Moscow, and, in 5fact, throughout Russia in the same tD1aces. Later, however, all wine stores land beer saloons were closed. and the
 sale of any kinds of intoxicants abso- Hutely forbidden for the time being, no s1irnft being set for the opening of these linstitutions- PetrogradS followed Mos kcow' example. and so did most of the 80ther cities, boroughs and villages, SO kthat it may be assumed that the sale kcf intoKicants is forbidden in perhaps fsO per cent of all cities and towns in 1.-the empire
 Tn the city of Moscow these regu- aations are outwardly being strictly Eenforced, heavy fine being exacted sfrom all persons infringing the rules. EFWfne may only be obtained on a pre- kseription signed by doctor. the exact samount being nafned, and the pre- kscriptioh good only for one time, but kthis office is informed that in alT the srestaurants drinks may be obtained. kIt is stated, furthermore that private Ehouses have sufficient supplies to last Eduring the war.
 ts At the present moment there is a kuovenoent in favor of the authoriza- Etion to sell light wines and beer This kquestion will be placed before the leg
 aEsative institutions, upon which will .FS&SPSi1u JL6 passing 4OL a slelWs T0SulaT-s fdng the sale of leuors
 Practically all the breweries in
 Russia are temporarily closed, but, ac-
 cording to statement of the man
 ager of one of the largest in Moscow,
 they expect to open in tho spring as
 they anticipate favorable ruling on
 the part of the government ai1thori-
 tfes with regard to the sale of beer
 The wine merehantsl are equally hope
 full but no one Is in a position to state accurately what the disposition of, the
 government will be as to the contin- uance of the general sale throughout @fhe countrX of vodka. There is a. pretty decided opinion on the paft of ethe thinking eIasses that the bottle
 houses in the villages and rural dis sEtricts should be cut down, ab--Ieast, hand perhaps eliminated, and that the Esznurnber in the larger cities should be s1ewer. This question is p1ob1ernat1caI land no decision vii be reached until Rthe cessation of hostilit1es.
 The governments loss on account tof the closing Of the vodka shops is tEnore than $1.oeo,ooo per day